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When we last spoke with Gustav Søgård, he had just launched Opally with around 12 hotels. (Read the previous story here.) Just a few months later, that number has grown to over 50, spanning five European countries. At the same time, the product has evolved from a single tool into a comprehensive AI platform covering all guest communications.

As if that weren’t enough, Gustav and Opally have now closed their first investment round, bringing on board prominent figures from both the hospitality and tech sectors—a story he shares in this interview.

We sat down with Gustav Søgård to discuss the rapid growth, the pace of development, and the ambitions driving Opally forward.

Gustav Søgård, Founder, Opally

Discover the full story behind Opally. 23-year-old Gustav built his own AI tool, and just four months later, hotels are using it daily!

Read the full story here.

How has it been since we last spoke?

“It’s been a whirlwind. When we last spoke in December, Opally had around 12 hotel clients and a product primarily focused on email management. Today, we’re working with over 50 hotels. Since then, we’ve built an entire suite of tools for hotels.

We’ve launched one of the most advanced AI-driven chatbots for hotel websites, a voice assistant that can take calls on behalf of the reception, AI responses for WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, a tool to help respond to guest reviews, and something we call AI Visibility, which helps hotels appear in AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini—platforms that are increasingly replacing Google when travellers look for hotels. In short, we’ve gone from a single product to a full platform covering the entire guest communication journey.”

What’s the status on new hotels and markets?

“We’ve expanded from primarily Danish hotels to over 50 hotels across five countries: Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria, and Greece. We’re also seeing concrete interest from Switzerland and Norway. What began as a small project on Bornholm has, in less than a year, become a European product.

It’s remarkable to see how universal these challenges are—receptionists in Austria face the exact same issues as those in Skagen.”

How do you balance bringing in new clients while continuously improving the product?

“These two things are inseparable. Every time I speak with a receptionist, I learn something new, which often leads to an improvement shortly afterward. We’ve maintained this close dialogue with hotels from day one.

On the client side, my brother Oliver has joined to help with growth, content, and strategy. We create short videos that show how the product works in practice, which has been a very effective way to reach new hotels. And my mother, Susanne—recently appointed director at Vejrø Resort—has been an invaluable advisor throughout. She understands hotel operations from the inside, and that insight is pure gold when we’re developing new features.”

We’re here today because you have some big news. You’ve brought on some high-profile investors?

“Yes, and I’m incredibly proud. We’ve just closed our first angel round with five investors, all of whom have hands-on experience building companies in hospitality, tech, and AI. The lineup includes:

People Ventures, an operational Nordic early-stage VC where Anders Kynde Frederiksen serves as General Partner. Anders is the Co-founder of Planday, acquired by Xero in 2021, one of Denmark’s most successful software exits in workforce management for industries like hospitality. With People Ventures on board, we gain not only access to a powerful network but also hands-on support to scale Opally.

Lasse Kjær, co-founder of Understory, an AI-driven platform helping tour operators and experience-based businesses. Lasse is someone I deeply respect and already collaborate closely with.

Christian Markedal, founder of DigitalGuest, a guest experience platform used by over 500 hotels across the Nordics. He understands the guest journey better than most.

Jonatan Marc Rasmussen, founder of All Gravy, an AI-driven platform for employee experiences in hospitality. He has first-hand insight into staff turnover and employee wellbeing on hotels.

Bjarke Klinge Staun, former Principal at Creandum and an experienced angel investor with numerous early-stage AI and tech investments, including the successful startup Lovable.

Of course, bringing in capital is important, but even more crucial is having these five people on board. Together, they bring deep expertise in the challenges we’re solving. They all know what good hospitality technology should look like.”

What will the funding be used for?

“The capital and expertise from our investors will be focused on three main areas. First, expanding further across Scandinavia and into the rest of Europe – we already have over 50 hotels in five countries, but the potential is enormous. Second, developing deeper integrations with hotel management systems so our AI can pull even more precise data into its responses.

Third, accelerating product development to roll out new features faster. The investors’ experience directly supports this: Anders knows how to scale software companies, Lasse understands the travel industry, Christian knows the hotel guest journey, Jonatan understands the hospitality workforce, and Bjarke has seen what it takes to grow AI ventures from the ground up.”

Where is your main focus for the rest of the year?

“Our main focus is to become the preferred AI platform for hotels in Scandinavia and to take Europe even more seriously. We will continue refining the core – email, chat, phone, messaging – and enhance integration with hotel systems.

We also have a few exciting projects in the pipeline that we look forward to sharing later this year. But our mission remains the same as day one: we’re not here to replace receptionists. We’re here to give them back the time to focus on what matters most: hospitality.”

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