🔥 This Week’s Episode: Joshua Wohle (AI CEO)
This week, Joshua Wohle delivered one of the most immediately usable AI conversations.
3 Fast Takeaways:
AI thinks like a synthetic human, not a search engine. Voice inputs → more context → dramatically better output.
Agency beats credentials. Future talent = people who act, not people who wait to be told what to do.
Execs MUST adopt AI daily. If leadership doesn’t model usage, the org won’t follow.
Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
🎙️ Next Week: Adam Harris (CEO, Cloudbeds)
Adam’s episode is a fun one — part startup chaos, part global-hotel-tech masterclass.
What to listen for:
How Cloudbeds grew out of a broken Brazil travel experience (plus “Bark-for-Beer”).
The bold early acquisition that wiped out their competition.
His “systems of action” framework — and why hotel software is entering a new era.
A fast, insightful episode from someone actually building the future of PMS + distribution + AI.
📰 Big Stories in Travel + AI
1) Expedia Cuts Staff, Prioritizes AI
Source: https://skift.com/expedia-ai-restructuring
Sloan’s Take: OTAs built on legacy tech stacks will bleed market share unless they rebuild the customer journey around agentic AI. Expedia is trying to pivot. We will see more of this at other companies.
2) Google’s AI Travel Mode Is Getting Uncomfortably Good
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/822240/google-ai-mode-travel-plans
Sloan’s Take: Google is quietly becoming the world’s most powerful travel agent. Hotels risk becoming commodities unless they create personalized, AI-driven brand layers above Google.
3) Airbnb Launches Instant AI Host Support
Source: https://techcrunch.com/airbnb-ai-support
Sloan’s Take: Platforms like Airbnb continue doing what hotels resist — automating guest resolution. The first hotel brand to operationalize AI-first service will win disproportionate share.
4) Marriott Expands Its Luxury Footprint with Global Openings
Source: https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Marriott-luxury-expansion
Sloan’s Take: Luxury isn’t slowing; it’s concentrating. And the brands that marry AI-powered personalization with high-touch service will define the next decade of luxury.
5) U.S. Airlines See Record Revenue—But Flat Satisfaction Scores
Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/airlines-demand-revenue-2025
Sloan’s Take: Airlines are printing money but delivering the same (or worse) experience. This is the hospitality opening: travelers will increasingly choose hotels/resorts that restore them after brutal travel days. Experience is the arbitrage.
Stay Not Done!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Sloan