by Steve Short | Jun 19, 2022 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
In the lodging arena, an often overlooked and important aspect to enhancing a property’s overall aesthetic is outdoor lighting.
Mike Glaeser, Field Support Consultant at Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, works with many properties to develop customized outdoor lighting solutions that can transform any location. Outdoor Lighting Perspectives is the number one low-voltage outdoor lighting provider in the United States.
We are very thankful to Mike for sharing his insights with us. You can learn more about Outdoor Lighting Perspectives at outdoorlights.com.
by Steve Short | May 16, 2022 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
The B&B Team provides real estate brokerage and consulting services in the lodging arena, and has its finger on the pulse of where the industry is headed.
Eben Viens, the Owner of The B&B Team, works with a wide range of property owners and prospective innkeepers, and sees many younger buyers entering the market. Taking a page from boutique hotels, these property owners are challenging the status quo by selling experiences and creating memories – all great ideas to implement at any property.
We are very thankful to Eben for sharing his insights with us. You can learn more about The B&B Team at bbteam.com.
by Steve Short | Apr 5, 2022 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
Supporting the entire guest journey, rezStream offers a wide-range of critical operational and marketing tools for lodging providers – from reservation software to booking engines, websites, and digital marketing.
The company partners with its lodging customers to develop customized plans, as well as offers à la carte solutions. rezStream’s property management software and marketing services position properties for long-term growth both in revenue and how they operate their business.
We are very thankful to Christian Holmsen and Jeff Hebrink for sharing their insights with us. You can learn more about rezStream at rezstream.com.
by Steve Short | Mar 15, 2022 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
In 2006, Samantha Irwin bought the Historic Balch Hotel in the small town of Dufur, Oregon, an 18-room property devoid of furniture which had not been open consistently since the 1940’s. Over the next ten years, the former middle school teacher built a stellar reputation for the boutique property by training her staff to provide their guests with a phenomenal service experience.
Now, as the owner of Kaizen Business Coaching and Consulting, Samantha leverages her unique educational and entrepreneurial background to help small business owners train their staff to enhance the service experiences of their customers. Her high-energy, passionate approach and insightful suggestions for lodging professionals looking to improve their guest service offering makes this interview worth the listen!
We are very thankful to Samantha for sharing her insights with us. You can learn more about Kaizen Business Coaching and Consulting at kaizen.zone.
by Steve Short | Feb 23, 2022 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast #43, Nathan Mayfield, Vice President of ResNexus, speaks about his company’s extensive offerings for the lodging sector, how ResNexus helped property owners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and much more.
ResNexus offers a comprehensive suite of solutions, which include a reservation/booking engine, property management system (PMS), website creation/hosting, digital marketing, payment processing, and a whole lot more.
During the initial stages of the COVID pandemic, the company went all-out to help its customers to update their cancellation policies and has since developed its Worry-Free Bookings™ voucher program in response to guest and property needs.
ResNexus is a customer-driven organization that provides a myriad of services to lodging professionals to help them ensure long-term success.
We are very thankful to Nathan for sharing his insights with us. You can learn more about ResNexus here.
by Steve Short | Jan 17, 2022 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For episode #42 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Mark Reichle, CEO of Select Registry, about his organization’s 50th Anniversary Conference and Gala in Baltimore, immediately preceding the 2022 ALP Conference and Marketplace.
For half of a century, Select Registry has created a network of properties that offer outstanding accommodations and one-of-a-kind experiences for lodging guests. For property owners, achieving the Select Registry “Distinguished Inn of North America” designation comes with many marketing and revenue-growth opportunities.
On February 5th and 6th, Select Registry is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an exclusive membership conference and gala celebration dinner right before the 2022 ALP Conference and Marketplace in Baltimore. The event will offer a wide-range of educational and networking opportunities, as well as an awards program and a chance to connect with Select Registry board members.
For Select Registry members, this event will further align and advance their connection to this special organization.
We are very thankful to Mark for sharing his insights with us. You can learn more about Select Registry here.
by Steve Short | Jan 10, 2022 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For episode #41 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Tim Wilson, Director of Sales at bnbfinder, about how the company is aiming to be the largest online platform for direct and commission-free bookings for professionally operating inns, B&Bs and small boutique lodging.
In the lodging arena, it is common for Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) to charge between 15 to 20 percent on each guest booking. While this may be palatable for larger hoteliers, smaller properties can greatly benefit from a solution that provides direct and commission-free bookings.
This is where bnbfinder comes into play. The company has evolved into one of the largest online B&B directories for travelers, with over 10,000 B&Bs and inns. Guests can book their stays directly through bnbfinder with properties paying no commissions, making it an ideal and cost-effective channel for enhancing overall bookings.
We are very thankful to Tim for sharing his insights with us. You can learn more about bnbfinder here.
by Steve Short | Jan 4, 2022 | Frictionless Innkeeper Posts
A message from Steve Short, Founder & CEO, Frictionless Guest App
For lodging professionals of all types, the ability to advance educational opportunities in sales, finance, marketing, operations and technology is vital to long-term success. Unfortunately, pandemic challenges have made it difficult for industry people to gather and share best practices over the last few years.
At last, the time is coming for us to get together at the 2022 ALP Conference & Marketplace, which will be taking place in-person in my hometown of Baltimore – from Saturday, February 5th through Wednesday, February 9th! That’s right, folks, we’re only about one month away. So, if you’re thinking about attending (and you should be), NOW is the time to take action!
Born out of the 2020 merger between PAII and AIHP, the Association of Lodging Professionals’ (ALP) provides essential education, advocacy, networking, and professional development opportunities for lodging property owners and operators.
As the first official in-person event for ALP, the 2022 ALP Conference & Marketplace will offer a wide-range of educational opportunities for experienced, new and aspiring lodging professionals at the main conference, as well as at the marketplace – where vendors and service providers will be showcasing their offerings.
Over the course of five days, more than 60 presentations will be made by lodging leaders and experts about an enormously diverse number of topics that are relevant to our industry. I will be among the speakers, presenting “Mobile Guest Experience Apps – No More Outdated, Coffee Stained Guest Books” at 10:15 a.m. on Monday, February 7th, where I will discuss how property owners can take advantage of guest-facing mobile apps that enhance the overall guest experience (a passionate subject for me!)
Of course, it’s not all about business, and there will also be plenty of fun to be had with networking opportunities and social gatherings. A highlight is the dinner event on Tuesday evening, February 8th, which entails three hours of entertainment, open bar, and a Taste of Baltimore at the nearby American Visionary Art Museum. I’ve had the good fortune of being a member of the committee of volunteer Baltimoreans that’s organized this special event and they have done a phenomenal job to ensure that everyone will have a great time!
Whether you are an experienced, new or aspiring lodging professional, don’t miss out on the opportunity to gather with the best and brightest in the industry, and push your operational, marketing and sales efforts to the next level in 2022!
To learn more about the 2022 ALP Conference & Marketplace, please listen to this fact-filled, highly informative podcast interview we recently did with Kris Ullmer (CEO) and Erik Spence (Conference Planner and Trade Show Coordinator) of ALP or visit the ALP website.
I hope to see you all in Baltimore!
Steve Short
Founder & CEO, Frictionless Guest App
by Steve Short | Dec 13, 2021 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For episode #40 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Kris Ullmer, CEO of the Association of Lodging Professionals (ALP); and Erik Spence, Conference Planner and Trade Show Coordinator at ALP, about the upcoming 2022 ALP Conference & Marketplace in Baltimore, taking place from Saturday, February 5, through Wednesday, February 9.
For lodging professionals of all kinds, the ALP Conference & Marketplace is the go-to event of the year for educational opportunities for everything from sales, finance, marketing, operations to technology, and much more.
This year, ALP has expanded the aspiring innkeeper portion of the conference to three days, and all attendees have the option to attend the main conference and marketplace. In addition, the event offers a wide range of networking opportunities and social gatherings – culminating with three hours of entertainment, fun, open bar, and a Taste of Baltimore at the nearby American Visionary Arts Museum.
We are very thankful to Kris Ullmer and Erik Spence for sharing their insights with us. You can learn more about the 2022 ALP Conference & Marketplace here.
by Steve Short | Dec 7, 2021 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For episode #39 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Randy Bangs, the owner of Get Heads in Beds, a marketing and consulting firm for lodging professionals, about the value of marketing and branding for properties.
Marketing is a key differentiator in the lodging industry, and the true driver to securing new guest reservations. Though having the internal resources to manage every aspect of marketing can be challenging.
Get Heads in Beds is a marketing and consulting firm that fills in these gaps for lodging professionals. As the name suggests, the firm is all about helping properties to drive up overall revenue through increased bookings. Unlike traditional marketing firms, Get Heads in Beds charges nothing up front, and is only compensated when new revenue comes in the door.
We are very thankful to Randy Bangs for sharing his insights with us. You can learn more about Get Heads in Beds here. Randy is also the owner/innkeeper of the Stewart Inn.
