We gave control of our hotel inventory away once before. Let’s not do it again.
At The Lodging Conference, I spoke with Jeff Wagoner, President and CEO of OUTRIGGER Hospitality Group for hashtagNoVacancyNews, about how hashtagAI is reshaping hotel search, discovery, and distribution — and what hoteliers must do to stay in control this time.
Jeff drew a clear line between the post-9/11 OTA era and what’s happening now with generative AI. Back then, the industry leaned on online travel agencies for visibility and lost direct connections with guests. Today, agentic AI tools like ChatGPT could either hand that power back to hotels—or repeat the same mistake.
Here’s what Jeff shared:
👉 AI isn’t just about asking questions—it’s about how search renders your brand in a conversational environment.
👉 Hotels must feed accurate, high-quality data into AI systems to ensure they show up first.
👉 Understanding geo-based and algorithmic search will soon matter as much as SEO once did.
👉 Operators that invest early will save on distribution costs and regain control of guest relationships.
Jeff’s message was clear: The AI era is another inflection point for hashtaghospitality. Get educated now — or risk falling behind.
Thanks to our friends at Unifocus for sponsoring this video. Unifocus , technology that drives value, visit them at Unifocus.com
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.