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Tomorrow's tech winners focus on people and culture today
Agnelo Fernandes, CEO of Cote Hospitality
Josiah Mackenzie
December 31, 2025
Happy New Year’s Eve! Today, we’re bringing back this email recap because I’ve found myself spending less time on LinkedIn reading AI-created content and more time with newsletters from trusted voices. Chances are good you follow Hospitality Daily because of the sharp, unique perspectives of our guest experts — that’s why I listen — and while you could drop the transcript in your favorite LLM, I find that doesn’t pull out the unique perspectives our guests share in conversation with me. So today in this email — and hopefully future editions — I’ll attempt to do that for you. I’m hoping doing this “by hand” myself better reflects the insight shared — even if you don’t have time to listen to the whole episode. Let’s get into it…
The big idea: The hospitality organizations that focus first on people and culture will be the ones that win as technology is poised to disrupt every aspect of the guest journey and hotel operation.
If we don't have the right people on board, it doesn't matter what technology you have.
Zoom out: This isn’t a short-term problem with a short-term solution.
I don't think the challenge of how we solve labor is going anywhere. It was there before COVID. I became chair of the HSMAI Foundation to address talent issues, and I don't think that's going away.
Why this matters: You need the right people in place to take advantage of the potential of technology.
You can have the best systems of record. You can have the best systems of intelligence. You can have the best systems of actions. But if you don't have the right people, that's where things get challenged.
Want more on this from Agnelo? Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast here or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Then, check out our episodes on people, culture, and recruiting from our library.
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A few final things:
If you have any thoughts, ideas, questions, or suggestions for Hospitality Daily, please reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you!
If you have something that would benefit the hospitality professionals who read, listen to, and watch Hospitality Daily, let’s work together to help you help more people.
Thank you for reading.
-Josiah