Photo Credit: HotelPlanner
Tim Hentschel, the CEO and Co-Founder of HotelPlanner.com, grew up in the hospitality world. His family owned and operated several hotels and tour operations throughout his childhood. It was here that he saw the struggles for group travelers first-hand.
Hentschel explains, “There was a huge pain point in the contracting and the rate procurement process for groups. It would take days, sometimes weeks, to get an answer.” Thus, the idea for HotelPlanner.com, Hentschel’s group travel planner website, was born. The website makes the group booking process quicker without the hassle of filling out too much personal information.
“A sales manager would ask you where your place of work is, all of the details about your contact information. They will come back and continue to keep asking and asking until they give you a rate,” Hentschel explains. He was able to efficiently improve this complicated procedure. “We just ask where you are going, what your budget is, the dates and the number of rooms.”
This simplified process garnered the company business with top names like Best Western, AT&T, and Walmart. Among Hentschel’s other favorite brand name clients are the multiple major sports organizations, including the NBA and NFL. It’s the work that they do outside of travel planning, however, that Hentschel truly admires. “It’s not just about helping them control costs, it’s about sponsoring teams that go into the community.”
Photo Credit: HotelPlanner
While his company is currently busy, Hentschel is always looking towards the future. The industry is in an interesting transitional period, he explains. Travelers of all ages are in search of new adventures. The Baby Boomers are retiring and ready to enjoy their newfound freedom, while the Millennials are focused on gaining experiences over physical goods.
Hentschel notices these trends growing in the group travel sector, as well. “We’re seeing alternative venues getting bigger and bigger. People are looking for venues outside of a hotel. There’s a lot of new thinking around events and trying new things.” This is something that HotelPlanner.com and Hentschel take into consideration when deciding what will come next for his company.
Photo Credit: HotelPlanner
“We are going to continue to expand globally and follow up with group travel trends,” Hentschel states. “We want to compile as much data and information about every destination…and push it out to visitors in an easy to digest format.”
