By Nathan Kivi, Founder & CEO of HotelierCo

Imagine Making Neighborhoods.

Brand loyalty, within the hospitality industry, is dead. That loyalty that once brought about an old-notioned community, was put to bed probably in a Hilton Hotel sometime in 2004, somewhere like Berlin. Today, what we’re moving towards is Brand Fandom - building fandom, opening the brand up, having it co-created and grown locally and organically.

For consumers this means equity. People are no longer restricted to only ‘buying’ the brand but, thanks to crowdfunding, consumers can also ‘buy into’ it. Thus, allowing target audiences to have a say and/or a stake in the business, while being engaged and rewarded for it (whether that’s social clout or capital gains). It’s evident we aren’t merely talking about a ‘following’ or an ‘audience’, but of people interacting with one another, emanating culture, autonomously co-creating and inspiring one another.

THE WAR THAT RAGES

Although “making” something together is the future, this doesn’t simmer the battle for mass “discount” focused loyalty. The loyalty that still is, but shouldn’t be. A war fought on a digital battlefield, the hospitality version of Game of Thrones, with more shifting of alliances, but slightly less bloodshed.

This war is between big brand companies and online travel agencies (OTAs). Expedia and Booking alone spent over $7 billion on digital marketing in 2021 vying for love from the masses to use their platform. However, the ultimate price is paid by hotel owners who want their properties on these platforms, and the guests who are purchasing vacation packages.

So why not have hotel owners and hotel guests come together to co-create something more sustainable, more relevant, more loved. And what if the line between the owners and guests was blurred, where the owners are often also the guests or part of that community?

Neighborhood-owned grassroots hospitality is the anti-globalization of brands the market needs. It is a focus on creating hospitality that brings real value to the community rather than bloating the profits of brand companies or OTAs. The mindset can and is shifting, and HotelierCo is at the forefront to give people an opportunity to be a part of this shift.

NEIGHBORHOOD-OWNED HOSPITALITY BRANDS

It is time for people to access a new domain of collective ownership that projects authenticity and sustainability via co-creation. With the emergence of equity crowdfunding, these visions became possibilities at a grassroots level; and with the adaptation of technology and regulations around crowdfunding, these possibilities are now reality.

Sense of place and sense of belonging have been hard to measure in the past, we’re designing a platform with inclusivity at the core to energize communities. We see the much-needed path of grassroots and local based hospitality.

HotelierCo’s mission is to create synergy between local economies and community-led endeavors to transform the hospitality industry into something more contextual, open and virtuous by igniting:

• accessibility in the acquisition and development of assets.

• collaboration on the creation and development of brands, products and services.

Hotelier Co. believes the embodying the following principles are keystones to being able to create this new path forward:

• Authenticity is contextual. Everyone, everything and everywhere has a unique story to tell – so let’s amplify it.

• Co-creation is participative. We believe in community-led always. For better and more personalized solutions and ideas we must be in it together.

• Positivity is impactful. Cultural, social, economic and climate sustainability aren’t afterthoughts but conversation starters, we are here for the long run.

It is time for a future of collective investment in hospitality. A collective that is driven by authenticity, co-creation and inspiration. Most importantly, one that is done with togetherness.

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