Shai Zelering Honored By UJA-Federation of New York
The UJA Hospitality Division committee is chaired by Jonathan Tisch, Co-chairman of the Board of Loews Corporation and Executive Chairman of Loews Hotels, and its members include Bruce Blum, Liberty Hotel Advisors, LLC; Richard Born, BD Hotels; Mark Gerstein, McKinsey & Company; Michael Lefkowitz, Triumph Hotels; David A. Pepper, Choice Hotels International, Inc.; Brian Schwartz, The Elliot Group; Stacy Silver, Silver Hospitality Group LLC; Alex Tisch, Loews Hotels & Co.; and Evan Weiss, LW Hospitality Advisors.
About UJA-Federation of New York
Working with a network of hundreds of nonprofits, UJA extends its reach from New York to Israel to nearly 70 other countries around the world, touching the lives of 4.5 million people each year. Every year, UJA provides approximately $180 million in grants. For more information, please visit ujafedny.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hospitality Net
05-08-2025
- Hospitality Net
The Lesson Behind Delta's AI Pricing Drama: Transparent, Not Personalized
As AI continues to redefine the boundaries of business optimization, a growing debate has emerged around the ethics of AI-driven pricing. The recent controversy surrounding Delta Airlines' CEO and the suggestion of 'personalized pricing' has rightly triggered public backlash. It also opens an important industry-wide conversation: how should AI be used in pricing and where do we draw the line? Personalized pricing—where different people are charged different prices for the same product or service based on personal data—is more than controversial. It's exploitative. Why This Moment Matters There's a growing risk that public perception will start to treat all AI-powered pricing as suspect, simply because some approaches cross ethical lines or are misunderstood. That would be a mistake and a missed opportunity. Personalized pricing based on individual data points is just one (problematic) branch of AI pricing. We need to distinguish between exploitative personalization and market-driven dynamic pricing, before the entire category becomes unfairly discredited. AI has the potential to make pricing smarter, fairer, and more adaptive but only if we're clear about how it's being used. The Ethical Line: Personalized Pricing vs Market-Based Pricing Personalized pricing might sound innovative, but it crosses a dangerous line. By using personal data—like customer profiles, demographics, or income proxies—AI systems can charge people different amounts for the same service based solely on who they are. This erodes trust, undermines fairness, and introduces bias that's hard to detect, let alone correct. Worse, it treats the individual as a target for extraction, not a participant in a fair transaction. But AI doesn't need to work this way. There is a better path: pricing that adapts to changing market conditions, not personal identity. This is where Causal AI comes in. Enter Causal AI: Learning From Demand Causal AI represents a new class of machine learning that focuses not just on correlations but on cause and effect. In pricing, this means understanding how market-level demand changes in response to different pricing strategies. Instead of asking, What is this individual likely to pay?, dynamic AI-pricing asks What is this particular room on this night worth? It's similar to how the market dictates the price of gold, it's only worth what the market is willing to pay at a moment in time, but the entire market gets the same price at the same moment. This shift is profound and powerful because 1) It enables dynamic pricing that adjusts in real time to demand conditions. 2) It avoids using sensitive personal data, focusing instead on observable patterns in aggregated behavior. And 3) It is explainable, because causal models reveal the 'why' behind pricing decisions, not just the 'what.' In short, causal AI enables pricing strategies that are not only effective, but also ethical and accountable. Transparent Pricing Builds Trust—and Performs Better Causal AI doesn't just avoid the pitfalls of personalization. It offers tangible advantages: Greater transparency : Businesses can clearly articulate how and why prices are changing. : Businesses can clearly articulate how and why prices are changing. Fewer regulatory risks : Avoiding personal data sidesteps many emerging privacy and fairness concerns. : Avoiding personal data sidesteps many emerging privacy and fairness concerns. Better long-term outcomes: When customers trust the pricing process, they're more likely to return—and recommend. Dynamic pricing doesn't have to mean dynamic trust. With causal inference, businesses can adapt intelligently to real-world conditions without alienating their customers. A Call to the Industry This moment, sparked by growing public concern, is a chance for our industry to reset. Let's reject opaque personalization models in favor of methods that align with fairness, transparency, and trust. Let's embrace AI not as a black box that guesses willingness to pay, but as a tool to learn how markets respond to price, and to act accordingly. If we don't make this distinction now, we risk AI pricing being misunderstood and rejected wholesale by consumers, journalists, and policymakers alike. That would be a disservice to the real innovation happening in this space; innovation that can improve outcomes for businesses and customers alike without compromising ethics. Whether you're a hotelier, an airline, a retailer, or a technologist: if you're thinking about how to apply AI to pricing, start with this question: Am I learning from demand? Or am I profiling the customer? The difference matters more than ever. TakeUp ensures pricing is fair for both sides—maximizing what your property is worth in the market while aligning with what markets are willing to pay at any given moment. Visit to learn more. TakeUp is an AI-powered revenue optimization platform built for independent hospitality properties, including boutique hotels, inns, bed & breakfasts, and glamping retreats. By leveraging AI-driven insights and expert revenue strategists, TakeUp helps properties maximize revenue and save time, seamlessly integrating with leading property management systems to drive profitability and operational efficiency. For more information visit Kelly Campbell Marketing Director TakeUp View source
Hospitality Net
31-07-2025
- Hospitality Net
The Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference 2025 Marks Record-Breaking Success and Celebrates the Power of Female Leadership
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference, powered by BLLA (The Boutique & Luxury Lodging Association) and the Travel Industry Executive Women's Network (TIEWN), drew leaders from across the globe for its most transformative gathering yet on July 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. The one-day experience, held at a breathtaking luxury boutique hotel reminiscent of Italy, brought together female executives, founders, and rising leaders from every corner of the hospitality and travel ecosystem, from architects and brand specialists to boutique hotel owners and tech innovators. The conference delivered a powerful mix of keynote talks, intimate circles, wellness activations, and networking opportunities designed to uplift, inspire, and connect women in the industry. A Deeper, More Personal Approach Unlike other women's conferences that attract crowds of up to 1,000 attendees, the Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference is intentionally designed to be highly curated and intimate. The smaller setting allows participants to connect on a deeper level, explore both professional and personal growth, and have authentic conversations that go beyond surface-level networking. Attendees aren't just there to listen; they're there to be heard. Through small group dialogues, wellness-infused sessions, and reflective exercises, the event encourages women to delve into the personal side of leadership — from balancing entrepreneurial ambition with life outside of business, to exploring how intuition and creativity shape bold decision-making. The Power of Community and Connection Attendees praised the event for its unique approach to leadership and empowerment. This wasn't your ordinary industry gathering… we came together for curated conversations about the future, connected with our intuition through breathwork, and chose to collaborate rather than compete. As a woman today, this was exactly the kind of creative and innovative gathering I could hope for. Isabella Skoulis, Co-Founder of tiptik Sarah Ward-Smith, Principal Client Partner at Tripadvisor, echoed the sentiment: It was amazing to be in a room with so many knowledgeable, successful, and like-minded women. Truly a wonderful experience, and I'm happy I had the chance to be a part of it. A Movement That Continues to Grow The 2025 event coincided with the official launch of the newly designed a central hub for the now 13,000+ global members of the Travel Industry Executive Women's Network. The new platform reflects the organization's mission to champion female leadership in hospitality and travel through education, connection, and collaboration. This conference was created to elevate the voice and presence of women in our industry. Seeing this many women connecting deeply, sharing openly, and building each other up shows how powerful we are when we come together. Frances Kiradjian, Founder & CEO of BLLA and TIEWN Ariela Kiradjian, Co-Founder of TIEWN and COO of BLLA, added: This isn't just a conference — it's a movement. Each attendee leaves empowered to innovate, lead, and transform their corner of the hospitality and travel world. Looking Ahead The Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference has firmly established itself as a must-attend annual event for professionals who believe in shaping a more inclusive, innovative future for hospitality. Register as a member to get more involved and attend virtual events during the year. To learn more about TIEWN, BLLA, and upcoming events: About TIEWN & BLLA Founded in 2008, the Travel Industry Executive Women's Network (TIEWN) is a global community empowering women in travel, tourism, and hospitality through connection, education, and leadership. Powered by BLLA (The Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association) — the official voice of the world's independent boutique hotels and businesses since 2009 — the organization's members work together to drive change and elevate women-led innovation across the industry. Frances Kiradjian Founder & CEO +1 818 264 4810 BLLA
Hospitality Net
29-07-2025
- Hospitality Net
CASE STUDY: How Texas A&M Hotel Improved Communications and Boosted Operational Efficiency with Maestro PMS and PurpleCloud
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, July 29, 2025 — The Doug Pictock '49 Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center sits at the heart of the Texas A&M campus, known for its striking glass towers and renowned service. To support its high operational standards and continue delivering exceptional guest experiences, the hotel sought to elevate internal communication and improve workflows — particularly in housekeeping, one of the most complex departments in hospitality. Hotel leadership turned to Maestro PMS and PurpleCloud Technologies to enhance collaboration, support staff, and unlock new efficiencies. The Opportunity for Growth: While the Texas A&M Hotel team already maintained strong service routines, they recognized opportunities to further optimize internal processes and eliminate inefficiencies stemming from disconnected legacy systems. For example, housekeepers were able to report work orders, but the system lacked detailed input options such as photo attachments or contextual notes. As a result, interpreting requests occasionally took longer, leading to delays and extra coordination among teams. These small communication gaps could add complexity to daily operations. Without real-time tools, room inspectors needed to make judgment calls with limited information, and frontline staff often had to physically visit the front desk for updates or clarifications — sometimes spending up to 10 minutes per trip. Despite the team's commitment and effort, the absence of an integrated digital solution meant important details could be lost in translation, making it harder to respond swiftly to evolving guest needs. Recognizing this, leadership at the Texas A&M Hotel prioritized upgrading to a modern, mobile-first technology platform that could better support their proactive service culture and reduce operational friction. The Solution: To solve these challenges, hotel leadership began searching for a mobile-first technology partner capable of providing continuity between departments through more dynamic communication tools. The hotel wanted to reduce traffic to and from the main office and enable its operations to take charge and respond to new developments. These desires led them to partner with Maestro PMS, enabling them to leverage the company's suite of All-In-One PMS capabilities alongside PurpleCloud's service optimization platform. Communication improved virtually overnight after the onboarding process, breaking down silos and boosting efficiency and team cohesion. 'Using Maestro PMS' GuestXMS, workers were able to quickly and easily report any issues or needs without breaking away from the task at hand, supported by expanded features offered through PurpleCloud's messaging platform,' said Margaret Legum, Senior Account Executive for Maestro. 'Housekeepers improved contact with the front desk and maintenance, and they could see how much time was spent cleaning each room. These features helped increase productivity and engagement with the property by enabling them to communicate more clearly.' One of the most critical elements of the combined efforts of Maestro PMS and PurpleCloud was the ability to send images to select individuals or departments. With a few additional prompts, team members could quickly build and deliver complete work orders without the need to describe most issues in full. 'PurpleCloud and Maestro have been wonderful partners, and I could not be more pleased with the performance of their technology and the relationship with our property,' said Greg Stafford, General Manager of the Texas A&M Hotel & Conference Center. 'These partners have given us the customization we needed in an easy-to-use software suite. It is great to see our rooms team so engaged and excited about using the joint system, particularly the built-in gamification tools and ease of work order creation. I truly believe Maestro PMS and PurpleCloud are a large reason why our guestroom satisfaction scores continue to rise. We recently reached a 96.6-percent satisfaction, and our productivity continues to improve.' Gamification is a strategic approach to improve a hotel's operations, efficiency, and worker satisfaction by drawing on employees' natural inclination to complete tasks that can be tracked and subsequently rewarded. Gamification strategies are more effective than traditional workforce management tactics because they provide an equal sense of levity and control to the work environment. When used properly, both workers and managers benefit from their availability. 'Creating and responding to maintenance requests has never been easier thanks to PurpleCloud's built-in work order function,' said Lacey Lewis, Director of Rooms at the Texas A&M Hotel. 'Using this, any employee can snap pictures and create a ticket that shoots right over to our engineers. On top of this, the gamification option makes efficiently cleaning a room and entering tickets fun and rewarding.' Gamifying a housekeeping worker's shift may involve ranking their time to clean a room or the number of rooms they complete across several shifts, giving them rewards for reaching specific milestones. Using their phones, housekeepers can track progress toward rewards and view performance dashboards directly from PurpleCloud, enabling any department to build toward unique long-term goals regardless of property size 'Gamification is often infectious,' said Adria Levtchenko, Co-Founder and CEO of PurpleCloud. 'It is not uncommon for one department's success with gamification to spill into others. When this happens, an entire property can benefit from a unified improvement process that benefits everyone through individual growth. This is much more than a reward system. It is a tool for constantly refreshing the core lessons that support hospitality while creating a more enjoyable work environment for hotel employees. Gamification helps associate a positive work environment with positive employee performance and goes a long way toward retaining workers in the long term.' Integrating Maestro PMS and PurpleCloud eliminated manual systems like paper-based boards used to track room status and guest requests. Now, all staff can access up-to-date information from their mobile devices at the start of each shift. The Result: Since implementing PurpleCloud, housekeeping boards now take only 20 minutes to create. Room inspections used to take 30 minutes and now take less than 10. And after one year of having PurpleCloud, the hotel saved close to 12% of its budgeted payroll. Likewise, the real-time visibility provided by Maestro PMS has improved the hotel's ability to manage room inventory and reduce overbooking, providing significant cost savings. The organization's 360-degree room analysis dashboard and reputation management tools allow hotels to thoroughly understand their property's performance while identifying areas for improvement. This visibility has also worked to raise accountability for each department, creating a culture of efficiency and satisfaction by breaking down the minutia of daily operations. 'We could not be happier with Maestro and PurpleCloud's product,' said Patti Culwell, Director of Operations at the Texas A&M Hotel & Conference Center. 'The software's ability to auto-assign housekeeping boards is robust and allows us to target our hotel's specific needs using an array of available filters. Using PurpleCloud, we can set a maximum number of room types assigned per room attendant and can filter by room type, such as double queens. Our team loves this feature.' Conclusion: Following the adoption of Maestro PMS and PurpleCloud, the Texas A&M Hotel saw an increase in operational efficiency, positively impacting every department. Maestro's full suite of All-In-One PMS features gave Texas A&M a balanced understanding of its operations while expanding its ability to interact with team members and guests. By working with Maestro PMS and PurpleCloud, the Texas A&M Hotel has optimized workflow processes, empowered hotel workers, and boosted overall productivity. The mutual collaboration instilled a newfound sense of efficiency and productivity in the hotel, ultimately enhancing the guest experience while reducing operational costs. PurpleCloud and Maestro offer game-changing technology that has helped the Texas A&M Hotel remain competitive in an evolving marketplace and set the standard for excellence in its competitive set. 'Thanks to PurpleCloud and Maestro PMS's support, the Texas A&M Hotel is more effective at managing many elements of our property, from payroll to minutes per room,' Culwell said. 'Their support and willingness to make their system work for our hotel's specific needs are impressive. They provide a greater level of support than what we experienced with previous providers. Every time we have requested new features, such as the ability to add, change, or write custom reports, we are always met with positivity — and they deliver results.' About Maestro PMS Maestro is the preferred Web Browser based cloud and on-premises all-in-one PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups. Maestro's embedded payments system offers a PCI-compliant and EMV-ready enterprise system with 20+ integrated modules on a single database. This includes mobile and contact-free apps designed to enhance profitability, encourage direct bookings, centralize operations, and empower operators to engage guests in a personalized and secure manner. Maestro's Support Service further enhances the experience, providing unmatched 24/7 North American-based live support and education services. About PurpleCloud Technologies Headquartered in Atlanta, PurpleCloud Technologies is a privately held technology company that builds innovative software solutions and data analytics for the operations and management of lodging entities, including hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals. The company's PurpleCloud Service Optimization Platform can help hotel and resort operators achieve increased productivity and decreased labor costs especially in housekeeping staffing, one of the largest cost centers in most hotel operations. PurpleCloud also provides an enhanced customer experience; engaged and empowered employees; and next-generation analysis of operations data for internal strategy development. The technology is also applicable for casinos and cruise lines. Barb Worcester
