The Modern Hotelier – Episode #293: A System that Actually Delivers Personalization & Improves the Guest Experience w/ the Alliants Team
Recorded live from HITEC, Steve Carran sits down with the Alliant leadership team—CEO Tristan Gadsby, SVP of Customer Experience Andrew Pirret, and CRO Alberto Santana—to explore how technology is transforming the guest experience while keeping hospitality at its human core.
The conversation dives into Alliant’s collaboration with Les Clefs d’Or, where concierge professionals are embracing AI and modern technology to enhance personalized service. Tristan shares how technology can make hospitality professionals “superhuman” by automating routine tasks and allowing them to focus on meaningful guest interactions.
Alberto discusses the untapped opportunity hotels have to better understand why guests are traveling, using a compelling World Cup travel scenario to illustrate how hotels can move beyond generic upsells and create memorable, emotionally connected experiences. The team also explores the importance of recognizing every guest on a reservation—not just the primary booker—and how doing so unlocks deeper personalization and increased revenue opportunities.
Andrew explains why digital wallets and contactless check-in technology have reached a tipping point, making travel smoother for guests while helping hotels overcome staffing and operational challenges. The discussion also highlights how Apple Wallet integrations are changing the way travelers manage their stays and interact with hotel brands.
Finally, Tristan shares how Alliant is leveraging agentic AI, guest data, and contextual intelligence to create smarter recommendations for guests and more efficient workflows for hotel teams. From AI-powered morning briefing agents to hyper-personalized guest engagement, the future of hospitality is becoming more connected, intelligent, and guest-centric than ever before.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
* How concierge teams are embracing AI without losing the human touch
* Why understanding a guest’s reason for travel matters more than ever
* The hidden revenue opportunities in identifying all guests on a reservation
* How digital wallets are reshaping the hotel guest journey
* The role of agentic AI in delivering personalized hospitality at scale
* Why data quality is the foundation of successful AI initiatives
************* TIMESTAMPS *************
00:00 Introduction
00:20 HITEC Booth Introductions
00:57 Clefs d’Or Concierge Collaboration
02:34 Valentina Stay Personalization
04:55 Capture Every Guest Profile
06:27 Digital Wallets Go Mainstream
08:53 Wallet Itineraries and Loyalty
10:24 Agentic AI For Guest Experience
14:06 Wrap Up and Contact Info
************* LINKS & RESOURCES *************
For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/293
Links:
Tristan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristangadsby/
Alberto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsantana/
Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-pirret/
Alliants: https://www.alliants.com/
Join the conversation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-modern-hotelier/
Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99%EF%B8%8Fsteve-carran-00914510/
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-millili/
