The Inn Crowd
The Inn Crowd
Podcast Description
The Inn Crowd Podcast is where hospitality leaders, hoteliers, and travel innovators share the strategies shaping the future of the industry. From revenue optimization and guest experience trends to marketing tactics that drive direct bookings, we dive deep into the business of hospitality. Whether you’re a hotel owner, operator, or industry professional, this is your inside look at what’s working now—and what’s coming next.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast addresses themes such as revenue optimization, guest experience trends, and marketing tactics aimed at driving direct bookings. Episodes explore topics like luxury travel experiences, with Margie Jordan discussing personalized itineraries, and strategies for scaling vacation rental businesses, as demonstrated by Josh Hatter's insights into property ownership and direct booking approaches.
The Inn Crowd is where hospitality leaders, hoteliers, and travel innovators share the strategies shaping the future of the industry. From revenue optimization and guest experience trends to marketing tactics that drive direct bookings, we dive deep into the business of hospitality. Whether you’re a hotel owner, operator, or industry professional, this is your inside look at what’s working now—and what’s coming next.
In this dynamic episode of The Inn Crowd, host Jamie Mattingly sits down with Baylee, Director of Sales at Origin Hotel Austin, to explore how a fast-growing boutique hotel brand maintains authentic local character while scaling rapidly. From Willie Nelson-signed cowboy hats in Austin lobbies to tiger stripes in Baton Rouge, discover how Origin Hotels creates Instagram-worthy moments that truly reflect each city’s culture. Baylee shares insider strategies on influencer partnerships, user-generated content, and the challenges of forecasting revenue in an era of two-week booking windows. Perfect for hospitality professionals, hotel marketers, and anyone interested in building scalable brands with soul.
🔑 Key Takeaways & Topics
- The brand pillar strategy: How Origin uses three core pillars (venture, balance, connect) to maintain consistency while allowing each property to reflect its local city’s unique culture
- The last-minute booking crisis: Why hotels are seeing booking windows shrink to just two weeks (even for corporate travel) and the forecasting nightmares this creates
- Authentic staff empowerment over corporate scripts: Moving beyond requiring “Mr. and Mrs.” a certain number of times or the “open palm” technique
- Cost-effective influencer marketing: Strategic partnerships with local personalities like SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker
- Instagram-worthy design philosophy: Creating “Instagrammable moments” from funky art installations (hook’em hands with bat wings) to locally-themed photo opportunities
- Strategic partnership building: How partnerships with Austin Film Studios and Mueller business mixers establish hotels as neighborhood pillars
- The art of saying no: Why Origin turns down markets that don’t align with their authentic local culture mission
🌐 Guest Links
- Baylee Colson, Director of Sales, Origin Hotel Austin
- Origin Hotels Website: originhotel.com
- Origin Austin Instagram: @origin_austin
- Origin Hotel Locations: Austin, Baton Rouge, Lexington, Red Rocks, Kansas City
🎧 Jamie’s Links
- Website: http://duvalstreetmedia.com
- Instagram: @duvalstreetmedia
- Podcast Info & Guest Submissions: duvalstreetmedia.com
📌 Mentioned in the Show Notes
- Austin Film Studios – Origin’s preferred hotel partner located a mile down the road
- Mueller Business District – Austin location and community mixer venue
- Madison Booker – UT Women’s Basketball SEC Player of the Year partnership
- Willie Nelson signed cowboy hat display in Austin lobby
- Company-wide conference with 50 attendees fostering brand consistency
- Monthly directors of sales meetings across all properties
- South by Southwest (SXSW) – Austin’s famous festival
- “Come as guests, leave as friends” hospitality philosophy
- Origin’s rapid expansion: 3 new properties opened in the last year
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