…Greater use of technology and automation. I think companies will really begin to scrutinize their travel costs and to better ensure every trip their employees take is efficient. This will lead to more companies looking for managed travel solutions.
As part of my series about “developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Elia Wallen.
Elia Wallen is the founder and CEO of Hotel Engine, a Denver-based, fast growing travel tech company focused on one goal — to simplify the business lodging process.
Founded in 2015, Hotel Engine is an exclusive hotel booking and management solution that delivers the cost-savings, choice and convenience organizations and corporate travelers need to make the most of each trip. Thousands of businesses rely on Hotel Engine to book millions of room nights around the world through its vast network of 4000,000+ hotel partners.
Under Elia’s leadership and vision, Hotel Engine has achieved more than 100 percent growth for five consecutive years.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I’ve certainly had a non-traditional career path. I dropped out of college during my first semester to pursue an opportunity that would evolve into starting my first company — Travelers Haven. Years later, I founded a second company in Hotel Engine, a hotel booking platform built specifically for businesses. Both develop innovative technology to offer new solutions and greater value in the business lodging space.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Recently, I’ve been studying more about personalities, human behavior and psychology — in particular, how people think, perceive, and react to themselves and others. It’s been a total awakening and I’ve become more aware of how I approach and interact with people. It’s like a big life experiment in which I’m constantly learning.
As Hotel Engine has grown over the last five years (and with plans to double our headcount this year alone), it’s even more important to better understand what motivates and inspires people, how messages and information may be received differently, and of course, how to build and grow trust. I believe great leadership is a skill that is continuously cultivated.
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 started the company, we were exhibiting at a major conference and had printed thousands of brochures with statistics touting one of the benefits of our solution. Unfortunately, we printed a data point that was not only wrong, but completely negated our argument. We pulled the brochures as soon as we realized the mistake, but it was a huge lesson on the importance of attention to detail!
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?
A week after the start of a global pandemic and the remote transition of our entire organization, we signed the largest client in our company’s history. Amid the uncertainty and fear we all felt early on in the pandemic, every team member stepped in and stepped up to support not only our clients, but each other.
The Hotel Engine team coming together in challenging times was no surprise, but it reinforced the importance of having everyone at the company being aligned behind the same purpose, and driven to achieve the same goal.
When everyone is paddling in the same direction, synchronized in their efforts, it makes all the difference because everyone shares in the responsibility. The focus we’ve placed on cultural fit has kept us moving forward and never feeling like we’re having to paddle upstream, which is huge when it comes to avoiding burnout.
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?
I was really young when I started both Travelers Haven and Hotel Engine, so I didn’t have a built-in network of connections in the business world or professional peers that could help when I was first establishing the companies. Thus, my network of business connections was really formed from my active involvement in YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization).
Even to this day, many of the people I work with at Hotel Engine are through the relationships from YPO. I’m forever grateful for their support in those early days.
Thank you for that. 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?
For companies that have traveling workforces, corporate lodging is the largest travel-related expenditure. At Hotel Engine, we arm our business customers with powerful tools that are simple to use and seamless to integrate, and coupled with rates that offer significant savings. Our technological platform is all about bringing value, convenience and flexibility to our customers. Our members can book and use Hotel Engine, when and where they want. For many of our customers that kind of choice is very innovative, and it’s a powerful offering.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
For many companies, there has traditionally been only two options: travel management companies (TMCs) that are too expensive for some businesses, and online travel agencies (OTAs) that don’t offer enough of the features and functionality they need — especially for budgeting and reporting.
The Hotel Engine platform combines the best of both worlds by offering great savings and a free robust set of tools that are simple and easy-to-use all with great 24/7 support.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
We want to empower businesses of all sizes across all sectors to experience the cost-savings and time-savings of managed travel. For so many of our customers, it’s a game-changer. Not only are they saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in business lodging, but their teams gain more efficiency and more insight.
In addition to solving our customers’ needs, we are listening to our supplier network of hotels and constantly improving our platform to better serve them as well. We continue to see a significant level of interest from our partners for data and insight so they can tailor their offerings to our members, which is a win-win for both our customers and our suppliers.
As you know, COVID19 changed the world as we know it. 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 will prefer to travel?
I believe well after the pandemic ends, we will continue to see certain consumer expectations and behaviors stay. These include:
- Enhanced safety and hygiene measures such as the use of hand sanitizers and frequent cleaning.
- Greater use of technology and automation. I think companies will really begin to scrutinize their travel costs and to better ensure every trip their employees take is efficient. This will lead to more companies looking for managed travel solutions.
- More on-demand amenities at hotels such as to-go dining and beverage options.
- Minimizing touch points such as daily housekeeping or daily refills of in-room items, which will have a positive effect on the environment as well.
- More options in alternative accommodations, which is something we are actively looking into for our platform.
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
My perfect vacation centers around the blue ocean, in particular, the scenic Hawaiian Islands. I’d go sailing and scuba diving, and relax with great music, good cocktails and close family and friends. Paradise!
Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have founded two successful companies in Travelers Haven and Hotel Engine and with that success comes responsibility. As the companies have grown so too has my role in both companies and my vision for their impact and legacy.
While I no longer have a day-to-day role at Travelers Haven, I currently serve as the CEO of Hotel Engine. Early in 2021, Hotel Engine launched its first ever corporate social responsibility program to focus our strategic giving across three areas: education, women and children and the environment. As part of this launch, we announced a partnership with One Tree Planted, a global reforestation nonprofit, to plant up to a quarter of a million trees in select areas of the United States. As of April 2021, we have proudly supported the planting of 100,000 trees — so we are well on our way to meeting our annual goal.
We also have a partnership with Black Girl Ventures to help empower Black and Brown female entrepreneurs with access to community, capital and the capacity to grow their business.
This is just the beginning for us, and our hope is to support and spotlight incredible and impactful work in these three areas.
We’re also proud to offer Hotel Engine team members two paid days per year to give back to their community through volunteer efforts.
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. 🙂
For me, it’d be a global movement to protect our vast, incredible oceans and the fragile marine life that greatly depends on this complex ecosystem.
The oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and hold more than 97 percent of our water. The air we breathe, the climate we live in, the food we eat, and even some of our medicines all depend on ensuring that our oceans are healthy. Right now, we are not doing a good enough job of protecting this natural resource. Our future depends on our actions now.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can follow me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/elia-wallen-34964312
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Elia Wallen of Hotel Engine On The Future of Travel in The Post Covid World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.