Event Highlights
On October 28th, SethiG and Stripe, hosted hospitality leaders from across Thailand for Money in Motion, a forum dedicated to discussing the evolving landscape of hotel finance, payments, and technology. Moderated by our very own, Tharin Sethi, Managing Director of SethiG, the panel featured insights from senior executives across leading hotel groups and finance providers.
The forum explored critical topics including payment modernization, dynamic currency pricing, cashless operations, and the strategic adoption of AI in hotel management.
Panelist Spotlight
The panel brought together five leading voices in Thailand’s hospitality industry, each offering a unique perspective on finance, operations, and technology:
1) Rene Balmer, Group General Manager, Chatrium Hospitality – Owner-operator perspective, focused on balancing guest experience with operational efficiency and innovative payment solutions.
2) Wayne Williams, Chief Financial Officer, Minor Hotels – Corporate finance perspective, emphasizing agile operations, strategic back-of-house management, and maximizing financial and technological efficiencies.
3) Yiam Sreshthaputra, Vice President of Hotel Business, CP Land – Operational perspective, leading cashless initiatives and workforce optimization in large-scale properties.
4) Praew Supanurat, Director of Financial Reporting & Treasury, Narai Hospitality – Financial systems and AI perspective, with expertise in leveraging technology to reduce risk and streamline accounting.
5) Bicky Russell, Head of APAC, Global Alliances & Channels, Stripe – Payment systems and fintech perspective, highlighting AI, fraud prevention, and emerging digital booking channels.
Together, they provided a 360-degree view of hotel finance, technology, and operations, bridging ownership, corporate management, digital payments, and innovative back-of-house solutions.
Select Insights
Pricing, FX, and Dynamic Channels
Wayne Williams highlighted the importance of controlling currency conversion on branded channels:
“If I’m a Singaporean customer trying to book your hotel, I want to see prices in Singapore dollars. By controlling FX on our channels, we can show our brand site as cheaper than OTAs and save commission.”
Modernizing Systems and Payment Methods
Rene Balmer shared how system adoption can be managed gradually:
“Each team member has their own opinion, but a good system approved by owners makes sense. They slowly get into the channel, following the system.”
Yiam Sreshthaputra highlighted the operational benefits of cashless hotels, including potential reductions in accounting staff and daily cash handling:
“In our new project, cashless operations will reduce at least one or two staff per property. You don’t have to deposit cash every morning or count it constantly. Handling the hotel is easier this way.”
Wayne Williams underscored the need for agility in both front-of-house and back-of-house operations:
“Every hotel needs to be agile. You don’t know if there’s going to be another tariff war, earthquake, or pandemic. The business needs to adapt to customer expectations very quickly.”
AI Adoption & Automation
Bicky Russell on AI and agentic technologies:
“Think about agentic AI. What are you doing to ensure you have the right systems to talk to bots who are looking to buy from your hotels, whether that’s rooms, meals, or conferences? This will become commonplace in three to five years.”
Bicky also stressed the importance of designing systems that anticipate how consumers discover and book hotels through generative AI tools and other emerging platforms.
Praew Supanurat on AI for accounting and fraud prevention:
“For me AI is the future. Especially AI-based fraud tools that will help the accounting team work easily and protect against lots of chargebacks. It’s probably worth doing that.”
Her perspective reinforced the potential for technology to streamline financial processes and safeguard revenue in high-volume operations.
Attendee Spotlight
Money in Motion brought together a select group of 30 senior finance executives and hotel owners in an intimate, closed-door setting. The forum fostered focused discussions on strategy, operations, and emerging technologies shaping Thailand’s hospitality sector.
Final Reflections
Across the discussion, several recurring themes emerged for hospitality operators and CFOs looking to future-proof their hotels:
1) Align technology and operations with guest expectations while carefully managing change internally.
2) Leverage dynamic pricing and currency strategies to optimize revenue and compete effectively with OTAs.
3) Embrace AI and digital tools to streamline accounting, prevent fraud, and anticipate emerging customer behaviors.
4) Build organizational agility, allowing both front-of-house and back-of-house teams to adapt rapidly to changing market conditions.
The forum provided a rich exchange of insights, demonstrating how hotels can combine operational excellence, strategic finance, and technology adoption to create resilient and customer-centric businesses.
Explore highlights from the day in our full photo gallery.