Episode
How Cloudbeds Is Shaping the Future of Independent Hospitality with Their New Partnership with Journey
- Podcast
- Behind the Stays
- Published
- Jul 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2955
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Summary
What if the technology helping independent hotels compete with the biggest brands in the world shouldn’t feel like technology at all? Cloudbeds serves tens of thousands of properties across more than 150 countries — giving its team a uniquely expansive view into how independent hotels are performing, what operators are struggling with, and how the way travelers discover and book stays is rapidly changing. In this episode, Zach sits down in person with Rafael Blanes, Chief Growth Officer at Cloudbeds, and Sébastien Leitner, VP of Partnerships, to unpack why they believe this is one of the most exciting moments yet to be an independent hotelier. Rafael and Sébastien explain why the traditional PMS is evolving into something much bigger, how fragmented hotel data prevents operators from making confident decisions, and why the industry’s obsession with “AI” may be getting in the way of solving the problems hoteliers actually care about. They also share a look at Ask Signals, a conversational tool that could allow operators to ask questions of their property data, generate reports in seconds, receive explainable pricing recommendations, and eventually get a proactive daily briefing before arriving at the hotel. The conversation also explores why OTAs can actually help hotels generate more direct bookings, what independent properties must do to compete with the marketing machines of major flags, and why operators should never treat an OTA guest differently from someone who booked direct. Finally, Rafael and Sébastien share the story behind the Cloudbeds Collection — a portfolio of 100 distinctive independent properties around the world — and why Cloudbeds selected Journey as its loyalty partner to help those hotels share guests, strengthen direct relationships, and offer the…