Your next big idea might already be hidden in your guest reviews.
Every operator dreams of expansion. A new wing. A fresh amenity. Another revenue stream. But what if the smartest way to grow isn’t by building anything new, but by listening to what’s already being said? In this episode of Seen. Booked. Sane.,
Kay Walten, founder of Smart Pineapple, explores why the most successful destinations start with story before structure. She explains how guest reviews reveal emotional signals that lead directly to profitable micro-offers and why data, not dreams, should drive your next move.
Drawing from proven hospitality research and real-world examples, Kay walks through how to: · Use AI tools like ChatGPT to analyze guest feedback · Turn emotional cues into small, high-margin add-ons · Build “proof before pressure” growth that lasts.
Because in hospitality, listening isn’t passive, it’s powerful. And when you learn to hear what guests are really saying, growth gets a whole lot easier.
💡 Key Takeaways
Emotion before expansion: Guests don’t buy amenities—they buy how you make them feel.
Reviews are strategy fuel: Use AI to find emotional keywords and recurring desires in guest feedback.
Proof before pressure: Test $40 micro-offers before $400,000 expansions—real demand beats guesswork every time.
It’s a plug-and-play spreadsheet that tracks bookings, upsells, and which offers actually make you money.
📊 Stats & Sources Mentioned
A 1% increase in review scores can drive a 1.42% lift in RevPAR (HospitalityNet).
Personalized upsell offers can reach 13% click-through rates (HospitalityNet).
Guests are 3.9x more likely to choose a higher-rated property (HospitalityNet).
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