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Embracing the Travel Comeback

HotelPlanner centers its hotel reservation system in the gig economy.

BY GABRIEL PESSOA

HOTELPLANNER IS A LEADING TRAVEL COMPANY THAT COMBINES PROPRIETARY ARTIFICIAL intelligence with a global, gig economy-based concierge platform to create a hotel reservation system with a focus on group travel.

Tim Hentschel, CEO of HotelPlanner, recently spoke with Haute Living about the company’s continued growth and its successful adaptation to uncertain times as the travel industry continues to recover.

Haute Living: Can you explain what it is that makes HotelPlanner so attractive to the group travel market?

Tim Hentschel: We’ve been in business for 18 years. We are founder-owned and operated, and our co-founder and CIO John Prince runs our proprietary AI-enabled booking engine entirely in-house. Inherently, cutting-edge technology is behind everything we do. We like to combine high-tech with high-touch, and that is why we are superior in the area of group hotel bookings — all of the major online travel agencies (i.e., Expedia.com and Booking.com) use our services. In 2020, we also launched a first-of-its-kind gig economy call center with the same high-tech and high-touch concept in mind.

HL: Your company has shown a lot of foresight and resourcefulness with taking advantage of the gig economy. How much would you say resourcefulness aligns with your company’s vision?

TH: Quite a bit. Obviously, COVID-19 has been very hard on the travel industry, so our pivot made sense because the gig economy allows us to provide localized and customized service. This is important because during COVID, people had a lot of questions about local protocols, which hotels were still operating and to what capacity, and what regulations these hotels were operating under. As we come out of COVID and travel rebounds strongly, the demand for personalized service [will keep] increasing. We currently have about 3,500 gig economy travel agents, so it’s clear that people really like the service.

HL: Coming out of the pandemic, do you anticipate an industry shift where travel becomes an even larger part of our global culture?

TH: I can tell you that the rebound has been very quick and very robust. The volume that we are seeing is huge, and the customers that we are getting are less price sensitive than I’ve ever seen in the 20-year history of selling hotel rooms online. It shows that there’s a strong desire for getting back out there on the road and in the sky. People want to treat themselves, so this return to travel has been dominated by leisure travelers; they are eagerly looking for new experiences, to live life again now that the pandemic is — more or less — behind us.

HL: Your company more than doubled its revenue recently. To what would you attribute this success?

TH: I think it’s a combination of the demand for localized service through our gig-based travel agent concierge platform, as well as the high demand from the travel industry with everyone wanting to get back out there and travel again. So really, we’ve got two very positive tailwinds going for us right now.

CELEBRATES COREY STOLL WITH VACHERON CONSTANTIN

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4 5 COREY STOLL, IN HIS NEW STAR-TURNING ROLE ON HBO’S BILLIONS, undoubtedly has the full and unwavering support of his castmates. And on a Friday evening in New York, the cast of the ever-popular series was there in admiration and in celebration of Stoll and his Haute Living cover reveal. The evening’s festivities began with a rendezvous at the new Vacheron Constantin Manhattan flagship store on 57th Street. Stoll and co-star David Costabile, alongside wife Eliza Baldi, joined guests for cocktails at the renowned timepiece retail location. The lavish store spans over 4,500 square feet over two floors. A distinctive glass facade opens directly onto 57th Street, inviting collectors and visitors into a discovery of the maison’s creativity and impeccable craftsmanship in a harmonious old-meets-new environment befitting the spirit of the company’s contemporary watchmaking. Nina Dennis, Vacheron Constantin’s director, said a few words in honor of the Billions actor as well as the wonderful collaborative evening hosted, in part, by Haute Living Media Group. The night kicked into high gear from this point on as guests were escorted to the luxurious Restaurant Daniel courtesy of the good people at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars North America. Among Stoll’s guests were his wife, Nadia Bowers, as well as castmate David Breakers and theater director Kate Whorisky. Guests were greeted with glasses of champagne. Ahead of the magical dinner, Dennis made sure to explain how each course was inspired by a particular Vacheron Constantin collection, much to the delight of the guests. Haute Media Group co-founder Seth Semilof capped the night by delivering a few kind words and thanking Stoll yet again for being an exemplary Haute Living cover star.

1. Haute Media Group co-founder Seth Semilof, David Costabile, Eliza Baldi, and Corey Stoll 2. Stoll holds court at his dinner 3. Stoll arrives via Rolls-Royce 4. The menu at Restaurant Daniel 5. Nina Dennis, Corey Stoll, Seth Semilof

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