#334: Building an AI Workforce For Hotels | with Jonathan Lei

How are hotel AI employees and hotel software automation reshaping front-desk workload, guest messaging, and back-office efficiency?

In this special Independent Hotel Show Miami episode of The Modern Hotelier, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Jonathan Lei, Co-Founder & CEO of withQ.

Jonathan breaks down how withQ AI builds digital workforce solutions to tackle the ongoing hotel workforce shortage, handle AI guest communications across voice, SMS, and email, and optimize complex hotel operational workflows.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why hoteliers struggle with system fatigue and how hotel AI employees free up teams to focus on 5-star face-to-face guest care.
• How hotel voice AI manages incoming guest inquiries, customizes holiday/vacation packages, builds itineraries, and automates reservation flows.
• Why guest detection of hospitality AI has dropped from 70% to under 30%—and why travelers now prioritize speed over human interaction.
• How withQ built 70% of its customer base organically through industry trade show networking and client referrals.

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tw_XnLlUneM

This episode is sponsored by withQ: https://withq.ai/
 

Links:
Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhiwei-lei/
withQ: https://withq.ai/

For full show notes head to:https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/334

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.