December 19, 2023

Reflections and Ideas on Leadership, Branding, and Innovating from Best Western’s Former CEO

52 minutes

Meet Rob Patterson, an incredible hospitality leader whose most recent post was as the CEO of Best Western in the United Kingdom.

Rob grew up in a very remote town in the country of Australia. Growing up, Rob dreamed of becoming a professional footballer — so much so that when an opportunity to move to Sydney to pursue his dream came to fruition, he left home without thinking twice.

And while he never wound up playing football professionally, Rob did stumble into another profession while living in the big city — and that profession, well, you guessed it folks, was working in hospitality.

In this episode you’ll discover:

What Rob learned during his first hospitality job working in housekeeping at a Hilton

How dynamic pricing and the internet revolutionized the hospitality industry

How Rob led Best Western through the pandemic and gained brand equity at a time when so many other hotel companies were struggling

Why he believes branding in the industry has lost its way and been driven more by investor needs than consumer needs and the opportunity for independent brands to stand out with clear, distinctive identities in light of this reality

And so much more

Alright friends, without further ado, get ready to meet Rob.

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn

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About the Show

Behind the Stays is brought to you twice a week by Sponstayneous — a free, biweekly newsletter that brings subscribers the best last-minute deals and upcoming steals on Airbnb.

You can subscribe, for free, at www.sponstayneous.com.

Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus, co-founder of Sponstayneous, you can connect with him on Twitter at @zboozee.

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By Zach Busekrus

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