Latest / Suite Spot: A Hotel Marketing Podcast / 153 – TMG Hospitality Trailblazers: Jason Pirock
Transcript
- Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check-in, and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embee. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, as always, Ryan Embree continuing our TMG Hospitality Trailblazers series. We've done quite a few of this, but if this is your first time hearing it to set up the series, this is all about those individuals, brands, management companies, all paving a way forward for our hospitality industry. Trailblazing a path, and we have a great guest with me. It's certainly an embodiment of a TMG hospitality Trailblazer, Jason Pirock, head of marketing at Springboard Hospitality. Jason, thank you so much for taking the time. Jason Pirock: Yeah, thank you for having me. Ryan Embree: Now, I asked this on every single Trailblazer episode. Always get a different answer. But since this is your first time being on the Suite Spot, we love to hear stories about how you made it into hospitality. Sometimes we just fall into it as a career. Sometimes we went to school for it. What was the hospitality journey that led you to Springboard Hospitality? Jason Pirock: Yeah, absolutely. So I probably have more of a non-traditional background when it comes to hospitality here. A lot of folks have sort of been in the industry for their entire career for a very long time. I actually started my career in retail coming out of college. I was recruited to work for Target Corporate in Minneapolis. And so I started off in merchandising there actually merchandise presentation, which was at the time their entry level marketing. They didn't really have an easy way to get into the actual marketing department, but that was the closest point. And then spent some time with Target and moved into marketing and then found my way through a, a few other companies throughout the years, Sears Corporate. I worked for a company called Brookfield Retail, formerly, uh, General Growth Properties. And then I had sort of a reflection point in my career where as much as I was having fun with retail and liked it that's all I knew. And that's all I had done. And I knew that I was super passionate about travel, I loved hotels, all aspects about it. The experience, the design just always gave me such a great feeling. And so I thought, I wanna try out hospitality, I wanna move into that space. And I was very fortunate to find an opportunity with Hyatt Hotels, their corporate office out of Chicago. And so spent some time there, then moved over to a company called a Perim Hotel Group and helped them build their marketing department and marketing team. And that actually is part of what led me to Springboard. Springboard was looking to sort of revolutionize their, their marketing department, really rebuild it, take it to the next level. And they found me as someone who had, had done that with Perim. And so here I am today. Ryan Embree: Yeah. And let's talk about that role that you have of head of marketing, this being a digital marketing podcast, I'm sure there's a lot of hotel marketers that are just getting started in their career. Talk to us a little bit about your role as head of marketing and really the story as marketers. We love telling stories, right? Of Springboard Hospitality. Jason Pirock: Yeah. Well, I'll start with with Springboard Hospitality. We own, operate, and develop hotels, restaurants, and bars all around the country. We've got about 50 hotels in 14 states, and we're predominantly in destinations, sort of urban environments as well. And we're truly across the whole U.S. we've got, we're about 80 to 85% independent. So we really lean into that sort of boutique, independent, non-branded space. A few brands here and there. But again, that's what makes up a majority is is that independent. So in my role, my role is sort of all encompassing when it comes to marketing, brand and communications. I oversee those functions that impact not only the Springboard brand, the brands within our collection. So we've got some independent brands within the portfolio, and then all of the actual hotels themselves. So that role is everything from traditional to digital, to social media, PR, communications, lifestyle, and experiential. So it really is a gamut, creative, you name it, all folds under me. Ryan Embree: Yeah. And so important too, especially with a portfolio where you do have a lot of independent hotels, because it's just so crucial that travelers might not know that story. I'm sure there's a lot of creativity that you and your team can bring to that to be able to tell that story of the independent hotels in the portfolio. We're gonna talk through some of those methods a little bit later in this episode. But you've seen scrolling through Springboard Hospitality's LinkedIn, so much impressive growth. And you've touched on the variety of properties, both branded and independent. You know, this is a time we're in November right now. We were just talking about how the end of the year is coming up quick, typically a time of reflection. Looking back, can you share with our audience maybe this past year, Jason, some of those notable hotels, whether they're rebrands, acquisitions, some of those 2024 projects you're most proud of? Jason Pirock: Yeah, absolutely. So, a few that stand out for me, one is Luana Waikiki, really, really great property in terms of where it's situated. We're sort of at this, this crossroads of, you know, the hustle and bustle of the shopping district of Waikiki, but nestled in this park that's really close to the beach. And so I love the, the juxtaposition of being more in this serene environment, more nature focused, but being so close to everything that, you know, Waikiki has to offer. So that's been a great project for us and a great property that we brought into the portfolio. We actually have undergone a light rebranding, um, in terms of just refreshing the brand and really leaning into what is there and how we sort of cascade that across the, the different customer touchpoints. Or the guest touchpoint. So that's one that stands out. Outbound is a collection of ours, Outbound Hotels. And we've got, um, there's currently four hotels within that portfolio, one of which opened earlier this year in Stowe Vermont. And it's a really neat property. I mean, Stowe is absolutely stunning. It's a, it's a really beautiful destination and not just a ski destination, but sort of all year round for outdoor enthusiasts. And this property is converted sort of older motel, but that we added some other buildings to and created these cabins, created more of these sort of apartment style lofts, if you will. And so it's a really great property. That one definitely stands out. And then finally another one is Paia Inn in, Maui. So this is a smaller footprint for us with 17 keys, but great restaurant that's getting ready to relaunch right on the water event space. It's absolutely stunning. All different and unique room types, which is kind of fun too. So this is, this is gonna be a really exciting one for us as well. Ryan Embree: You certainly paint a great picture. We can tell that marketing background there with the terms like, you know, nestled in the heart or serene and stunning views. So it's all about telling the story, right? And, you know, some of those, I think you also make a a great point too from a marketing standpoint. Sometimes we think of whether it be a refresh as a giant renovation in a giant project. And sometimes those little touches to a project can make all the difference, right? To a property. And if it's told that story is told the right way to your, to your guests, you know, because we've also seen major renovations that sometimes is lost on the guests. They come in and they don't even notice that. So being able to communicate and use that messaging is so important when telling that story. You know, we talk on, on this podcast, Jason, a a lot about reputation management, right? And the importance of a strong reputation, Springboard Hospitality, obviously no stranger to reputation success has seen a lot of fair share, especially in 2024, recent recognition in the Michelin Guide, TripAdvisor, traveler Choice Awards all over the portfolio. Talk to us a little bit about these incredible recognitions, what they mean to springboard hospitality, and then in your position, Jason, how you can use these awards, accolades, recognitions to grow the SpringBoard's reputation within the hospitality industry. Jason Pirock: Yeah, absolutely. Well, first off, thanks for calling those two to the attention of the audience. I mean, we're super proud of the awards and accolades that we received this year. And a lot of that goes to the caliber of products that we have in the portfolio and, and really the caliber of the teams that we have so super grateful for, for all of those that come our way. But I think for us, it really is about showing what we're capable of, what we're capable of to guests and putting their trust and their investment into us, in terms of, you know, wanting to stay. There's a lot of choices out there, right? That they can, they can select from. And so I think those help us stand out a little bit more. So it's really important for us to kind of get that stamp of approval. And then I think, showing owners and investors what we're capable of too. Like not only are you coming into our portfolio and we're here to offer the services that we have to provide you and, and making sure that you are running smoothly, efficiently, and profitably, but that we can get you a lot of exposure and engagement from folks through awards and accolades like this. Ryan Embree: Yeah, no, I'm glad you brought that up, Jason. 'cause you're right, you know, we think about these reputation awards and obviously these, these were made for travelers, right? Sometimes they're picked by travelers like the Traveler's Choice Award, but I think it's a great point you make about ownership and investment and assets these owners are looking for. Reputation is a great place to be able to kind of wave your flag and say, this is a huge differentiator. We're gonna take care of your asset. We're gonna win these awards, these recognitions, and make sure, you know, that's going to be our, that's gonna be kind of our seal of approval, that we're doing the right things, right. Uh, there. So let's get into that a little bit about hotel management. It, it's certainly becoming a crowded space in 2024 became even more crowded. There's tons of consolidation that's happened recently. I feel like there's either some sort of strategic partnership or merger happening every single day on LinkedIn that I'm seeing a new hotel management brand erupts, uh, you know, every, every week. How does Springboard Hospitality differentiate itself? You talked about the reputation, but how does it differentiate itself to owners and investors for hotel management company? Jason Pirock: Absolutely. So I think the first way that we differentiate ourselves is we're really focused on independence, as I said, at the top of the podcast, right? And there's not a lot of management companies that are really leaning into that space. And so I think that does make us stand out because a majority of our portfolio is independence, and we know them and we know how they, they operate a lot of times it's not a one size fits all. It's very tailored and, and customized. So I think that's one way that we differentiate. I think also the collaboration we have with our owners, there's a lot of calls that you are getting our CEO you're getting our leadership team. You're not just getting your your day-to-day contact. You're getting access and you know that accessibility to a lot of the strategic minds that have a lot of experience and knowledge in all of these different areas. And just to prove the point that we're here to support you and it's not just selling a deal or whatever it may be from the CEO, but he's actually involved in revenue strategy calls, right? So I think that's a way that we differentiate. I also think our focus on, you know, everybody's talking about data and reporting and, and those are all important and, and should be expected in a management company, but we try to take it a step level and focus on what we call hospitality intelligence. That is not just reporting out on numbers, but talking about the why and the how and what we're gonna do differently in order to improve the business. So I think that's another thing that sort of stands out to me in terms of what we offer. And then finally, with from a marketing perspective, you know, we offer a lot of the, the different services that you'd probably see at a number of different management companies, but we also have capabilities and expertise and things that you don't traditionally see. You know, we can run brand marketing workshops. I've, I've hosted several of them, two day immersive workshops to really get to the bottom of, you know, your brand architecture and your pillars and those types of things. We can run PR, agency RFPs, we can run influencer, you know, management campaigns. There's a lot of different things that maybe go above and beyond what you typically see out there. So I think all of those are just ways that we help to set ourselves apart. Ryan Embree: Well, you make a couple great points there, Jason, especially about the data. We talk about it all the time. We're seeing it all over the place, is how can we use AI, how can we use data to improve the guest experience? Numbers are just numbers until there's actionable insights that are created with that data and being able to track that whether it's social media analytics, whether it's guest feedback, sentiment that you're seeing trends over time, it's really gonna be those hotel management companies, as you put it, hospitality intelligence, right? That really use the data to their benefit. And then as far as far as the power and numbers go, that's also fantastic for independent hotel owners as well. Sometimes they don't have the leverage that a big brand does. We've heard that from time to time. We visited the independent hotel show. We go there annually in Miami and hear that from, they're just like, I, I just don't have the resources that these big brands do. So being able to have kind of that white glove service approach certainly helps those independent hotels and can pack a punch too when you're talking about marketing and some of the trends that you were talking about, you touched on social media and that's another topic obviously we're very, very passionate about on this digital marketing podcast, as you can imagine. What's the relationship with social, with Springboard Hospitality and social media, and what role does it play in your overall marketing strategy? Jason Pirock: Yeah, for us, social media is extremely important. And I mean we've really, we really try to follow the, the trends and the data that are out there. Expedia had released a report not too long ago, I think it was earlier this year, showing sort of the, the guest journey and how social media ultimately dominated the inspiration phase. And that was a really powerful statistic for me, which helped us to further double down on evolving our model. We went from more of a centralized social media support effort to now being more of a in-market kind of cluster. So we look at, you know, contractors, in some cases, agencies where it makes sense to really be there to provide more content, more frequent posting, more real time types of actions on our social media accounts to ensure that we are staying relevant in that inspiration phase, that we are discoverable. And we know that that's such a big part of that guest journey in terms of planning their trip. And so just making sure that we're very front and center on on those channels. Ryan Embree: Yeah, you touched on it and it carries throughout that, that traveler journey too, Jason, we've talked about it before. I mean, think about how excited you might be to go on a trip and you're anticipating, you know, you've booked already, you got that pre-booking phase where you're getting excited, you follow them on Instagram, you're looking for events that might be popping up that they might be sharing on their Instagram feed, maybe, you know, some seasonal drinks by the pool or something like that that you're looking forward to. So it really follows you social media from inspiration. Huge great place to obviously be discovered, but also to carry it throughout the entire journey. Even asking for advocacy at the very end of, you know, make sure you follow us for any deals, specials, promotions that we might have running, you know, if you, if you've taken any pictures, please share that with us so that we can repost and use that user generated content to how help our, our guests tell their story, right? Because sometimes they're our best storytellers if we're giving them the tools. Jason Pirock: I think one thing, you know, it's important for us as hotelier to meet people where they are, right? And social media is a great place to do that. And I think that it's ultimately you're putting yourself out there and it's a reflection of your brand. So the more that you are engaging with that channel, the more that you are sort of taking care of that channel, it's gonna take care of you, right? Because ultimately to the point we've both made is that a lot of people are looking there for that inspiration. They're looking there after they've looked at the website or maybe even before the website, right? But it's probably the second most visited next to the website where they're doing that additional research. So if you're only posting once a week and you don't have a really clear vision on what you want to get in front of the guests, they're gonna notice that. And that's gonna be reflected in their purchase decision Ryan Embree: Sometimes in itself tells a story, right? The inconsistency there, outdated information on your social media profiles you haven't posted in the last six months. You're posting a picture of a beautiful swimming pool when it's the dead of winter and it's not matching what the experienceis like today. This is a great way to reaffirm booking confirmation in a time where, you know, over the last couple years with the pandemic guests have come accustomed to saying on the fly, if I don't like what I'm seeing, I can make an easy switch to a hotel across the street. So keeping them engaged during all the way up till they walk into your lobby and then some more, right? Follow us. Because we're gonna be doing some really cool events and we've got some great programming that you can follow on our social media. So obviously me and you are in agreement there, social media, if you're not on it certainly need to be. This is a great time going into 2025. We're just doing a webinar this afternoon on doing conducting social media audits for hotels and make making sure that you're set up for success in 2025. We're gonna switch gears a little bit. Talk about an unfortunate headwind for our industry over the last couple years has been staffing unfortunate as it's been, it's really risen. I think the creativity level of brands, hospitality management companies that are looking for hospitality workers, whether it it's more flexible schedules, they're doing some different style of recruiting, what have been some maybe ways that Springboard Hospitality has recruited and retained talent and continued really to thrive and grow your portfolio in a time where it's really hasn't been that easy for most? Jason Pirock: Yeah, absolutely. I think from a retention perspective, I'll sort of start there. We do an engagement survey, which I ultimately think is a really intelligent move on our part in terms of checking in on team members all the way across the organization, right? And really getting a sense for how they're feeling, what they're thinking is working and not working. And I can tell you as sitting on the leadership team, that we really do take that feedback to heart and discuss it and look at ways to better improve the organization. So I think just by listening and hearing, what our team members have to say is a way that, you know, we do keep that engagement. I think things, we do have some unique incentives that I think are help with that retention piece as well. And I also think that like, at the end of the day, sometimes what makes people happy and what keeps people there is not always monetization or it's not always truly a perk or a benefit. I think a lot of it is about leading with empathy. I think being grateful, showing appreciation, a simple thank you, and a text or an email goes a really long way. And so all of those things I think are ways that you keep people engaged, you keep them retained and you kind of keep that workforce or, or that team sort of motivated. Ryan Embree: Yeah, no, absolutely. And one of the common threads that we've been hearing in this series is mentorship. And I think to your point about the monetization, sometimes you hear stories sometimes of saying, you went across the street, just for a little bit of a pay bump, but having someone that they feel like is a mentor to them is a really, really strong incentive to keep someone in a position. So making sure that you have leaders, that you have really, really transparent path to success stories within your organization as well, I think is really big for you and sharing that with your employees. So yeah, fortunately we're hearing that this is hopefully slowing down and, you know, the staffing issue, but I do think, again, some good will come out of this because it really has turned our industry upside down on where we're recruiting and the opportunities that it's created for some. So this is my favorite part of the episode and I typically save this line of questioning for our spotlight series, where we typically will look at a one particular property, but in seeing your portfolio. Jason, you guys have such a fantastic portfolio. I want to quiz you on this, so I apologize in advance if these are tough, but favorite view at one of your properties. We're gonna do some rapid fire questions here. Jason Pirock: Yeah, I would say Pacific Edge in Laguna Beach, just staring out at the Pacific Ocean is pretty magical. Ryan Embree: I'm sure very Instagrammable, as we were talking about those social media, there's tons of photos that come outta that view there. Fun fact about one of your properties. Jason Pirock: Yeah, so this one's interesting. One of our property in Anchorage, Alaska, there's a retaining wall that holds up fourth Avenue and it runs underneath our hotel. So it's almost like our hotel is holding up the street. Ryan Embree: That is a fun fact for sure. Favorite signature dish at one of your properties. Jason Pirock: I'm gonna actually, I'm gonna go with cocktail kind of in the same realm, but Green Lady, which is a speakeasy that we have in in Waikiki at Honolulu. Every cocktail is incredible there. A great old fashioned and great Manhattan. Shout out to Maddie, the bartender there. She's incredible. Ryan Embree: And then last but not least, favorite piece of art at one of your properties, Jason? Jason Pirock: So at Hotel Irwin in Venice Beach, there's a lot of great artwork scattered throughout the hotel in terms of the history of Venice Beach, but within one of the meeting spaces, it's called Larry's Loft, there's a lot of really neat old photography in there. Lots of movies have been shot there from, from years and years ago, and so it's just sort of, sort of a time capsule. So I think that one's really cool. Ryan Embree: As we wrap up, I'd like to say you've taken us all over the country with this portfolio and this those line of questioning, I don't think you duplicated any of the properties there. So, again, a fantastic portfolio. You have really cool, fun facts about that. As we wrap up as marketing professionals, you know, we're always excited for the next thing, right? We're ready to market and advertise that next big project or announcement or milestone as 2024 comes to a close. You talked about some of those acquisitions what are you most looking forward to for Springboard Hospitality in 2025 as we look to next year? Jason Pirock: Yeah, so there's a couple of things that stand out for me. We have a project in Palm Springs that we just transitioned, so look for more to come on on that one in particular. I'm really excited about this property. I think internally really a couple of things that I'm excited about. One is shifting a little bit more into that commercial mindset and really bringing our disciplines together to solve problems. I go back to that hospitality intelligent piece and I think that having siloed data doesn't benefit anyone. And so really it, it is a shift because it's a way we haven't done things before, but, you know, really getting everyone's buy-in to start thinking about these properties holistically and thinking about them commercially. So I'm really excited about that for what's to come in making some shifts. Jason Pirock: And then I think the other piece from a marketing perspective is having been with the company for about a year and a half, there's a lot of foundation that's been built, a lot of groundwork that's been laid and going into 2025, we've got a lot of that in place now. And so we can, we're now in a great position to sort of take it to the next level and do some more testing and learning, do some more creative and cool things to really help take these properties to a new performance level. So that's super exciting. Ryan Embree: Awesome. Well it sounds like you got your hands, you and your team got your hands full for 2025. We'll keep an eye out for Springboard Hospitality and its continued success. Any final thoughts as we close out today, Jason? We covered a lot. Jason Pirock: Yeah, no, I really appreciate lots of great questions and appreciate the conversation. Ryan Embree: Well thank you so much for joining us, Jason, on the Suite Spot. Thank you all for listening and we will talk to you next time on The Suite Spot. To join our loyalty program. Be sure to subscribe and give us a five star rating on iTunes. Suite Spot is produced by Travel Media Group. Our editor is Brandon Bell with Cover Art by Bary Gordon. I'm your host Ryan Embree, and we hope you enjoyed your stay.