LODGING LEADERS
178 | Connecting Travel Startup Founders, Investors and Corporations with John Matson
LODGING LEADERS
John Matson is the Managing Director of Voyager HQ, a club bringing together startup founders, corporate partners, and investors in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry. Since their start in the summer of 2016, Voyager HQ has grown to a community of over 1,000 members, dozens of partners, and hundreds of investors in over 55 countries.
When he is not connecting the travel industry, John is the Programming Chair and Co-Founder for the NYC Innovation Collective, a nonprofit alliance of NYC’s top technology organizations working together to support program leaders of incubators, accelerators, and startup communities, along with the Co-Director of Startup Grind chapter in NYC, a monthly speaker series to educate, motivate, and connect entrepreneurs in over 300 cities around the world.
In his spare time, John co-hosts two podcasts, Travel is Your Business, focusing on the intersection of travel, business, and technology, and 5to9, a podcast interviewing people who pursue passions through side projects outside their 9 to 5 jobs.
In This Episode, John Reveals …
- The vision behind Voyager HQ, the service they provide, and who their ideal customer is
- Some of the pitfalls to avoid with startups, and some common red flags folks should look out for
- How to spot a good deal, both as an investor and as a customer
- His podcast, ‘Travel is Your Business’
Resources & Links
John Matson
- Email: john
@voyagerhq.com
Voyager HQ
LODGING LEADERS
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296 | Flexible Business Model: Apartment-hotels are an emerging trend in an industry in crisis
It’s well known extended-stay-hotel and short-term-rental sectors have done better than their transient hotel counterparts during the coronavirus pandemic. Even before the crisis hit, residential-type accommodations were seeing a growth in interest from travelers as well as investors. The COVID-19 outbreak is proving mixed developments of hotel rooms, leased apartments and owned condominiums offer a unique value proposition during and after the pandemic. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
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295 | Doing Well: Coronavirus pandemic advances wellness design and programs in hotels
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing the lodging industry to rethink health and wellness. Designers such as Blanche Garcia of B. Garcia Designs see this as an opportunity for hotels to revise their messaging beyond clean and safe by introducing wellness products and programs they can market and attract guests who want to feel good during their stay and return home feeling better than when they left. Those who promote healthy buildings as well as safe travel are exploring how implementing elements of wellness can be a cure for hotel businesses struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.