Hospitality Folks podcast · Episode S1E10
Night Porter to Hotel GM to Tech Leader: Why Buzzwords Don’t Sell | Kim Spolén, StayNTouch
From sleeping in a lobby chair to leading hotel openings in Stockholm’s luxury market—and now as Regional Director of Sales at StayNTouch, Kim Spolén knows hospitality inside and out.
In this episode, Kim breaks down the biggest problem in hospitality tech: buzzword-driven pitches that don’t deliver real value.
We dive into:
✅ Why hotel ops leaders distrust tech vendors
✅ How to spot AI that’s actually useful vs. a repackaged old solution
✅ The “used car salesman” mentality holding back the industry
✅ Why long-term relationships beat quick closes
✅ How to hire for hospitality tech roles (and yes, Stayntouch is hiring for a Regional Director of Sales DACH! apply here) / 4387948477
Kim started as a luggage porter at Stockholm’s iconic Strand Hotel and advanced through every operational level—concierge, front-office manager, IT director—before specializing in hospitality technology. Now Regional Director of Sales at StayNTouch, he leads PMS, Revenue Management, and Channel Integration solutions across the Nordic region, focused on delivering genuine commercial value to hotels instead of buzzword-driven tech.
🎧 Listen as Alicia and Kim explore 40+ years of hospitality experience, the power of genuine customer relationships, and why the DACH region is exploding for hospitality tech.
Want to get in touch?
Kim Spolén
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimspolen/
Alicia Dick Wahlberg (Hospitality Folks Host)
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aliciadickwahlberg/
Instagram: @alicia_dickwahlberg
StayNTouch
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/stayntouch
Twitter/X: @StayNTouchInc
Facebook: facebook.com/stayntouch
Website: www.stayntouch.com
#HospitalityTech #HospitalityLeadership #HotelManagement #CareerGrowth #StayNTouch #DACH #Nordics #HotelsOfStockholm #HospitalityFolks #PodcastForHospitality #TechVsHospitality #OperationsLeadership #EmployerBranding”
