The Modern Hotelier – Episode #295: How Hotels Can Stay in Control in the AI Age | with Jesús Olivares Sánchez
In this episode, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Jesús Olivares Sánchez to explore how hospitality is being reshaped by AI, data, and rapidly evolving guest expectations.
Jesús shares his journey from engineering and financial services into hospitality tech, eventually joining Amadeus, where he now focuses on connecting the hospitality ecosystem through data, distribution, personalization, and advertising. The conversation dives into how hotels can stay “discoverable” in an AI-driven world, the rise of agentic commerce, and why modern distribution strategies must balance control, relevance, and flexibility across multiple channels.
In this episode you’ll know about:
* The biggest shifts shaping hospitality today, especially the rise of AI and changing guest expectations
* How Amadeus is connecting data, distribution, and personalization across the hospitality ecosystem
* What “AI discoverability” means for hotels and how it impacts direct bookings and distribution strategy
* How agentic AI and new commerce models are changing the way travelers search, book, and experience travel
* What hoteliers need to do now to stay competitive while modernizing their tech stack for the future
************* TIMESTAMPS *************
00:00 Introduction
00:41 Jesús Career Journey
02:14 Big Shifts in Hospitality
03:20 Connected Ecosystem Explained
05:24 AI Commerce for Hotels
08:25 Personalization That Works
10:49 Demand and Revenue Strategy
12:26 What Defines Success
13:27 Wrap Up and Contact Info
************* LINKS & RESOURCES *************
For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/295
Links:
Jesús on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jes%C3%BAs-olivares-s%C3%A1nchez-2313b16b/
Amadeus: https://amadeus.com/en
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/
