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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342 | Live Long and Prosper: Hospitality industry embraces senior living
Since she was a teenager volunteering at senior-living facilities in Boston, Serena Lipton knew she wanted a career in senior housing. But she had a difficult time finding the college program she believed would educate and prepare her to serve in the senior-living industry. After graduating from Boston University School of Hospitality Administration and working as an analyst for JLL’s Senior Housing Valuation Advisory, Lipton finally found what she was looking for. This fall she enrolled in BU’s Master of Management in Hospitality with a new concentration in senior living. She and other students are on the cusp of what BUSHA believes is a massive shift in how Americans view aging and where opportunities lie for the hospitality industry.
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341 | One Big Happy: Travel survey reveals how hotels can attract families
Rainer Jenss of Nyack, New York, founded the Family Travel Association seven years ago to help parents and caregivers introduce children to the world through travel, whether that’s a yearlong trip around the world that Jenss and his family took or a weekend getaway to a nearby destination. To help the travel industry gauge what parents want when they take their kids on vacation, FTA conducts an annual study. The U.S. Family Travel Survey 2021 reveals the shift in mindset the COVID-19 pandemic has created in families planning a trip over the next 12 months. Hoteliers use can use the information to generate business and boost their strategies to recover and sustain business now and other the coming months.