--- title: "Joan Sanz | Trayectoria, reconocimientos y docencia" description: "15 años en travel y hotel tech: revenue management, motores de reserva, voice AI y GTM. Top 3 mundial en el UNWTO Hospitality Challenge y uno de los 25 más innovadores del turismo español. Profesor universitario desde 2010." url: https://joansanx.com/about/ lang: en author: Joan Sanz --- [Message me](https://www.linkedin.com/messaging/compose?recipient=joansanz) ## Profile An operator, not just a founder > The market's reaction is the only truth. Test your ideas. I run go-to-market for hotel tech and travel tech companies selling into Iberia and LATAM. From Barcelona, I work as the bridge between the sector's technology products and the hotel buyers of the Spanish-speaking market. My track combines **three roles that rarely meet in one person**: founder of hotel SaaS, growth operator inside a venture-backed company where I opened the hotel vertical, and continuous university lecturer since 2010. That mix explains my thesis: **the alpha in hotel tech is not only the technology**, it is understanding the real workflow of hotel staff and closing the distance between the product and its adoption rate. I never stepped away from the operation: I still sell, still teach, still publish. Vertical**Hotel tech · Conversational AI · Revenue operations · Travel SaaS** Geographic coverage**Iberia · LATAM · Western Europe** Languages**Spanish · Catalan · English** ## Track record 1. **2011**TheForkRestaurant marketplace 2. **2012**HotelerumBooking engine (IBE) 3. **2013**CETT-UBHospitality education 4. **2014**XotelsRevenue management 5. **2019**ChartokHotel workplace SaaS 6. **2022**booklineVoice AI 7. **2025**HospitechGTM services ## Recognition Judged by the industry, not self-declared From a first pitch at Fira Barcelona to a United Nations tourism stage. Winner ### I TravelTech Startup Competition B-Travel · Fira Barcelona · Conector First edition, won against 35 projects. Jury from Hotusa Ventures, Immfly and Conector mentors. Mar 2019 Top 10 ### South Summit, Travel & Tourism South Summit Madrid Selected among the 100 best companies out of 3,500 global entries, and top 10 finalist in the travel track. Oct 2020 ★ Top 3 worldwide ### UNWTO Hospitality Challenge UN Tourism · Sommet Education · IE University Chartok reached the global top 3 out of roughly 600 entries. The highest recognition the hospitality sector gives a startup. Oct 2021 Winner ### FutureTravel Pitch Competition EU-Startups · FutureTravel Summit Winning pitch among more than 200 global applications, judged by travel investors and early-stage VCs. Nov 2021 ★ One of 25 ### 25 most innovative people in Spanish tourism Ilunion Hotels · Tecnohotel Named among the 25 professionals transforming Spanish tourism, listed as teacher and entrepreneur. Announced at the Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville. 2025 · Tourism Innovation Summit, Sevilla [Read the coverage →](https://www.hosteltur.com/172386_ilunion-hotels-distingue-a-los-25-mas-innovadores-del-sector-turistico.html) ## Teaching and mentoring I never left the classroom Two tracks at once, operating and teaching. Each one keeps the other honest. ### University lecturer since 2010 Teaching at CETT-UB Tourism & Hospitality, attached to the Universitat de Barcelona, and at Sant Ignasi School of Tourism and Hospitality Management. Revenue ManagementNew Hotel Tech Travel TechnologyHotel Operations Innovation & Entrepreneurship ### Barcelona tech ecosystem Member of Barcelona Tech City since 2020 and part of the Catalonia Startup Hub at ACCIÓ. Mentor and jury member at Conector, and an informal advisor to travel tech founders on their first rounds and go-to-market. Barcelona Tech CityConector Catalonia Startup Hub · ACCIÓ ## Press A decade of coverage in the specialist media - Profesional HorecaChartok wins the first TravelTech Startup CompetitionMar 2019 - Smart Travel NewsLos hoteles necesitan soluciones innovadorasJun 2019 - UN TourismUNWTO and Sommet Education reveal the top 3 talents of tomorrowOct 2021 - EU-StartupsMeet ChartOk, winner of the FutureTravel PitchNov 2021 - Hotels MagazineHow to staff a hotel amid a global HR crisis2023 - ITB BerlinITB Berlin Convention showcaseMar 2023 - HostelturIlunion Hotels names the 25 most innovative people in tourism2025 ## That is the track record. Now the useful part. If you are building or scaling technology for travel and hospitality, I have probably sold it, priced it, taught it or automated it. [Message me](https://www.linkedin.com/messaging/compose?recipient=joansanz) [See what I do](/)