#310: HITEC E20X 2026 Winners | with Mergim Kacija & Josh Ellis

Live from HITEC 2026, we sit down with the winners of the prestigious E20X startup competition to explore the technologies redefining the future of hospitality.

First, Mergim Kacija, CEO of Stayfull AI and the E20X Grand Prize winner, shares how his experience as a hotel owner inspired him to build an AI-native property management platform designed specifically for independent hotels. Learn how specialized AI agents can automate guest communication, revenue management, marketing, and daily operations while dramatically reducing technology costs.

Then, we welcome Josh Ellis, CEO of Abra and the E20X People's Choice winner. Josh explains how Abra's guest intelligence platform unifies fragmented guest data across multiple systems, helping hotels deliver highly personalized experiences that strengthen guest loyalty and increase profitability.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How AI is transforming hotel operations and guest service
• Why independent hotels are embracing AI-powered technology
• The value of unified guest data for personalization and loyalty
• What it takes to win the hospitality industry's premier startup competition
• What's next for two of hospitality's fastest-growing technology companies

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m_E8AmNFjZw

Links:
Mergim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/investormergim/
Stayfull.ai: https://stayfull.ai/

Josh Ellis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-ellis1126/
Abra Hospitality: https://abrahospitality.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/310

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