I had the pleasure of interviewing Jared Vinik, founder of the Brooklyn-based streetwear company FLAN (Forever Laughing At Nothing). The brand is just as sweet as its namesake with colorful, comfortable and fun streetwear for all. Let there be coziness!
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path? Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
Due to popular streetwear becoming less and less accessible, I wanted to create a clothing brand that stood out from the others on the market. I wanted to inspire all to stop taking themselves so seriously by adopting the company’s value of Forever Laughing at Nothing.
I remember my first big deal. I was in Tokyo, Japan in a corporate high-rise. I always try to remember the feeling I had when I walked into that boardroom.
I wore short tie-dye shorts and a tank top with crazy sandals, which perfectly represents FLAN’s brand mission of providing stylish comfort in all settings; whether it’s a plane ride, an important business meeting or a night out.
Can you explain to our readers why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?
Right now, it’s about building a relatable, real life brand that surrounds social media. Reaching out to some of the biggest artists/influencers/celebrities in the world is a great start, but that’s not the full strategy behind FLAN. While it’s great for the artist to wear the product on social media, it’s just as important to get their community and people surrounding them actually wearing it.
People today are hit with ads every second of every day and the ad space isn’t the same as it’s always been. Having people wearing FLAN in real life is the real strategy behind the social media. Natural buzz combined with organic, user-generated content is better than that manifested through paid marketing.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
In the first collection, we created a diner-inspired t-shirt. I put “Famous Since 1960” because I thought my dad was born in that year, but he was actually born in 1959…
If anybody reading this was born in 1960, I have the perfect t-shirt for you.
Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience?
Definitely Instagram. One example — posting high quality product shot grids is a great way to very clearly and simply display your product, while the caption section allows you to include any relevant specs about the materials of the product. We always post product shot grids of our releases, sometimes on the day of release and sometimes a few days later, to refresh our fans’ memories and keep the excitement going.
Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share 6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.
Giveaway contests with other accounts — We’ve had a lot of success partnering with other accounts on giveaways where in order to enter, you must follow each account and engage in various other ways. This is a great way to get in front of a specific audience outside of your usual following.
Question stories — This is a great way to engage with viewers. Posting something like “Whoever responds with the best joke receives a free sticker,” drives engagement and becomes something fun that people can expect periodically from your brand.
Poll stories — Polling your followers gives you another avenue to talk to your fanbase, albeit from a more passive manner. For instance, you can ask which colorway of a product is preferred, and thus know to order the most desired colorway for that product in the future.
Responding to DM’s — This is obviously not public-facing but responding to DM’s and private messages on Instagram shows your audience that you’re not just a robot — you’re a real person reading their messages and willing to respond. A little effort and engagement with your audience here can definitely go a long way!
Reposting Stories — Anytime someone tags and posts a story wearing FLAN, we repost onto our page. We do this to both show appreciation for the support and to spread the message that if you buy FLAN and tag yourself wearing it, we will repost you. This adds a little bit of incentive and shows our followers that we are listening.
Commenting — Commenting on other accounts is a really valuable tool for us and is yet another way to give the Instagram version of FLAN more life and soul. We always try to actively comment and engage on our friends’ and other brands posts.
Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to push the “don’t take yourself too seriously” or even the “kid at heart” movement. The entire FLAN team is truly kids at heart, and it’s our belief that everyone else is, too. The idea of not taking yourself too seriously means appreciating the beauty of life, it means spreading positivity and it means withholding judgement of others. We’re all in this together, so instead of judging differences, we should not take everything so seriously and all just join up, have some fun, and stay Forever Laughing At Nothing. Maybe one day!
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them
It might be hard for you guys to arrange this, but:
Salvador Dali. You never said if they could be dead or alive. First things first, people don’t know that Dali literally NEVER paid for meals. Imagine that. He drew on each of his checks, and said the art was worth more than whatever he had to pay. The king of social campaigns that go against the status quo. Drawing close analogies between food and sex and to never stop innovating. Just imagine his strategy to approach influencer marketing.
Also, he never left his pet leopard. I don’t have a pet leopard, but my dog Gabe never leaves my side. He’s FLAN’s first full time employee. So, make it a reservation for four: me, Gabe, Dali himself and his pet leopard.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Maree Jones, social media strategist. Maree Jones is passionate about everything she does, and it shows. As a seasoned content, social media and PR strategist, Maree manages all aspects of social media campaigns for clients: from executing day-to-day tactics that excite fans and followers to creating that perfect 30K-foot view social strategy. A trend forecaster and social media proponent for both individuals and organizations, Maree speaks all over the US on how to achieve a best-in-class digital footprint and online reputation. Blending data analysis with a razor-sharp intuitive approach, Maree’s insights have been featured in PR News, Inc., AdWeek, Buzzfeed and other online publications, and she has received recognition for her work in PR by the American Advertising Federation. Not to be outdone by her professional accolades, Maree’s personal interests include being a wife, mom, foster mom, pet mom, a remote work advocate, and the creator/Chief Curator of her own buzzworthy digital platforms: FemmePrint and The Influencer Whisperer. Maree currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama, and travels all over the US to speak to and work with organizations of all shapes and sizes.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I began working in social media nearly 10 years ago. Back then, I was actually an educator, and I started getting my students interested in the material they were learning by incorporating elements of social media. It was a smash, but what I quickly realized was how interested I was in social media as a discipline. So I left teaching and began offering my services to whoever would let me. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working with large and small ad shops, PR firms, beloved national CPG brands and really amazing global communities. Today, I manage social media efforts for organizations such as Young Entrepreneur Council and Forbes Business Councils. Can you explain to our readers why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?
I don’t necessarily see myself as an authority or expert, just because the world of social media is in constant flux. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of someone who is an expert in a discipline that isn’t the same as it was a year ago. What I do refer to myself as, however, is a superuser. I consume and create an extraordinary amount of social media content for myself and my clients, and I see every piece of content published as an opportunity to learn and to better perfect my craft.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
I’ve been in the office chair posting when a piece of content I developed suddenly went viral. I sat in disbelief as those numbers went up and up and up. Into the hundreds. Into the thousands. Into the millions. That’s a wild experience. It’s something everyone thinks they want, too, until you realize that when something goes viral, it’s almost as if it doesn’t belong to you anymore. It’s just out there. For the world. Then there are questions of licensing and monetizing and whether or not you should.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first started, I did what many people do when they first start out, or if they’re inexperienced with social media — I linked my accounts. Specifically, I connected my LinkedIn account and my Twitter accounts together. So when I posted on Twitter, it went straight through to my LinkedIn feed. One Saturday, I kept Tweeting out pretty obnoxious Tweets about my team (and a few Tweets about the other guys). The next day, when I checked LinkedIn, I noticed a pretty snarky comment from a man who was my insurance agent at the time, berating me for not keeping LinkedIn “professional.” Needless to say, I learned my lesson and unlinked my accounts. I also found myself another insurance agent.
Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience?
For the past couple of years, I have had an on and off freelancing business, and most of my website referrals tend to come directly from LinkedIn, and, surprisingly, Twitter. People find me, and they want to see what type of content I produce for myself, before entrusting me to develop content or creative for them. I would say that consistency in posting (meaning every day, or every other day) for several years, directly attributes to the success and growth of my freelancing business.
Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share 6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.
High-Quality Images: Instagram wouldn’t be the platform it is without beautiful, compelling images. No one is successful on that platform without something cool, great, creative, funny or interesting to share on a regular basis. High-quality photos must be the backbone of any Instagram strategy.
Consistency in Posting-Frequency: As I mentioned with LinkedIn and Twitter, consistency of posting directly contributed to my personal business growth. The same can be said for Instagram. Posting frequency, and learning what that should be for your business, is something that’s very underrated.
Leveraging Stories: It’s not enough to share a post. The super users are alerting people, via Stories, of the fact that they’ve posted something. It can be an incredible tool for getting more views and interaction on your regularly scheduled content. Plus, you can make it much more fun and engaging with gifs, stickers, and other clever Story accessories.
Saying NO to Automated DMs: I can’t tell you how disappointed I am when someone sends me an automated DM after I follow them. It’s incredibly presumptuous from a customer journey perspective.
Boosting or Promoting Posts to Target Audiences: There are some really great promotional and targeting features within Instagram business accounts. I especially love to promote content while targeting people similar to my followers. It’s handy regarding finding like-minded people.
Community Management: Some of the most successful Instagrammers are ones who take the time to follow new people, comment on posts, ask people questions and actually engage.
Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I noticed that there is so much negativity around social media: from fake news to issues with influencers and authenticity to complaints of social media being a time suck and an addiction. I started trying to spread much more positivity in my content about social media and some of the good that it can do. I would love to see much more positivity in all of our news feeds!
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I want to have breakfast with Amy Poehler. I’ve been captivated by her since watching her on SNL, and I’ve loved everything that she’s done since. From some of my favorite movies and shows to her book Yes Please to what she’s doing with Smart Girls and Making It. She’s the epitome of creativity.
Thank you so much for these great insights. This was very enlightening!
The Future Of Travel: “Insert friction into the equation by charging a membership fee and by offering a highly curated portfolio” With Brent Handler & Candice Georgiadis
…we insert friction into the equation by charging a membership fee and by offering a highly curated portfolio, significantly smaller than what one could find from an online search. Our belief is that a managed and controlled luxury experience must be completely serviced and cared for by full-time trained hospitality professionals. As we look to the future, we are continually investing in new and innovative ways to allow affluent consumers to consume and experience travel through a club structure that allows for lower prices and higher personalized attention.
I had the pleasure to interview Brent Handler. Brent is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Inpsirato. Brent is an entrepreneur and pioneer of the destination club industry. In 2002, Brent and his brother Brad founded Exclusive Resorts. Brent served as the company’s president from 2002 to 2009, during which time Exclusive Resorts amassed more than $1 billion in real estate assets, delivered tens of thousands of vacations to members worldwide, and set the standard for the burgeoning destination club industry. In January 2011, convinced he could improve on the model he helped establish, Brent, Brad and their partners launched Inspirato, providing luxury travelers access to a curated collection of exceptional vacation options combined with expert trip planning and personalized service but without the six-figure, upfront fees previously common in the industry. Brent graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in business.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
The start of my career had nothing to do with travel. I started working in computer training and online education, so when the dot com crisis hit in 2001, I knew I had to pick another career path. At the time, I owned a small vacation share in Minturn, CO. I was introduced to the vacation club structure through Crescent Club in 2001 but didn’t act on it. I read an article in The New York Times in April 2002 about Private Retreats and looking back on it now, it sounded a bit like the Fyre Festival, a tremendous amount of over promising on a concept that wouldn’t work. Private Retreats offered unlimited travel for a small fee. While I knew the idea was not sustainable, it got my wheels turning on another idea. I wanted to create something that would allow the privacy of private homes mixed with amenities of a five-star hotel and Exclusive Resorts was born. In January 2011, my team thought that we could improve on the model I had helped establish, so we launched Inspirato, without the six-figure, upfront fees previously common in the industry.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
After parting ways with my business partner at Exclusive Resorts, I started over at the age of 40. I had founded and run a pretty large hospitality business that I was no longer a part of and I was tasked with finding a place to work, hooking up a printer, getting a phone number and getting a mailing address. I used to take all of that for granted. It took an entire year to start Inspirato. Looking back on it, that time was the most interesting, challenging, difficult and scariest time of my career. I put 100% of my net worth into Inspirato to get it off the ground and thankfully, it paid off.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When we started Exclusive Resorts, we had to furnish our very first house in Mexico. We bought all the furnishings for it in California and hired the cheapest transportation company we could find to ship them to Mexico. The truck got stopped at the border and the transportation company had lied about what’s inside. They had underreported the value, get it across the border, and then, we found out later, skimmed from the money we paid them in import fees. The Mexican government accurately assessed the value of our goods and took 150,000 dollars’ worth of our television, furniture, and computers. And we never got it back because the low-cost shipper went out of business. It was a costly mistake that taught us to be diligent and do our research before trying to save a buck.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
At Inspirato, our members are like our family. We promise our Member Care teams will take care of everything and we mean it — even when they aren’t traveling with the club.
This past holiday, we heard from some new Inspirato members that already had a non-Inspirato holiday trip planned in Cabo. Once they arrived at the residence, they were met with a growing list of issues that left them feeling frustrated and disappointed. They called us with hopes we could help during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Our team responded immediately and devised a “Plan B” for them. We were able to book a beautiful Villa at Esperanza where one of our team members met the family and introduced them to their personal concierge who helped them “restart” their vacation — stocking the fridge with groceries, making dinner reservations, providing them a property tour and making sure they could relax by the pool. This family felt taken care of the whole time and they felt like they were treated like friends, which is a testament to the willingness and expertise of the team, and our overall company philosophy, to go above and beyond to create special travel experiences no matter the circumstances.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?
Recognize the tasks you are good at and those that are time-sensitive and prioritize them over fewer pressing problems.
When I first started at Exclusive Resorts, the size, scale and opportunity were much larger than anything I had ever worked on before. I tried to manage everything –product development, raising capital, sales, marketing, and suppliers. I quickly realized that I was burning out and wasn’t being successful. So, I focused on two tasks: raising capital and hiring a great team. It didn’t solve the other focus areas, but I eventually had a great team in place that were able to tackle those, and were much more successful in doing so.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Yes. Absolutely, my mother Suzanne.
She was instrumental in helping me get through school which was not an easy task considering some of the challenges I had, including ADD. Back then it was not something people talked about nor really understood, so her sticking with me and always being my advocate, set the tone for what became my entrepreneurial spirit. But perhaps more importantly, after spending nine months and lots of money to come up with a name, when I asked for her help, she was able to name Inspirato after only about 30 minutes of research. Inspirato translates to “to be inspired” in Italian.
Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
The club structure of Inspirato in and of itself, is unique. The prevailing thoughts in the industry are to have open broad, multi-faceted distribution for inventory and to make the purchase of and delivery of travel as frictionless as possible. By definition, we insert friction into the equation by charging a membership fee and by offering a highly curated portfolio, significantly smaller than what one could find from an online search. Our belief is that a managed and controlled luxury experience must be completely serviced and cared for by full-time trained hospitality professionals. As we look to the future, we are continually investing in new and innovative ways to allow affluent consumers to consume and experience travel through a club structure that allows for lower prices and higher personalized attention.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
It’s been remarkable over last decade to see the changes to alternative accommodations and vacation home rentals. Fifteen years ago, this industry did not exist and there were only a few high-end villas. Airbnb is now a verb — like Xerox or Kleenex. It wasn’t always that way. For as successful as vacation rentals have become, they still don’t work for the luxury consumer outside of Inspirato. The reason is the lack of hospitality expertise. Anyone can operate an Airbnb and their goal is to make the most money which means limiting the investment — and risk — in quality furnishings, amenities and service. While that may be fine for many consumers, affluent travelers prefer accommodations with the highest quality furnishings and the best amenities and service. Other than staying in a five-star hotel and resort, Inspirato is the best way of getting the best of both worlds as we offer vacation homes with an established infrastructure and amenities that cannot be replicated by companies like Airbnb.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
As a whole, the travel industry and particularly hotels, have had very little innovation over the past 30 years; the innovation that has occurred have been the advent of brands which no longer require the hospitality provider (for example, Marriott) to own the and distribution (for example Expedia). Inspirato is focused on innovation that provides superior value for our members, in the way in which we are the luxury hospitality provider and control the distribution and take risk of owning the experience and inventory.
Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?
1. Experiential travel will continue to gain double digit market share vs. traditional hotel accommodations.
2. There is no stopping the sharing economy and millennials will eventually travel more than 50% of their nights in Airbnb-style residences.
3. The sharing economy will rapidly expand outside of homes and cars to experiences and other travel related services.
4. Brands will eventually play a role in alternate accommodations though they will be limited to the luxury end of the spectrum.
5. Chatbot travel advisory will continue to gain traction especially among younger and more affluent consumers.
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
I’ve learned over the past 15 years, that there is no single perfect vacation because there are so many places in the world to visit that are so unique and different and enjoyable with a variety of friends and family. If I had to narrow it down to just one, I would say having my entire family consisting of a 20, 19 and 14-year-old and my wife, with me on a vacation with full resort access to a luxury amenity, beach club or hotel amenity and a variety of golf courses.
Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I am fortunate to meet many families in my day-to-day interactions that are members. I take great pride when they share incredible stories about their vacations. Many members have told me that they vacation more than they ever expected when they first joined the club which means more quality time with their family and friends. They even take more risks doing things they wouldn’t otherwise do — like trying new destinations or fun activities — just to create more memories. Knowing how important that my vacation time is with my family, it makes me feel like our team is making a lasting impact on others for the better.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The United States lags well behind most all industrialized nations in terms of paid vacation time for their employees. At inspirato we firmly believe that we get the most productivity from our employees being the happiest which includes ample time away from work with family and friends. Several years ago, we made a decision to move to an unlimited paid vacation policy for our staff, inclusive of complimentary travel within our portfolio of accommodations. While we obviously have an advantage because of our industry, I hope others continue to see the benefits of time-off and shift in that direction.
The Future of Travel: “Hospitality is now inherently a driver for all real estate — and no longer isolated to just hotels. This is a fundamental shift.” With David Berg of Infinity Real Estate
Real estate is no longer just about ‘location, location, location’. It’s about ‘experience, experience, experience’, and you’re seeing this across all property types and sectors. Hospitality does not just mean hotel anymore: the hospitality industry is impacting the office property sector, the residential property sector, and the retail property sector. Every retail location and retail operator is now focused on an experience-driven store. They hope to bring a new experience, a lively experience, to their location to attract people inside to compete with online shopping. For the office sector, firms like Knotel and WeWork have brought hospitality to the office world. You don’t just check-in at the security desk and take the elevator up to your office. You now have open floor spaces with ping-pong and pool tables, open kitchens, and social gathering spaces. In the residential sector, sought-after amenities include concierge services, dry cleaning services, different food and beverage outlets, and common areas inside residential lobbies. Hospitality is now inherently a driver for all real estate — and no longer isolated to just hotels. This is a fundamental shift.
I had the pleasure of interviewing David Berg, partner, joined Infinity Real Estate in 2011. David oversees the firm’s investment ventures and the implementation of its strategy in New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Miami. He is also responsible for maintaining and servicing the firm’s lender and investor relationships within these markets. He is an active member of the Miami Beach development community serving as the vice president of the Espanola Way Association, a board member of the Ocean Drive Association, and an advisory member of the Washington Avenue BID.
Can you tell us the story about what brought you to this specific career path? How did you get your start?
I graduated from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and wanted to work at a large institution, so I started my career at JP Morgan in commercial mortgage backed securities before the market crash. That’s what exposed me to real estate. I realized then that I wanted to be involved in both real estate finance and the bricks and sticks. So I moved out of the capital markets side of the business into more of an acquisitions and investment management role.
How did that actually transgress into hospitality and hotels and specifically to the Clay on Espanola Way and Miami?
My focus is on investing in top-tier urban markets in the US, mainly on the East Coast. As a result, that has brought us to New York, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, and Miami, all of which are transient-oriented cities that capture a lot of tourism. When you’re in Miami you are inherently in the hospitality industry, since the major focus is on driving and servicing tourism.
Can you share a story from early in your career that drove you towards Miami in particular?
Christmas week of 2014, I was in Miami on vacation when my partner Steve got a call that there was an opportunity to purchase on Ocean Drive if we moved quickly. The property was 728 Ocean Drive, which formerly housed a Johnny Rockets, which we redeveloped into a CVS. We closed that first Miami deal in about a week, and the relationships we formed in that transaction are what eventually brought us to Espanola Way.
Have you made any funny mistakes since first delving into the real estate world and can you tell us if there’s any lesson that you learned from that?
When weacquired the Ocean Drive property, we did not foresee the political backlash which ensued from the perceived disruption that bringing a national retailer store — CVS — to Ocean Drive would create. This lesson we learned was a blessing in disguise.
Although getting the deal approved and the CVS opened was a challenge, we now have a far better understanding of Miami Beach and developed strong relationships with the political and local community. Through those community-driven efforts and focus, I am now proud to serve and work with the community as Vice President of the Espanola Way Association, Co-Chair of the South Beach Bid, and director of the Ocean Drive Association.
What innovations are you bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
Real estate is no longer just about ‘location, location, location’. It’s about ‘experience, experience, experience’, and you’re seeing this across all property types and sectors. Hospitality does not just mean hotel anymore: the hospitality industry is impacting the office property sector, the residential property sector, and the retail property sector. Every retail location and retail operator is now focused on an experience-driven store. They hope to bring a new experience, a lively experience, to their location to attract people inside to compete with online shopping.
For the office sector, firms like Knotel and WeWork have brought hospitality to the office world. You don’t just check-in at the security desk and take the elevator up to your office. You now have open floor spaces with ping-pong and pool tables, open kitchens, and social gathering spaces.
In the residential sector, sought-after amenities include concierge services, dry cleaning services, different food and beverage outlets, and common areas inside residential lobbies.
Hospitality is now inherently a driver for all real estate — and no longer isolated to just hotels. This is a fundamental shift.
How are you taking the hospitality industry to the next level?
Curation. Curated amenities, curated offerings, and curated products. Differentiation can no longer rely on design and service alone, but through every touch point and experience that someone has inside of your hotel. Among other things, we now offer our guests unique, fresh, and forward-thinking brands and products across all our hotels to leave a lasting impression and elevate their experience.
Which pain-point are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
Staleness: you can’t be “same-same.” Brand and your story are critical factors and must be impressionable. We focus on providing a nostalgic experience, for example — one that will give our customers who are from different countries, cultures, demographics — to distinguish our brand from others. You have to find the unique story in your product and capture that. It can’t be obvious. If Al Capone gambled at your property years before, finding a way to conjure his time there through design, product, and experience will leave a longer mark than a billboard.
We specialize in historic properties in major urban markets. We focus on reclaiming the legacy of those properties, bringing them back to life, rediscovering the charm of the architecture and history, and modernizing our properties to today’s world and technology — all to enrich the integrity and impression and deliver an authentic experience.
Can you share three examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?
We are creating more common area spaces because people work more remotely than before. Second, we will deliver unique experiences. Third, hospitality will embrace new forms of booking and other technologies. More people are using the OTA’s, which are the Expedia’s and Kayaks in the world. A lot of people are using social media to determine where they want to travel. To be competitive in hospitality means having a very big social presence, a very big online presence, and strategic marketing.
How would you describe your perfect vacation experience?
My perfect vacation is one that is close to the action but offers unique, isolated, and private accommodation. You want to be able to access and enjoy all the location has to offer, but you don’t necessarily need to be or feel in the center of it.
Can you give me an example of a place you’ve traveled to recently that enhanced all your senses?
We went to The Sanara, in Tulum, Mexico. This is a boutique wellness-driven hotel with only seventeen rooms. It is in the center of Tulum, within walking distance to all of the restaurants, bars, shopping, and the bohemian culture that Tulum has to offer. What we loved about that experience was that every person working there knew who we were. We were on a first name basis with the staff, the owner of the hotel met us to extend his hospitality and made us feel welcome and at home — all with the benefit of being in the heart of Tulum with everything Tulum has to offer.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
Yes, my partner Steven Kassin, the founder of Infinity Real Estate. He is a mentor; encouraged my move from a pigeon-holed real estate position; and empowers all of us at the firm with autonomy, opportunity and as strong sense of partnership. Steve embraces entrepreneurialism, and his leadership style lets us focus on our strengths, add value in creative ways, and develop our capabilities to the fullest extent.
Is there a specific story showcasing how Steve empowered you?
I’m partly responsible for bringing us into the Miami and Philadelphia sub-markets because of my experience and relationships in those markets. When I joined Infinity Real Estate, we were only in New York and D.C. We could have continued focusing on those two markets alone. However, Steve trusted and empowered us to move ahead and tackle these markets, and this has resulted in some pretty favorable transactions for our team.
The Future Of Travel: “The amenities and service of a hotel with the space and convenience of a rental home” With Garrett Kenny, CEO of the Feltrim Group & Candice Georgiadis
…appeal to guests who want a resort experience in a rental house, without the hassles and limitations normally associated with each. Hotel rooms don’t work for everyone, particularly families or multi-generational groups traveling together: they each want their own room and bathroom so they aren’t on top of each other all the time, and they want a kitchen to cook in, so they don’t have to dine out every day. And typical rental homes don’t work for everyone either — you’re never 100% sure that the photos are accurate, and you may find that your house has dirty floors or a leaky pipe, but the owner is slow to fix it or just plain unresponsive. You’ll never have that with us. You get your own clean, spacious house with sheets and towels, plus the peace of mind from knowing that if there’s an issue it will get fixed, or if you have a special request, the concierge can take care of it.
As part of my series about “exciting developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Garrett Kenny, who originally hails from Dublin, Ireland, is one of the most well-known names in Central Florida real estate. He is the founder and CEO of the Feltrim Group, which was founded in 1996 as a property management firm focused on assisting international buyers and investors, and later expanded into property development and resorts. To date the company has sold over $900 million worth of property in Central Florida, much of it vacation rental real estate. Feltrim also developed and manages the innovative Balmoral Resort in Haines City. Kenny’s vision is not limited to real estate and resorts, however. Feltrim is currently developing a private international high school, as well as an ambitious sports academy. A classic entrepreneur, Kenny brings unbounded energy and creativity to all aspects of his business. He has developed a great reputation for integrity among his peers, and has been officially recognized for his achievements by former Florida Governor Rick Scott. The author of the book “Buying and Owning Property in Central Florida,” Kenny regularly appears on television and radio in the US, UK, China and Brazil, and actively supports charitable causes in his local community.”
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Back in 1996, when I was 34, I flew from my home country of Ireland to Orlando, Florida with the intention of buying a home there and renting it out to vacationers. I had been to Orlando before and loved it, and I knew that it was a prime spot for real estate investment. After looking at many homes over the course of several days, I settled on a 4-bedroom home with a swimming pool for $150,000. I was very excited about the purchase, and when I returned to Ireland, I told colleagues of mine about what I had done. My enthusiasm must have been infectious, because within 12 months 20 of my friends in Ireland also purchased homes through me.
This was the beginning of the Feltrim Group, the American subsidiary of my Irish company, Feltrim Developments Ltd., based in Dublin. The Feltrim Group is now a major player in Central Florida real estate, having built and sold over $900 million worth of property over the last 20 years.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
In December 2013 I went on a trade mission to three cities in China with a small group of business professionals. That trip opened my eyes to the fact that China was a huge market, and I became determined to crack it. I went back to China a few times over the succeeding seven months until I got my first deal. It’s now seven years later, and I have sold over 400 vacation properties to Chinese buyers.
It tickles me that an Irish man living in America who speaks no more than three words of Chinese has managed to be so successful with Chinese investors. In addition to selling lots of homes, Feltrim has won awards from agencies and organizations in China recognizing Balmoral’ excellence. I have also spoken on panels about doing business in China, and I am a member of my local Asian Real Estate Association of America.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The first time I went to Vietnam for business, I met with a potential business partner who seemed incredibly positive in the early stages of our conversation. His answer to everything was “yes, yes, yes.” But after a while I realized that was the ONLY word he was saying… so I asked him if he understood English well. He said “yes” again, but I knew it wasn’t true — he was clearly trying to impress me by pretending to understand. So, I slowed WAY down, which made it easier for him to follow what I was saying — and the next day I hired a translator.
The lesson I learned: never to assume anything.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Having a single, continuous supply chain results in much better service and value for clients — the alternative is a supply chain with multiple unconnected parts that are much more likely to break. Feltrim buys land, develops residential communities and vacation resorts, manages the properties, looks after the rental income, performs maintenance, and even resells properties through our resale division.
This concept has made my business very successful, and a standout in the industry.
My “lightbulb” moment came back in 1998, when I was trying to make a deal with a potential home buyer. I knew he was talking to other sales agents, so I gave it my best shot. But he didn’t buy from me — he went with a competitor who owned a group of companies that gave the perception of size and end-to-end service. This taught me a valuable lesson about consumer perception, and also motivated me to do everything possible for a client, in order to keep them from going elsewhere. It led me to turn the Feltrim Group into a true one-stop-shop.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?
Knowing your own limitations is key to not overextending yourself and not getting in over your head, two factors that can lead to burnout. I never finished school in Ireland, and I’m aware that I don’t know everything about everything. I’m never afraid to say “sorry, I don’t understand that, please explain it to me,” and I’m never afraid to hire people who are smarter than me. Those smart people make me look good! The number of times I have seen leaders who are afraid to ask questions, or think they know everything really shocks me. My business is also great because of my team members. I surround myself with good people and let them do their jobs, while I helm the ship. The proof is in the pudding: I awake every morning to see 4- and 5-star reviews of Balmoral on Google. Consumers like our product and think positively about the staff. It is a team effort, and that gives me great satisfaction.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There are actually two people who have been instrumental in my success: my CFO and my wife. My CFO, who is based in my Irish office, has worked alongside me for more than 20 years. He originally worked for the accounting firm that prepared my tax returns, and I liked him so much that I asked him to join my team. But he’s not just an accountant who crunches numbers — he is capable of running the entire business. Our trust and rapport, along with his excellent financial acumen, have helped propel the business forward over the years.
The only person I talk to more often than my CFO is my wife. I know it sounds cheesy, but I could not have been a success without her. She looks after our family and holds down the fort while I’m out traveling to various countries around the world promoting our vacation resort.
Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
I think my latest project, Balmoral Resort, is a game-changer in the hospitality industry. It could revolutionize the family vacation. Opened in 2017 in Haines City, Florida, Balmoral combines the amenities and service of a hotel with the space and convenience of a rental home — and improves upon both concepts. This “horizontal hotel” comprises 230 individually owned vacation homes ranging in size from 3 to 8 bedrooms (that’s more rooms than in a 1000-room hotel). All the homes, which are furnished in a modern yet luxurious style, offer at least twice the space of a hotel room plus perks such as full kitchens, laundry rooms, free wi-fi, and in some homes, private pools.
We run Balmoral like a hotel: booking is centralized (either direct or through the big OTA’S such as Booking.com, Expedia.com, etc.), management is on-site, and the community offers a full range of on-site amenities including concierge service, a large pool area, a water park, a games room, a gym, mini putt-putt golf, sand volleyball courts and a bar and grill.
Balmoral is not only a fantastic concept for travelers, but also for investors. We manage the homes for all of our buyers, who come mainly from China, the UK, Vietnam, South America, South Africa, Ireland and the U.S. Buyers get a beautiful, modern home that provides a great return on investment and does not require them to lift a finger to maintain, and travelers know exactly what they are getting when they book, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
We appeal to guests who want a resort experience in a rental house, without the hassles and limitations normally associated with each. Hotel rooms don’t work for everyone, particularly families or multi-generational groups traveling together: they each want their own room and bathroom so they aren’t on top of each other all the time, and they want a kitchen to cook in, so they don’t have to dine out every day. And typical rental homes don’t work for everyone either — you’re never 100% sure that the photos are accurate, and you may find that your house has dirty floors or a leaky pipe, but the owner is slow to fix it or just plain unresponsive. You’ll never have that with Balmoral. You get your own clean, spacious house with sheets and towels, plus the peace of mind from knowing that if there’s an issue it will get fixed, or if you have a special request, the concierge can take care of it.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
It’s a fact that the lines between hotels, resorts, hostels, rental homes and timeshares are getting blurred, because travelers don’t fit in neat boxes anymore. I recognized this and positioned Balmoral at the forefront of this evolution. Now, as more and more travelers opt for “hybrid” resorts like Balmoral, both the traditional hotel and rental home sectors are getting squeezed. They will have to adapt to travelers’ changing needs, or fail.
Some hotel companies are already adapting by getting into the vacation home rental business: I sold two resorts in the last five years to Aston Hotels (based in Hawaii), as they started to invest in the Florida market. Choice Hotels now has a vacation home rental division, and Wyndham recently launched its Trademark Collection, which promotes vacation rental homes and condos. They are actually talking to me at the moment about branding Balmoral with the Wyndham flag!
Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?
I think that many of the things Balmoral is doing reflect the changes happening in the wider market, such as the increase in travelers choosing private accommodation over traditional hotels, and increased reliance on technology.
1 — Giving better value for money for families or groups traveling together — Airbnb and VRBO revolutionized the market by allowing groups to book an entire private house for a relatively affordable rate, instead of paying through the nose for multiple rooms in a hotel. We are taking that to the next level by offering a standardized home experience with loads of space, a private pool, and all the bells and whistles, for at least half the price of a hotel room. And we’re locating it in a full-service resort.
2 — Using technology to expedite service — Guests are increasingly accustomed to using their phones or tablets to accomplish almost everything, which is why we are experimenting with ways to integrate more tech into Balmoral’s homes. For example, I am hoping that things like maintenance requests can be done electronically just by saying “Alexa, our toilet is blocked, please alert maintenance.” Millennials in particular would rather spend time enjoying their vacation home than talking to resort employees.
3 — Flexible booking policies — Rental homes often have rigid advance booking and minimum stay requirements, but Balmoral doesn’t: we recently dropped our 2-day minimum stay requirement and also introduced same-day check in. We did this because we recognized that for various reasons people sometimes book vacation homes at the last minute, and we wanted to make it easy for them to do that. This makes us competitive with traditional hotels, and more flexible than typical rental homes.
4 — Greater use of artificial intelligence: We recently installed a chat function on our website so that potential guests can talk with “virtual” (and real) reservations agents. We felt this was a must, as guests increasingly expect it — that’s the way the industry is headed. It’s working extremely well for us: the chat bots help answer basic questions about what the resort does and does not offer, and the live agents handle the rest.
5 — Sports and activity travel: More and more travelers are visiting locations not just for beaches or theme parks, but for specific events such as comic conventions and sports events. We are taking that to the next level by opening a Ronaldo youth soccer academy onsite and offering vacation packages around local events like baseball spring training.
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
Since I normally operate at 100 miles per hour when I’m working, I enjoy a vacation full of peace and relaxation, where I’m able to read my book and enjoy time with the family: We’ve had some great vacations at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, and we also enjoy the tranquility of Hawaii. Cruising is great too, because it gets me away from the day-to-day craziness of my business and allows me to dedicate time to my family, read, and watch my favorite movies. Now that the kids are getting older we are doing more active vacations — for example in 2018 we explored Alaska, which was a great experience.
Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I believe that giving back is important, so over the years we have given to various charities. For example, when I learned from the Red Cross that a large number of kids were drowning in community pools in the Orlando area, we decided to donate $150 to them for every home sold at Balmoral. This money is used to educate children about the dangers of drowning. We also donated $35,000 to help train kids in the area to become lifeguards.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I feel that improving America’s education system is the best way to uplift communities. That’s why one of my next projects is to build a charter school in my area that will serve 500 kids. I hope in my own way to be able to influence the quality of education kids in Polk County receive. My company is also building a 70,000-sq-ft sports facility that will encourage kids in the area to participate in basketball and indoor volleyball. The skills kids learn through sports — teamwork, strategy, overcoming obstacles — are equally important as intellectual skills in preparing them for adulthood.
“Instagram stories are a great way for you to humanize your brand.” with James Shockley and Candice Georgiadis
One of my biggest pet peeves is when a business posts 6 times on their Instagram throughout the day. They are now spamming my feed with more than likely low-quality content. That is what Instagram stories are for! You can post 30 times a day on Instagram stories and no one will mind. If they no longer want to watch it, they just swipe left. Instagram stories are a great way for you to humanize your brand. It allows you to show your audience an inside look into your business. We have taken on multiple clients who posted 4–5 times a day. We advised to them we would take care of their actual Instagram posting, and they can have full control over their Instagram stories. The stories increased, the posting decreased, and the followers and engagement went up.
I had the pleasure of interviewing James Shockley, CEO of Social Movement Media. A recent graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Advertising Management, James started his first company when he was 20 years old. Shockley’s first company, Hidlo Studios, focused on utilizing Snapchat to create and manage Snapchat Geofilter campaigns for businesses. In August of 2018, he started his new company, Social Movement Media, a full service digital marketing agency that is changing the way people post on Instagram.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Thank you for having me!
When I was a Sophomore in college, I knew that I wanted to start a business. I didn’t know what type of business, but I knew I wanted to start something. I started to research how to do online marketing and came to the realization that I could make Snapchat Geofilters for business. It was then I started my first company, Hidlo Studios. As Hidlo Studios started to gain more and more clients, they would ask me if I could manage their social media. I slowly started to manage multiple social media accounts until I got enough clients and came to the realization I needed to start another company that offered all of these services.
My whole philosophy behind Social Movement Media is to innovate the way people post on Instagram. As we live in this era of Digital Marketing, I believe it is imperative for businesses to utilize social media to engage a magnitude of potential consumers towards their businesses profile. With 1 billion daily active users, Instagram allows companies to market their product or service to hopefully then drive consumers down the purchasing funnel.
It’s very simple to make a post on Instagram. Anyone can do it. But, what many people don’t know is that Instagram, along with Facebook, have specific algorithms imbedded within each post you make. If there aren’t certain systems in place on your post, there’s a chance your post won’t reach the maximum amount of people possible, or worse, it won’t show up at all.
Social Movement Media strives to create the most visually appealing and engaging Instagram pages on the platform today. In addition, we create strategies which enable our posts and advertisements to reach a plethora of people through Instagram and Facebook’s algorithm.
Can you explain to our readers why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?
Social Media is a free way for you to advertise to millions of people! No longer do you need to worry about getting a news station to do a short 1 minute segment on your business to advertise, or pay for an expensive billboard. All it takes is a few simple posts to build and engage with followers. I am what some may call a “social media native” I grew up with most of these platforms. I am fully immersed in all of the social media trends throughout my day. I love social media because it is an ever-changing platform. If you don’t stay up to date with the current trends, you will be left in the dust.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
There are countless things that have happened to me over the years since becoming an entrepreneur. A funny story that happened in October was how I met my lead designer, Chris Lemon, who is also the creator of our innovative service called the Instagram Matrix. I was at a bar on a Saturday watching a college football game, when I saw one of my clients who is the GM of a local gym. He said, “ James I want you to meet Chris, he’s the one who takes all of our pictures.” Chris approaches me and says “ So, you’re the a**hole who took my job.” Of course, he was just kidding, at least I think he was kidding!. He proceeds to show me his own Instagram feed, @wolf.lemon. The second I saw it, I knew we had to work together. After 5 seconds of him showing me his Instagram, I looked at him and said, “Do you want to make money doing this?” One thing lead to another, and now we work together every day.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I wouldn’t necessarily call this a funny story. I guess it is now looking back on it, and I know my dad probably won’t consider it a funny story since he was the one who helped invest some money into my original company, Hidlo Studios. When I was 20 years old, it was my goal to be an exhibitor at a trade show. I figured it would really kick me into high gear and force me to figure a lot of things out with my business. I signed up for the Bar and Nightclub convention in Las Vegas. We spent ALL our money on this. Every dollar that was invested, and every dollar we ever earned. We figured we were going to come back from Las Vegas rich! Unfortunately, that was not the case. We had hundreds of leads and everyone was so interested in our services, so we thought. Once we got back, we waited and waited for anyone to call or email us. Nothing. We got one account out of it, for $300. I can tell you, we spent way more than $300 in Las Vegas. This experience really taught me how to simply fall flat on my face. I wanted to give up so badly after this, but I just kept pushing on. I wanted to succeed and I was not going to let this stop me.
Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience?
I have found Instagram to be the best way to increase business revenue compared to all other social media. One success story I would like to share is about one of our clients , Arcade Mission Control. We offered them our Instagram Matrix service. You can find them @arcademissioncontrol on Instagram. We ran a $25 gift card giveaway which lead to over 100 comments on one single Instagram post. The reason this can turn into dollars is by generating over 100 comments, the post will be shown to more of their follower, therefore increasing the exposure of their brand. I was informed the day we posted that specific campaign, they noticed an increase in business.
Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share 6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.
Engage — If you can properly engage with people who may show interest in your page, you will drastically build a following and increase your overall impressions. We have a client that owns a gym, they wanted to increase their followers from 800 to 1,000. We did not want to pay for followers, we do not practice that method, and anyone who does, should be very careful. Instagram is cracking down on this. Here is what we did. We followed multiple fitness accounts. We liked multiple pictures they had posted. By doing this, it showed we are reaching out and we hope that they would recognize it and give us a follow. Also, whenever someone would post that they were at the gym on their Instagram stories, we would repost it on our own story. This will then lead them to show their followers that they were posted on the gym’s IG feed.
Aesthetic — The aesthetic of an Instagram is our biggest priority. If you can make a visually pleasing Instagram feed, people will be more inclined to follow it because they know you post quality content. If you pride yourself on your service or product, your Instagram can act as the first impression of your entire business. If it looks like you don’t care or there is a lack effort and your competition is putting effort into their Instagram, they are already one step ahead of you. For, Arcade Mission Control, we post our Instagram Matrix service for them @arcademissioncontrol. This is where we take all of their content and edit it in a way that creates an entire collage. However, we have created a system that allows us to post a single post at a time without disrupting the flow of the grid.
Offer giveaways — This is a great way to not only build your following but give back to your current followers. Offer a free $25 gift card and encourage your followers to comment to 1–3 friends. We have run multiple campaigns like this which produce over 300 comments. We have a high-end pizza restaurant where we introduced this strategy.. They run a giveaway every month, and each month the giveaway produces over 300 comments and over 5,000 impressions. The comments are great because the more engagement you have, Instagram’s algorithm will show the content to more people. Instagram will classify this as high-quality content that must be shown to more people.
Professional Pictures — Please stop the iPhone pictures! I understand the iPhone has an amazing camera and most people think they can just take a bunch of pictures and then just post them, wrong! Most of the time, the pictures don’t always turn out as good as they could have been if they had been taken by a professional photographer. The lighting may not be right, or the angel is off. Hiring a professional photographer for 1–2 hours should not cost more than $200-$300. The quality and quantity of photos they can capture can produce between 2–3 months’ worth of content for you. For example, a bar reached out to use to increase their Instagram followers. The first thing we did was hire a professional photographer to come in at take pictures of everyone having fun and enjoying their night out. Once we started posting pictures,the bar patrons tagged themselves in the post. . When people see their friends on a company post, they are more inclined to tag them in the post. This will increase engagement and build followers.
Motion Graphics — Video content is already king in today’s digital world. You are 95% more likely to remember the information on a moving graphic compared to a still graphic. When scrolling through a feed on Instagram, you are probably more likely to stop and watch a video for a longer period then if it was a still graphic with words. We create motion graphics for most of our clients for their Instagram stories and Instagram feeds. We notice that the reach of these are 30–40% higher than a still graphic.
Instagram Stories — One of my biggest pet peeves is when a business posts 6 times on their Instagram throughout the day. They are now spamming my feed with more than likely low-quality content. That is what Instagram stories are for! You can post 30 times a day on Instagram stories and no one will mind. If they no longer want to watch it, they just swipe left. Instagram stories are a great way for you to humanize your brand. It allows you to show your audience an inside look into your business. We have taken on multiple clients who posted 4–5 times a day. We advised to them we would take care of their actual Instagram posting, and they can have full control over their Instagram stories. The stories increased, the posting decreased, and the followers and engagement went up.
Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I am 23 years old, I started my first business when I was 20 years old. This business wasn’t solving any problems. No one knew they needed Snapchat Geofilters. I just thought it would be something fun and creative to pursue. I believe that if more people can find it within themselves to start something because they enjoy being creative, it can lead to a more innovative world. Sometimes, the best products are created not to solve a problem, but because the founder decided it would be an idea that everyone would love. There are so many things going wrong in this world. The more people that can innovate the world, the better I believe the world will become.
Thank you so much for these great insights. This was very enlightening!
“Learn About Your Audience Through Two-Way Conversations on Social Media” with Jacqueline Ball and Candice Georgiadis
In the old days advertising was a one-way street. A company would pay big bucks for a print or TV ad and hope for the best. Today, through direct messaging on Instagram, you can have a two-way conversation with your customer and ask them direct questions related to your product. This interaction can increase conversion rate and learnings on a more personal level. For example, I knew of a woman who opened an online boutique, and instead of purchasing inventory to sell, she would ask her customers what they were more likely to purchase with side by side visuals. Her audience would tell her and she would purchase the highest-rated inventory. It took the guessing out of the game.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jacqueline Ball, the lead creative director and digital strategist at Sozoe Creative since 2015. Her passion for helping brands elevate their visual impact with a design-focused marketing approach dovetails into the industry coverage she provides. In addition, Jacqueline specializes in creating a synergistic relationship between design and the digital marketing space.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Sure! In 2015, I was a marketing consultant for a large franchise company based in Florida. During that time, I worked with a few other independent contractors on a brand development project. Once the project wrapped, we realized how much we had enjoyed working together and decided to form our own company, Sozoe Creative. It’s been over three years, and we all love working together just as much as when we met. A dream team can exist!
Can you explain to our readers why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?
As digital strategist and creative director at Sozoe Creative, a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in design optimization, I have extensive experience managing the paid advertising side of Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Our company not only works with large e-commerce retailers using Instagram to generate online sales, but we also work with local brick and mortar stores on the regional and national level to help local businesses drive foot traffic to their location. For one of our clients, The Dapper Doughnut, we actually trained the franchise owners on how to drive sales, foot traffic and convert email subscribers for their email marketing lists through Instagram and Facebook. We provide presentations, hands-on training and paid ad support.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
At Sozoe Creative, we’ve been blessed with all of the clients we work with, but the most interesting story is related to building The Dapper Doughnut brand. We were given the task to shape and mold this brand to be cutting edge, both aesthetically and digitally. Being a part of the foundation and watching the Dapper Doughnut grow rapidly into a national brand have been the most interesting and rewarding experiences since our inception.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It’s definitely funny to look back to see how far you have come, because in the moment you can be red in the face from a silly mistake. One of my early mistakes as a business owner was thinking I could do something I could not. I felt confident I could handle designing a web layout for a new client before hiring a graphic designer. The mockup presentation ended up being a train wreck, as my Photoshop skills were just not cutting it. I couldn’t get inspiration, the work looked disconnected, and the client was confused with my direction. Overall, it was a weak presentation, and I learned hard and fast to hire and trust people with stronger skills than you in particular areas. Once I gave up control of areas that I really couldn’t thrive in, it changed the game for us. I became a better leader and had more time to service the areas I was actually good at!
Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience? Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share 6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.
Instagram can dramatically improve businesses for the following reasons.
It Pays to Play
If you’re looking to dramatically improve business, then Instagram paid ads is an incredible opportunity to quickly expand your reach. You can get specific with targeting, messaging, creative testing and more to figure out how the Instagram audience can serve your sales goals. We have an e-commerce client who consistently averages a 6:1 ROAS (return on ad spend) for this platform. Instagram paid advertising is run through the Facebook Business Manager Platform, giving you all the Facebook ad perks on a much more intimate platform.
2. Promote Events
Instagram is a great way to promote in-store and online events. The Instagram audience is so engaged because the screen is not muddled with countless other banner ads. The focus is on the organic post or sponsored ad only, and this can be leveraged to direct people to an event you to promote.
One of our clients is The Dapper Doughnut, a national franchise selling hot mini doughnuts. Our agency runs the franchise’s Facebook and Instagram ads to help them promote their local in-store events. Our owners have seen success at their grand openings due to the organic posting and audience-building in the weeks leading up to an event.
3. Drive In-Store Traffic
If you are a local business, then Instagram is your platform! It’s critical for local businesses to have a presence on Instagram. This is where kids, millennials and moms are hanging out. When we train a local business on the best posting strategies, we feel a daily story in the story feed along with a daily or frequent news feed post is the most beneficial. This is a big communication tool because it gives businesses an opportunity to share product launches, store hours, specific sale information and more. Our client, Fort Worth Running Co., is a local running shoe store that specializes in a custom fit process. Its Instagram activity is a big channel for it to recap store events and drive repeat business into its shop.
4. Launch a Product Live — Shoppable Tags
With the new shoppable tags on Instagram, brands can enable a direct link to purchase their product right on the platform itself. This positions the user closer to the goal conversion. This shoppable feed is the future of all social media visuals since people can be in a buying mode when scrolling through these feeds. JumpSport Fitness uses social influencers to post content involving their fitness trampoline products. When JumpSport Fitness reposts this content, they add shoppable tags which redirects users to the site to make a purchase. This functionality is big for Instagram since they used to only have links from their paid ads or in the profile bios.
5. Learn About Your Audience Through Two-Way Conversations
In the old days advertising was a one-way street. A company would pay big bucks for a print or TV ad and hope for the best. Today, through direct messaging on Instagram, you can have a two-way conversation with your customer and ask them direct questions related to your product. This interaction can increase conversion rate and learnings on a more personal level. For example, I knew of a woman who opened an online boutique, and instead of purchasing inventory to sell, she would ask her customers what they were more likely to purchase with side by side visuals. Her audience would tell her and she would purchase the highest-rated inventory. It took the guessing out of the game.
6. Build A Loyal Community Through Omni Channel Marketing
You can build a loyal following on a channel like Instagram and then leverage this following on other channels like Facebook, Pinterest, email marketing and the Google Display Network. This ‘warm’ audience can be the initial prospecting touch point and expand into other networks with simple retargeting tracking.
One of our clients focuses heavily on engaging an audience on Instagram, and then saves that audience for remarketing purposes. We can then tailor the engagement parameters to be the past 60 days so we only carry over the individuals with the most recent interaction.
Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Entrepreneurship for kids. This may sound odd, but I truly feel our school system doesn’t support the idea of being a business owner one day. I would love to be involved in a program that teaches children about business skills and implements entrepreneurial ideas at a young age. Children see the world in such a unique and creative light, it would be fantastic to inspire young kids to think big and create for themselves.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?
Mark Cuban, because he is a triple threat: cut throat, kind and confident. His balanced approach to business and self-evaluation has molded him into one of the top leaders in the business world. What I love about him is his mutual respect for a business owner of any size. If you have ever watched him on Shark Tank, he is authoritative with his vetting process, but when letting someone down, he empowers the contestants with constructive criticism. This level of compassion and humility is sometimes hard to find amongst the uber-successful.
I’d also love the opportunity to sit down with Joanna and Chip Gaines. They are in the midst of their rise to fame, and their business approach seems organic and methodical. I would be curious to know what their biggest learning lesson has been and how their core staff supported them along this ride.
The Future Of Travel: “Hotels are moving in the direction of public open floor plans to accommodate locals looking for a place to work” With Jill Kaye of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel & Candice Georgiadice
Co-Working. It’s no secret that hotels are moving in the direction of public open floor plans to accommodate locals looking for a place to work and lounge to making the guest feel like a local through your atmosphere.
As a part of my series about “exciting developments in the travel industry over the next five years,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Jill Kaye, Director of Programming at the Chicago Athletic Association hotel in Chicago, IL. Originally an elite men’s social and sporting club built in 1893, the hotel building itself is a celebrated Venetian-Gothic icon on Chicago’s famed Michigan Avenue. Following the original Chicago Athletic Association club’s closure, the building underwent an extensive three-year restoration and opened its doors to all as a luxury boutique hotel — no membership required. Milk Room was discovered by a worker during restoration, and is just one of seven drinking/dining destinations within the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Sporting 240 rooms, hotel interiors were designed by Roman & Williams. Original architectural details throughout the property were retained and mixed with modern nods to the building’s past.
Thank you so much for joining us Jill! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Initially, I was drawn to large scale productions and installations for creative brands and entities like staple Chicago music festivals to parties pushing the boundaries of guest experience. Years ago, I was brought on to help build out an empty warehouse in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, adjacent to a train yard for a really swanky brand that hadn’t opened it’s brick and mortar location yet. Inside, clusters of people were working on massive installations which from a distance looked like piles of junk. Fast forward to the launch party for the space, and I had to pinch myself looking at what we had created, how it came together. But it was at that launch party inside the warehouse watching guests have the time of their lives when I knew I wanted to curate cultural programming.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Helming a programming department within a fast-paced hotel (with seven restaurants and bars, and over 17,000 square feet of event space), there are constant variables we have to adapt to in order to execute large scale events and experiences for guests. In one such case, we transformed an entire hotel floor into a completely different universe: and in 2017, when our annual Halloween party at the Chicago Athletic Association hotel had to move locations within the property with little notice, we had to get incredibly crafty with where we were going to house upwards of 500 people in order to be able to keep up with our tradition of throwing an immersive experience without disrupting the general business of a hotel. We decided to close down the hotel’s rooftop restaurant and bar, Cindy’s, and take over the guest suites on that floor — the 13th floor — the terrace, and the restaurant. This would end up being the largest installation and production of my career to date. With an all-star team of creatives from interior designers to projection mapping artists, we built a new universe, and gained a wealth of knowledge from a one night production in the process
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When we first opened our pop-up Roller Skating Rink within the hotel (housed in the building’s historic gymnasium calle Stagg Court), I admittedly had little idea how to handle a full blown skate rental operation. Our system was skate rental system was clunky; we had lines out the door; and we didn’t realize there was a different between shoe disinfectant and shoe “spray” — who knew! I took what I learned from the first night of the Roller Skating Rink, and came back the next day and completely re-did the system with what I had. Moving forward, I never planned or executed an event again without mapping the physical guest journey from front door, to event, to departure.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
The Chicago Athletic Association hotel is no ordinary hotel establishment — the building is a Chicago landmark, long closed to the public since its completion in 1893 for the World’s Fair in Chicago, but has only been opened to the public as the institution it is today since 2015. To say that we are a cultural hub in Chicago feels like a gross understatement because there is so much to see, learn and do inside our walls.
For one, the history and architecture never cease to capture the imagination of hotel guests, and local neighbors alike. We attract such a diverse crowd seeking a wide array of experiences: from the freelancers getting cozy in our looby space Drawing Room, to the out of town guests who stay with us regularly, to the locals we see at all of our events. And it takes more than one visit to take it all in. Since the hotel opened, we have all worked under the same General Manager and from the top down, our staff is incredibly creative and free. I think back on this “crazy idea” to build a roller skating rink inside our historic gymnasium, Stagg Court, which after 3 years turned into a marquee quarterly program we produce here at the hotel.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?
My biggest advice would be to keep traveling, and keep your vacation days sacred.I take work/life balance seriously. It sounds lofty and expensive, but I’ve gotten good at using my resources to plan a new trip for myself every month. Through it all: keep learning from other cultures, keep talking to different walks of life, and keep yourself inspired by the way people live their lives. Every time I return to the office, I’m wearing rose tinted glasses with all kinds of new ideas.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
The first person to take a chance on me without experience is Anna Cerniglia, a gallery owner in Chicago’s West Town. She started consulting for the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, where she brought me in to help with the hotel’s first Halloween party. During that event, I had freedom of expression and a ton of fun. I knew that the building and the people there were special. She shared with me after that the program was growing beyond her schedule and let me know they were in talks to hire a full-time Programmer. Three and a half years later, I’m still here.
Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
While many hotels today are putting on programs and events onsite, the Chicago Athletic Association hotel’s pillars are rooted in expansive cultural moments — from dinosaur bone-digging with a Paleontologist from the Field Museum, to enjoying Lollapalooza artists performing in intimate hotel locations during festival week. We strike a dynamic balance between having fun, continuing education, and inspiring our guests. We’ve also bolstered some serious partners in the Chicago community, and we wouldn’t be as successful as we are without them.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
The Chicago Athletic Association hotel has a unique history, as it was a men’s-only private club for 114 years. Today, we are working to flip the script by being an inclusive and diverse place to meet, eat, drink, and play. Most importantly, we create an environment where guests can choose their own adventure within our walls where we are redefining what it means to be a hotel in the 21st century. We have a lot of fun, we make personal connections with our visitors, and we make lasting impressions.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
We’re going to see a lot more hospitality projects activate differently; be it hotel programs, or be it an adoption of the latest tech. In lifestyle travel, we’re all striving to offer the most unique experience while finding that key balance of hands-off / hands-on with the guest. We’re entering an age of truly authentic, curated moments.
Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?
a. Tech. Travelers are coming to expect that they’ll be ordering room service from their personal phones just like they can at home.
b. Health and Wellness. Hotels are going above and beyond the standard gym to offer personalized sessions with trainers or community partners, and making sure a sense of wellness is integrated into the guests’ entire stay.
c. Amenities. It’s our job to be of service to our guest from the major offerings and restaurants, down to the extremely thoughtful amenities and small touches. A growth in “borrowing” and sharing culture of services and items for hotel guests will continue to grow.
d. Programming. Through the curation of meaningful events and experiences at the hotel, this allows the property to engage guests and leave memorable impressions like never before.
e. Co-Working. It’s no secret that hotels are moving in the direction of public open floor plans to accommodate locals looking for a place to work and lounge to making the guest feel like a local through your atmosphere.
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
I’m partial to the hands off / hands on experience. I like to be able to ask for assistance if needed, but I also never want to feel like something is being sold to me. I’ll do minimal research before a trip beyond booking my accommodations so I am forced to talk with the locals. I like to spend my morning doing activities, my afternoon relaxing, and my evening taking that local suggestion for a nice meal and great cocktail. At the end of the day, I want to retire to silky soft sheets, cool air, and a good book.
Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
We’re in the business of making our partner feel valued and our guest feel good. If at least one guest leaves an event feeling uplifted, or like they’ve learned a new skill, I feel successful.
I’ve been lucky enough to provide a platform to those who may have otherwise not been able to amplify their voice as easily. Our hotel works with a lot of organizations who may not have a big budget or audience yet but are incredibly talented, good people looking to leave a mark on the world.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Networking has always been a challenge for me. Everyday, we’re surrounded by millions of people going about their business with a whole cosmos inside of them bursting with intelligence. I want to take the timidness out of asking for help, offering a service, or just being a good listener to a stranger who can rely on your experience to solve a challenge. Humans spend too much time inside their bubble, and I want to expand the horizon. I want to reach out my hand to help someone else out like Chicago — and the Chicago Athletic Association hotel — has done for me.
The Future of Travel: “Experience, Experience, Experience. Experiences will continue to be the driving force behind a consumer’s decision when booking a vacation” with Denise Godreau of Holiday Inn Club Vacations & Candice Georgiadice
Experience, Experience, Experience. Experiences will continue to be the driving force behind a consumer’s decision-making process when booking a vacation; therefore, this point cannot be emphasized enough. Brands who fail to deliver unique, guest-centered experiences will soon be left behind. Companies will also need to integrate those experiences seamlessly through technology.
As part of my series about “exciting developments in the travel industry over the next five years,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Denise Godreau. Denise is the chief brand and innovation officer of Holiday Inn Club Vacations. As a member of the executive leadership team, Denise is responsible for driving cross-functional collaborative innovation in research, data mining, branding, product design, communications and digital technology to accelerate growth among new consumer segments. She has worked at Fortune 500 and startup companies in both the U.S. and abroad, developing a deep understanding of the global consumer and marketplace. Denise has a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She has won several awards throughout her career, most notably The Don Quijote Award from the Orlando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Top 100 Diverse MBA from Diversity MBA magazine.
Thank you so much for joining us Denise! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I like to say it was a combination of diligence and destiny that has guided me through my career. I am very goal-oriented, so when I started my career, I had target companies in mind and pursued an opportunity with one of those organizations. After my first job, I instead pursued opportunities that aligned with my interests, including individuals I really respected, were located in cities I wanted to explore, or lined up with personal priorities that were important at the time.
Throughout my professional journey and various career decisions, I have been diligent in networking, learning something new and relevant in every opportunity, and stretching beyond my comfort zone. There was also destiny in being in the right place at the right time.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
When I interviewed with Baha Mar, I felt like everything went well until the very end when the CEO asked me how I felt about gaming. I responded that I thought it was polarizing, as some people enjoy it and others hate it. He then asked about the last I had been to Vegas, and I cringed inside as I said it had been many years. I knew the CEO did not like receiving that answer from a possible future CMO of a resort with a large, important casino. I tried to recover, but I had been candid and it was too late.
As I walked back to the hotel room, I kept beating myself up over how I had answered the question, especially as I looked out at the beautiful blue water. Later that evening, I was surprised to receive a call from the CEO saying he wanted me to go to Las Vegas with my husband. He requested we stay at the most beautiful and admired resort in Las Vegas, to attend its shows, restaurants and nightclubs, and play at the casino — all on his dime. Afterwards, he wanted to speak with me again. I was completely dumbfounded. In the words of my husband, “you are the only person I know that messes up an interview, and gets a fully paid vacation to Vegas!”
Needless to say, I loved my time in Vegas, and was able to convince the CEO that I could build a brand for Baha Mar that would compete with luxury resorts like the one I visited. “I knew you could do the job, but I wanted to make sure you were going to love it,” he later told me.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I once wore two different shoes to work — one brown and one navy. I learned not to get dressed in a dark closet ever again.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I have been with Holiday Inn Club Vacations for five months now, and have to say that the company’s culture is what makes it stand out. From Tom Nelson, the company’s president and CEO, to our receptionist, Elba, I have never worked with a nicer group of people.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out?” Can you share a story about that?
For me, burnout has more to do with liking my leader and job role than the actual hours I work. The more I enjoyed a job, the more I worked. When I felt “burned out,” it was typically because I was no longer working for someone I liked or was traveling too much.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There are so many, but someone that sticks out is Matt Ouimet, who was my first boss at Disney. He once asked me what I needed from him, and I said, “let me show you what I can do. And if you like it, tell everyone about it.” He smiled and agreed. I owe many opportunities at Disney to the advocacy I always received from Matt and my boss after him, Linda Warren.
Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
There have been quite a few consumer pain points that the timeshare industry has failed to address. And, in this day and age, any consumer pain point that goes unaddressed can topple a company or an industry. In the timeshare industry, the product, sales and marketing practices must be redesigned to appeal to a larger consumer base. While I am working to reinvent many aspects of our product, it is too early to discuss specifics.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
We want to increase flexibility, while reducing complexity. That is not an easy task. We’re also working to create complete transparency, eliminate experience friction points, and build a brand that is functional and emotionally relevant.
When all companies are reading the same research and observing the same trends, everyone ends up producing similar results. The key is to find the sweet spot between a single, important consumer need and your product, then deliver it in a way that is uniquely owned by your brand. This could mean zeroing in on one differentiating factor, as opposed to the safer, “be-all-things-to-all-people” strategy. Building a memorable brand takes courage, time and money.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
In order to create brand love through experiences, leaders in the hospitality industry must completely shift their overall business strategy. Brands must accept that they are not in the business of selling rooms, but rather in the business of selling experiences that are segment specific. You cannot be all things to all people.
Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?
Experience, Experience, Experience
Experiences will continue to be the driving force behind a consumer’s decision-making process when booking a vacation; therefore, this point cannot be emphasized enough. Brands who fail to deliver unique, guest-centered experiences will soon be left behind. Companies will also need to integrate those experiences seamlessly through technology.
“Just-like-home” Amenities
The travel and hospitality industry is flooded with options for consumers, so guests will seek more spacious rooms and amenities. While the standard hotel room still has an appeal to the business segment, the young solo traveler, and the luxury consumers, families and groups on vacation will seek accommodations that are more home-like and offer unique gathering spaces. Again, it will be hard for a brand to be all things to all people.
Like a Local
When visiting a new city or town, travelers want to feel as though they have experienced the area from a local perspective. When developing experiences, brands must be representative of the surrounding area and culture. And “hosting like a local” goes beyond design and food; it is about enabling your guests to really do what locals do.
Multi-Generational Travel Accommodations
With growing multi-cultural families comes an increase in multi-generational travel, as it is very common for Hispanics, African Americans and Asian Americans to travel with grandparents. Any given travel group can consist of three generations and multi-sibling groups, which means a variety of activities to keep everyone entertained and engaged must be offered.
Subscription-Based Pricing Models
Thanks to services like Netflix, subscription-based pricing models have become commonplace. Many travel companies now offer subscription-based models to find deals, discounted accommodations, access to one-of-a-kind experiences, or pre-paid travel options.
You are a “travel insider.” How would you describe your perfect vacation experience?
I grew up sailing to hidden coves, so I love going places that allow me to get out of urban environments and into small towns with vast natural beauty. Last summer, I rode with my husband on his motorcycle across the country and through Canada to Alaska. We fell in love with Yukon Territory. I also really enjoy Vieques and Culebra in Puerto Rico and the outer Islands of The Bahamas for the same reason.
Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I have a daughter with Angelman Syndrome, and no matter how hard I work, I always leave the best of me for her. I think she has taught me so much that I have applied to work — to fight tirelessly for what is right, to look beyond the obvious, to never give up, to accept help and to find joy in the smallest accomplishments.
Additionally, I once used my media relations knowledge to fight the school district and get my daughter integrated into her local school. The day before mediation, a local news outlet ran a story that featured my sweet seven-year-old, and chastised the school district for not living up to the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. The support we received from our community was priceless. My daughter was accepted into her local elementary school, and middle and high schools with no problem years later. Hopefully, we made it easier for other children with special needs, as well.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring good to the most people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would love to reinvent housing for people with disabilities. It is segregated and lonely. And yet, I have always found so many kind people in my journey with my daughter. I would love to see work-live-play communities that dedicate 10 percent of its living spaces to areas designed for people with cognitive and physical disabilities. In these communities, residents could work in the offices and retail spaces, and have access to medical services and recreation. This would create an environment where neighbors are happy to interact and help each other in ways that enrich all lives beyond measure.
The Future Of Travel: “Fractional Ownership” With Dennis M. Ducharme of RiverWalk Resort & Candice Georgiadis
Fractional ownership is similar to a timeshare in that owners gets to use the property for a given number of weeks per year, but different in that they also own real property, not just time. If the fractional owner can’t or doesn’t want to use any part of the nine weeks they are allocated, the resort may rent the unit and split the proceeds with the owner who has literally bought a fractional share of a residence. For the millennials, a generation accustomed to flexibility and choice in every aspect of their lives, the ability to be fractional owners speaks to their desire to create an individual balance between the time they spend in their vacation home and the money they invest. Fractional owners also get to choose the lifestyle that they like and enjoy the seasons that they want to enjoy.
As a part of my series about “exciting developments in the travel industry over the next five years,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dennis M. Ducharme, RRP. Dennis is President of RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, New Hampshire. A 35-year veteran of the New England hospitality industry, he is also a Development Partner with William E. (Billy) Curran of InnSeason Resorts and Pollard Brook Resort, New Hampshire’s largest purpose-built vacation ownership resort, and one of InnSeason Resorts’ signature properties. A leader in New England real estate development, including Cape Cod, he handles property acquisitions, product design and construction, lender relations, operations, asset administration, and resort information systems. Active in his business communities, he is on the Board of Directors of the North Country Center for the Arts in Lincoln and is Chairman for the Cape Cod YMCA.
Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I got into this industry because I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I knew at a young age that I thoroughly enjoyed both building things and providing hospitality, and it’s my entrepreneurial spirit that drives me to build hotels. I bought my first resort at auction in the early 1990’s and turned it into an outstanding property, and I haven’t stopped since.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I always had a vision for building and am happiest when I have a shovel in the ground. My latest project is RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain and in 2017 we won the ASCE New Hampshire Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. I consider RiverWalk my greatest achievement and this award truly affirmed my legacy. The interesting thing is, I almost missed this shining moment because I didn’t even know I’d won the award until I started getting text messages of congratulations. I was in a different time zone and my phone was literally blowing up all night long!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I was building Pollard Brook Resort, I brought in landscapers and asked them to plant trees that would grow very quickly around the building. Suddenly, we discovered an issue with the pool not draining properly and we had to have all the pool drains pulled out. What did we find? Tree roots were literally growing into the pool! I learned never to plant that kind of tree again. After that, and to this day, I’m very keen on knowing exactly what gets planted at my resorts.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
RiverWalk Resort offers a fractional ownership model. This model is an especially attractive prospect for avid skiers in the northeast, who want to spend as much time as they can in close proximity to the slopes, which is often cost-prohibitive for total ownership.
Firstly, at RiverWalk we are all about family — owners and employees are one big family that is dedicated to catering to our guests — most of whom are families traveling together. My goal is to always give people more. In fact, one day I went to lend a hand at our onsite Seven Birches Winery, and I kept trying to pour two quarts of wine into each bottle because I just wanted to give more.
Second, it’s about community. In 2016, I won the New Hampshire Travel Person of the Year award and it was given to me in recognition of my contributions to the communities in which I have resorts. It really makes your company stand out when it’s community involvement that gets you a travel award.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?
My biggest piece of advice is to create work-life balance. I’m a workaholic; I’m in the vacation business and all my colleagues are in the vacation business, yet we don’t take vacations. We are like the cobbler’s kids who don’t have shoes. So, I say: take those vacations (and come to RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain!).
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
That person is my business partner Billy Curran, who is CEO of InnSeason Resorts, which we co-own (InnSeason manages RiverWalk). We are opposites like Thelma and Louise, but we have the same vision for hospitality. Billy is the consummate sales person and I am the builder — I build it and Billy sells it, so you could say that I’m the Yin to his Yang.
Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
The western White Mountains of New Hampshire, in particular, have seen rising interest among young families who enjoy year- round activities from fall foliage and winter skiing to spring hiking and summer fun. Bringing fractional ownership to the region meets a demand is on the upswing. According to the American Resort Development Association, over 20 million Americans have invested in fractional ownership, which is one of the factors contributing to the growth of the vacation home market overall.
For millennials, who grew up enjoying family vacations in New England, it’s often nostalgia to re-create fond memories that is bringing them back to the area. New England travel stats tell the story. For example, in New Hampshire, where tourism is the state’s second largest industry, vacationers generate more than $5 billion of economic activity per year and a recently-reported yearly snapshot showed a 4.7 percent increase in number of visitors annually.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
Fractional ownership is similar to a timeshare in that owners gets to use the property for a given number of weeks per year, but different in that they also own real property, not just time. If the fractional owner can’t or doesn’t want to use any part of the nine weeks they are allocated, the resort may rent the unit and split the proceeds with the owner who has literally bought a fractional share of a residence.
For the millennials, a generation accustomed to flexibility and choice in every aspect of their lives, the ability to be fractional owners speaks to their desire to create an individual balance between the time they spend in their vacation home and the money they invest. Fractional owners also get to choose the lifestyle that they like and enjoy the seasons that they want to enjoy.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
With the millennial generation driving the increase in first home ownership, the next wave to watch is what will happen in the market for vacation home ownership, especially in New England. One of the emerging trends for second homebuyers is fractional ownership of vacation properties. The fractional — or deeded — ownership, offered by resort properties comes at a lower price-of-entry, for starters.
Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?
Flexible ownership models such as fractional ownership
Multi-generational travel accommodations, from studios to three-bedroom condos such as those available at Riverwalk Resort
Regional destinations offering a range of activities, exemplified by the Loon Mountain area of New Hampshire
Expanded service that make time spent at the property feel like true vacations, with zero responsibilities for upkeep
Increased attention to onsite experiences and amenities. For example, amenities at RiverWalk Resort include a winery production and tasting room, a full-service day spa and an Italian restaurant
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
My perfect vacation is the one that I don’t have time to take! Seriously though, it’s the vacation that allows me to relax and rest but still be able to work when I want to — being on an island in the middle of the ocean, but accessible for when someone wants to reach me. I appreciate luxury, great food and fine wine, so I “go big or go home.” I go where I can do what I want: sometimes it’s just taking a Monday off at my home on Cape Cod, sometimes it’s a weekend in Park City and sometimes it’s a day or two at RiverWalk because it’s my home away from my home.
Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I’m a strong believer in being active in the communities my businesses serve. I am on the Board of Directors of the North Country Center for the Arts in Lincoln and is Chairman for the Cape Cod YMCA.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I have a soft spot for people with disabilities because my son is disabled. My son, now an adult, has inspired me his entire life and I’m gratified to have been able to raise significant funds to help those who have disabilities get out and do what they want to do and live full and rewarding lives, whether that is learning to ski or having their own home.
