How satisfied are you with your last stay at a hotel? Did you leave feeling taken care of? How seamless was your arrival? Your departure?
John Dodson is focused on questions like these. As a founder in the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program at University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, Dodson is working to better connect hotels with their guests through his hospitality-focused telecommunications platform, Pivvt.
Having grown up in Hawaii, Dodson says hospitality is a way of life. “My first jobs were in retail and tourism, where I really saw how service impacts the experience for better or for worse,” he said. Service has always been a cornerstone of Dodson’s vision, recognizing the value in prioritizing the customer over all else.
In 2018, Dodson left his career in software development and focused on building Pivvt. True to its name, Pivvt’s mission has transformed over the years, but never lost sight of Dodson’s interest in improving the lives of those his software serves.
Dodson started the MBC program in fall of 2024. Referencing his early career and new connections made through the MBC program, Dodson set Pivvt’s focus on opening a line of communication between hotel guests and hotel employees.
“Often, software has been built for companies, really leaving the end user, the consumer, as an afterthought,” he said, “Putting emphasis on the value provided to the end user and bringing that balance back is what’s important for us,” he continued. “Because for the business, the most important person is the customer, right?”
Pivvt is designed to allow hotels to communicate with guests before, during and after their stay. The goal is to create more memorable and custom experiences for guests, with ease from the hotel management side. Hotels can use Pivvt to better understand the guests needs, and reasons for their stay, ultimately prioritizing their guest’s satisfaction and loyalty.
Dodson said, “The more hotels can understand why you’re staying there, the more they can support you. You open up that channel communication and you’re creating an opportunity to provide value to the guest”.
Pivvt was a finalist in the 2025 Tim Draper Utah Entrepreneur Challenge at the University of Utah, an exciting recognition of Dodson’s innovative idea and capabilities as an entrepreneur. Pivvt was one of three finalist teams from the University of Utah.
Looking ahead, Dodson wants to direct Pivvt into a data company — transforming data gathered from Pivvt conversations between hotels and their guests into real improvements hotels can implement into their operations. As is his goal with all things Pivvt related, Dodson hopes future expansions will help improve guest experience while easing the workload of hospitality workers.
Learn more about Pivvt at pivvt.com
