After 8 years of being out of the hospitality industry, I walked into a travel agency to the exclamation, "Hey! You're the Bingo Guy!" An email marketing campaign to drive sales from 8 years prior confirmed three things: 

•	The Power of Storytelling
•	The Power of Personal Branding
•	I Needed a Cooler Nickname

If you're looking to:

•	Develop creative paths to success
•	Find opportunities hiding in plain sight
•	Communicate strategic alternatives

Then let's chat!

In a world spinning with possibilities, I believe it's the genuine relationships we forge that make it go round.  And when you apply a bespoke touch to business – tailoring your sales, marketing, and personal brand to resonate with each individual – that's where the magic happens. 

Things I love talking shop about:

•	Customer service that's relationship-focused
•	Critical thinking & problem solving that gets to the root of the problem
•	Storytelling - Ask me about that bingo contest
•	Digital marketing & social media - CHDM certified!
•	Creative ideas & content development

Away from work I love spending time with my family, creating art, playing golf, and rooting for the Cubs and Bears. Additionally, I support the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy Association. Please message me if you’d like to share your story or need help in reaching your goals.

Don Barnett

Every hotel Salesperson when a potential group can't shift their dates 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺.

Creative Solutions for Hospitality Success | Director of Sales & Marketing at LondonHouse Chicago | Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer

Discounting is the espresso shot of hotel marketing.
Works fast. Feels powerful.
But you'll feel it out the other end later.

If your main strategy for driving bookings is discount driven, you don't have a marketing strategy.
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬.

And when the hotel next door drops another 5% lower than you, you've now entered The Hunger Games: Hotel Edition.

The hotels winning more business aren't cheaper.
They're preferred.

And preference isn't built with promo codes.
It's built with familiarity, credibility and trust.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰.

It builds familiarity before the search.
Credibility before the comparison.
Trust before the transaction.

So when it's time to book, guests aren't asking, "Who's cheapest?"

They're thinking, "I already know this place."
And that's a better position to be in than 10% off.

Ever had a meeting planner check your availability 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 blasting the RFP out to everyone else?

That’s not a sick fantasy.
That’s 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Somewhere along the way you became known as the team that:
• responds quickly • sends clear proposals • 
• actually follows up • doesn’t vanish after the site •

And once that reputation kicks in, something heavenly happens:
𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺.

Instead of fighting through the RFP Hunger Games, you see more:
• direct leads • referrals • first dibs •

Be responsive. Be easy to work with. Follow up.

Do that long enough and your reputation starts doing some of the selling for you.

The vast majority of people in hospitality aren't sharing they're valuable knowledge or personality on LinkedIn. 
And I know why...
 
It's because of the "Eyeroll Threshold". 
 
It's these circles of hell one must traverse, fraught with judgement and eyerolls. 
 
⭕ The 1st Circle is usually your Inner Circle; family. And kids are the worst. No one rolls their eyes harder at you than a daughter, believe me, I have two. 
⭕ The 2nd Circle are Friends and Co-Workers. They'll mostly roll their eyes behind your back or make a snide comment. 
⭕ But the 3rd Circle, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙. This circle is filled with people that know you but don't see you often. They might find some joy in hearing what you have to say or what you're up to these days. 
⭕ The 4th Circle are people you've never met, but you've said something that resonates with them. Maybe even helped or inspired them in some way. 
 
I heard something great the other day: Hate doesn't come from people ahead of you. It comes from people jealous or threatened by you. 

It's the price you pay for going against the status quo. 
▶️ But to the bold go the spoils.

Want to stand out in business?
 
Bring energy.
 
The type that makes people think, "Wow, this person must like being here."

Real enthusiasm.
 Because energy is contagious.
 
If you show up engaged, responsive, and genuinely excited to help, people feel it.  
And when people feel it, they want to work with you.
 
In hospitality especially, enthusiasm is a cheat code.
 
The quick reply.  
The proactive follow-up.  
The “I’ve got this” attitude.
 
No one remembers the most polished person in the room.
They remember the one who made them feel excited about working together.
 
You don’t have to be the loudest.
Just the most alive. ⚡

Is your hotel's social media like that gym membership you technically have?
Going twice a week, effort varies.

Technically active.
Visibly present.
Emotionally... buffering.

Next time you look at your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., ask yourself:

🤔 Does your content show your hotel's personality?
🤔 Does it speak to your ideal audience?
🤔 Does it have a pulse?

If your feed feels like a treadmill set to 1 mph, don't be surprised when no one's breaking a sweat over your brand.

Have your LinkedIn posts been put in witness protection?
Seen by no one? 
Don Hoteleone has 2 pieces of advice...

1. Stop Reposting 

Reposting? Congrats, you just became LinkedIn’s version of a chain email.

Original content is king. Reposts get buried in the desert.

If you’re going to repost something, add your own thoughts and commentary to it. Otherwise, fuhgeddaboudit...

2. Stop putting a link in your post. 

LinkedIn doesn't condone you going against the family. In other words, they don't want you following another link off of their site.

However, to get around this algorithmic nightmare, post a link in the comments.

The algorithm isn’t out to get you. But it 𝘪𝘴 out to ignore you if you keep doing these two things.

Speed wins. 
In sales. In sports.
When kicking a muffin into the air before it hits the floor...

If you're in group sales, let’s talk about response time.

According to Cvent, the 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟴 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 to respond to RFPs.

Eight hours.

Are we submitting RFPs... or walking to Mordor?

Amadeus’ MeetingBroker data shows that 72% of first responders win the business.

That's not a small edge.
That's structural advantage.

But here's the part people miss:

Speed gets you noticed.
Follow-up get you awarded.

Winning teams don't just respond fast.
They:

• Prioritize RFP responses
• Set clear next steps
• Follow a structured cadence
• Stay persistent (without being annoying)
 
Speed gets you in the game.  Follow-up closes it.

What’s your average response time?

And more importantly, what happens after you hit send?

Did you know there's a formula to monetizing your personal brand?

And none of it involves going viral.
(the germaphobe in me just said, "Thank God")

The people seeing opportunities are running this playbook:

✅ Specific Knowledge
→ Be dangerously good at something people actually care about. Generic advice doesn’t pay.

✅ Value First, Always
→ Give before you ask. Do you like ads in your feed? Me neither. Provide something people can use.

✅ Networking (Like It’s Your F***** Job)
→ Build relationships, not just a following. Opportunities come from people, not likes.

✅ Leverage
→ Utilize platforms, systems, and connections that amplify your reach. Smarter, not harder.

✅ Personality and Storytelling
→ Show up as YOU and tell stories. Facts tell, but stories sell.

✅ Consistency and Patience
→ This platform provides you the opportunity to stay top of mind with your network as often as you choose to show up.

✅ Thick Skin
→ First they'll roll their eyes and ask why you're doing it. Then they'll ask how you did it.

If you run this formula long enough, you won’t have to chase opportunities.

They’ll be chasing you.

What’s one part of this formula you’re focusing on right now?

You've heard of goat yoga,
but have you tried Yorkie meditation?

It's where you meditate for 5 seconds before the most impatient dog on Earth jumps on your face.

1 star, do not recommend.

Did the person you just gave your name to say, "Who?"
Unless that person was an owl, your personal brand has some serious red flags.

In sales (hospitality or otherwise), 𝘺𝘰𝘶 are the brand long before anyone sees your property. If people can’t place your name or the reason they 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 remember you, then your follow-up is already playing from behind.

✅ Your brand is why planners reply to 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 email first. 
✅ It’s why they tag you when someone posts “I need a hotel in Chicago!” 
✅ It’s why your name doesn’t just show up, it 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴.

You don't have to be loud or as hilarious as I think I am. 
But you do need to 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 yourself. 

Who you are.
How you help.
Why you resonate.

So if the last five people you introduced yourself to said “Who?”, it’s time to give your brand a little boost. 

Or stop hanging out with owls.
Even if their meetings are a hoot. #𝗱𝗮𝗱𝗷𝗼𝗸𝗲𝘀

If you could travel 20 years into the past to impart some wisdom to yourself, what would you say? 
 
For me: 
 
🔹 Worrying is wasted energy and won't change any outcome whether good or bad. 
🔹 Nothing is more valuable than time. Invest it in quality people, places and things. 
🔹 Tremendous freedom is gained when you stop caring what people think. 
🔹 Create small daily goals that are impossible not to complete. 
🔹 Embrace the concept of leverage. 
🔹 Stop talking and start doing.  

⚠️ Don't shave your entire head to the lowest clipper setting, you will regret it.
 
What would you say to your younger self?

A big influencer can get you seen.
But a micro-influencer can get you booked.

If you've ever worked in Sales at a hotel with only one ballroom, you've likely told a client, "You'll be a big fish in a small pond."

Working with a micro-influencer is like that!

A creator with a massive following can put your hotel, restaurant, or experience in front of a ton of people. But that ocean is diluted.

A strategically aligned micro-influencer puts you in front of the 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 people and makes it feel like an actual recommendation.

Here are some key differences:

Big following influencer:

• big reach
• broad awareness
• polished content
• everyone sees it

Micro-influencer:

• stronger trust
• better engagement
• more niche audience
• content that feels believable
 
When trust and attention are at a premium, that matters. 
That’s where micro-influencers win.
 
Less “paid partnership energy.”  More “I went, I loved it, and you will too."

DM me if you want to talk shop!

Director of National Accounts at Fogo de Chão

National Sales Leader responsible to grow client base and revenues through originating and implementing a complex sales strategy to drive success.  Performance driven sales leader with over 17 years of experience in the high competitive hospitality, catering and business-to-business sales industries.  I thrive in high-energy and challenging environments growing sales and client bases in new markets.

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