Life as a Smart Host Intern

Report by Smart Host intern Kaige Kartchner, 30. July 2025

Forget the stereotype of interns doing busywork. My Smart Host internship gave me real responsibility in the world of hotel tech. Berlin in the summer meant a buzzing startup office and a team ready to challenge me every day and that’s exactly how my Smart Host internship began. From the moment I joined, I wasn’t just observing from the sidelines; I was contributing to real projects that supported Smart Host’s mission of helping hotels across Europe connect more personally with their guests.

I was connected with Smart Host while searching for a startup internship in Berlin that combined hospitality with technology. As a finance major with a focus on real estate at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, I saw Smart Host as a rare and exciting chance to gain hands-on experience in a unique part of the hospitality industry. Looking back on the past three months, I can confidently say this internship has been life-changing. I’ve gained countless valuable lessons and skills that I’ll carry with me as I continue my studies and future career.

Throughout my internship I mainly worked on the marketing team curating innovative ideas and solutions to streamline our CRM, track and report Marketing KPIs and associated spending, and even led a project expanding our advertising target area all throughout Europe, including new, focused ad campaigns, landing pages, and lead generation forms. One of my biggest responsibilities was creating an automated Excel sheet to track and report leads and ad spending. This project really pushed me to think outside the box, experimenting with formulas and structures to build an easy-to-use system where we could simply upload exported ad data and instantly generate clear, long-term insights. The result was a tool that allowed the team to not only monitor performance in real time but also identify ongoing trends across multiple campaigns.

On the advertising side, I created and managed Meta campaigns that reached thousands of hotel managers across Europe, allowing Smart Host to expand far beyond our core markets in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This meant not only translating ads, landing pages, and lead forms but also tailoring content to fit different cultural and regional audiences. I introduced a new slider form to test how small design changes could influence engagement, and I developed innovative ad creatives aimed at both existing target markets and entirely new ones. Using Meta Ads Manager, I organized campaigns, ad sets, and individual ads while carefully tracking budgets and performance metrics. My personal highlight was seeing the direct results of these efforts, from increased lead generation to

stronger engagement with our landing pages. Knowing that the strategies I helped build were actively shaping Smart Host’s growth in the hotel tech industry was both motivating and rewarding.

Another fun and unique project I was able to be part of during my Smart Host internship was helping choose a new company logo. One of my very first meetings in Berlin was with a graphic designer who worked with us to create a design that felt creative, bold, and innovative. Throughout the summer, we held several workshops and feedback sessions with him to discuss what we wanted the new logo to represent and how it should encapsulate Smart Host’s identity as a forward-thinking player in hotel tech. I had the opportunity to share my honest feedback on different logo styles, colors, and design elements, and it was exciting to see how those conversations influenced the final result. Being included in such an important branding decision was a truly special experience, and I felt grateful to contribute to something that will represent Smart Host for years to come.

Working in an international startup environment meant communicating daily in a second language, which pushed me to become clearer, more confident, and adaptable in how I expressed ideas. At first, it was a challenge to navigate professional discussions across different cultures and communication styles, but the Smart Host team made all the difference. From day one, they welcomed me with genuine kindness and created an environment where I felt supported and encouraged to grow. Regular check-ins made it easy to be honest and communicate in an open and safe environment, and team lunches gave us the chance to step away from work topics and chat about our personal lives. I also had the chance to participate in an after-work event, which was a great way to connect with colleagues outside of the office. Their openness, patience, and willingness to collaborate turned every meeting into a learning opportunity and made even the most challenging tasks enjoyable. It has been a true privilege to get to know such talented, driven, and down-to-earth colleagues and to work alongside them this summer. I’m grateful not just for the professional skills I gained, but also for the friendships and connections that made my Smart Host internship an unforgettable experience.

This internship in hotel tech also gave me a new perspective on the industry itself. I came to see how Smart Host’s solutions empower boutique hotels and independent chains to compete with global brands, especially since traditional PMS systems alone are no longer enough to keep up with changing guest expectations. Personalization and CRM have become game-changers in guest communication, allowing hotels to build stronger, more authentic relationships with their guests and provide experiences that feel tailored rather than generic.

Witnessing firsthand how technology can level the playing field for smaller hotels was both eye-opening and inspiring, and it solidified my interest in the hospitality tech space.

As I wrap up my Smart Host internship, my biggest advice to future interns, here or anywhere, is to be proactive and ask lots (and lots) of questions. The more curiosity you bring, the more you’ll learn, and ultimately what you put into an internship is exactly what you’ll get out of it. I would do this internship all over again in a heartbeat, and I truly believe it has been a launchpad for the rest of my career. Looking ahead, I’ll be returning to Provo to begin my first year in Brigham Young University’s rigorous finance program. I have internships lined up for the fall and winter at real estate acquisition firms, and I’m excited to continue expanding my network, gaining experience, and building lifelong relationships along the way. I’m incredibly grateful for the experiences and connections I’ve made at Smart Host, and I know the lessons I’ve learned here will stay with me wherever I go.

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