The Hotel Daddy Podcast
Hotel Daddy is a podcast featuring in-depth interviews with hospitality movers and shakers, offering candid conversations that reveal how the best in the business became the leaders they are today. Listen in for inspiration and behind-the-scenes stories from the best in the industry.
Hosted by T. Blake Danner, Executive Producer, Stephanie T. Bryant, Production and Engineering by David Jewell. Associate Producer, Nelson Luis Ortiz, with original theme music composed and produced by Evan Jewell.
The Hotel Daddy Podcast
Outside, On Purpose
What if the most valuable amenity isn’t a butler or a points upgrade, but time you can feel? We sit down with AutoCamp’s Chief Commercial Officer, Bryan Terzi, to trace a career that moves from Starwood and W Hotels to SBE’s celebrity-fueled nightlife, through chef-led creativity at Mother Wolf and Sydell Group, into CRM scale at Sage—and finally to the surprising power of outdoor hospitality. The throughline: brand clarity, operational empathy, and marketing that translates real moments into stories guests can’t help but share.
Bryan breaks down how brand frameworks scale without going generic, why local relevance keeps off-peak periods alive, and how working beside chefs reframed his role from “promoter” to “translator of passion.” We also dig into the hard pivot that changed everything: leading with landscapes instead of lobbies. From rivers that outdo white-noise machines to campfire conversations that build community without programming, AutoCamp’s playbook sells an outcome—presence—rather than a checklist of perks. And yes, we talk about the number-one guest question: bathrooms, solved upfront with clear visuals and calm reassurance.
On the tech front, AI earns its place behind the scenes—mining data, tightening copy, and improving efficiency—while the guest-facing promise stays defiantly human. “It’s not AI, it’s AutoCamp” captures the shift many travelers crave: two days of analog awe to reset a screen-sick life. Bryan’s leadership lens rounds it out: hire for passion over pedigree, skip the micromanaging, learn operations so marketing respects reality, and treat “networking” as relationship building that pays back in trust and timing.
If you’re rethinking what luxury means now, this conversation offers a clean blueprint: design for memory, remove friction, and let nature headline. Listen, share it with a colleague who geeks out on brand strategy, and leave a review telling us your favorite national park—or the one you’re finally going to visit this year.
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Welcome to Hotel Daddy. I'm your host, Blake Danner. In today's episode, I speak with one of our industry's brightest marketing minds, the Chief Commercial Officer of AutoCamp, Brian Turkey. We'll dive right in and get to know Brian, exploring his unique journey from a social networking website focused on millennials and nonprofits through his amazing trajectory at some of the industry's best-known hospitality brands. You can expect some candid conversations, some honest reflections, and maybe a couple of secrets from behind the scenes. Whether you're an industry insider or just love a good story, you're in the right place. So hey, grab a tent, make a campfire. Is that too much? And enjoy the ride as we open the doors to Hotel Daddy. Brian Tersey is the chief commercial officer at AutoCamp, a pioneer brand in the hospitality industry known for revolutionizing outdoor travel. He originally joined the company as its chief marketing officer, bringing with him over two decades of global marketing expertise and leadership across renowned luxury lifestyle hospitality brands. In his current role, he leads Autocamp's sales, marketing, and revenue strategy, helping to drive the brand's continued expansion and champion its mission to elevate outdoor hospitality. Prior to joining AutoCamp, he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sage Hospitality, where he oversaw strategic campaigns for a portfolio of over 60 hotels and 40 restaurants. During his time at Sage, he successfully launched 12 new hotels, repositioned three existing restaurants, spearheaded the creation of a new CRM program, and established the Sage Corporate Marketing Team as an integral part of their business. Earlier in his career, he was the vice president of marketing at Relevant Group, where he played a key role in introducing upscale culinary destinations, most notably one I love, Mother Wolf Italian restaurant, to Hollywood's vibrant entertainment district. Terzy's professional journey also included significant contributions at Soho House, Saddell Group, as well as Starwood Hotels and Resorts, MGM, Thompson Hotels, and SBE Entertainment.
SPEAKER_02:Brian, that is a bio.
SPEAKER_00:Welcome to Hotel Daddy.
SPEAKER_02:Well, thanks, Blake. I appreciate it. Nice to be in the room, or the lobby, I should say.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know what? We start every episode around here with something I like to call Who's in the lobby? I'm gonna ask you a few rapid fire questions. And hey, you just tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. Are you ready? I am.
SPEAKER_02:Name Brian Joseph Terzi. Zodiac sign. I'm a cancer, so I have a hard shell, but I'm a softy inside. Aw, coffee or tea? Coffee. Iced grande coffee every morning, even when it's cold. You're that guy at Starbucks, aren't you? I hate to admit it, but yes, I am. What's one word that describes your leadership style? Communicator. Early riser or night owl? I wake up really early every morning. It's a biological clock that just goes off. Email or in-person conversation? Depends on what it is. These days, people are so overwhelmed with email that I've found a lot of success in just picking up the phone and having a conversation in person.
SPEAKER_01:Love it. Let's talk some more about that in a minute. What's the first thing you notice when you walk into a hotel?
SPEAKER_02:I notice the lighting, I notice the music, and I notice if the staff is smiling. What's your favorite hotel amenity ever? I'm a sucker for a good tub with a great view, I have to say. I'm not a tub guy, but anytime I see one in a hotel, I just make time. That's the right time, right?
SPEAKER_01:Favorite time of the day.
SPEAKER_02:I love dusk when I'm in the desert, and I love sunrise when I'm at the beach.
SPEAKER_01:Final question. One hospitality trend that you're really excited about right now.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, I'd be remiss if I didn't say people getting outside and into nature.
SPEAKER_01:So on brand for you. So, Brian, I am so excited to have you here at Hotel Addy. I think you know you are guest number six in season number one. And as we record this today, a lot of the others we didn't actually do in order just because of people's availability, but I'm actually recording you as the last one. So I have the benefit of having been through five others and had some really great conversations. I am so happy to have you as the last one because I've known you for a while, right? And I remember just being so genuinely proud for you when I saw that in 2024 you got your first C-suite appointment. And I've watched your career and I've watched you grow your career. And I think the reason you're a really great ending guest for the season one is my friend, you are that next generation of leader that I really am excited about and I think people are gonna have fun hearing about. So do me a favor, walk me through your resume just at a really high level and discuss what each of those opportunities have added to you. Because I think your resume is one that a lot of people should look at and say, this is how you craft a really smart career.
SPEAKER_02:I really appreciate that. I'm honored to be among the likes of Victoria Fabio, who is also on this. So I have some big shoes, big high heels to fill. That's when you know her. I rightly saw her last night and she was wearing some eels. I think it's important just to note that my dad was a big hospitality guy. So when I was growing up, we were living in hotels, we were traveling quite often, and I really understood the importance of making that connection with the staff that's really running the hotel at the time. I feel like no matter how good your marketing campaign is, no matter how flashy your photography is, if your front desk staff or the valet team, that first point of guest communication isn't friendly and well-appointed and looking on brand, then you know the experience really falls flat. I lived in San Diego for quite some time. I grew up there and I was fortunate enough to get my first hospitality offer with Starwood Hotels in New York City. I had always wanted to live in New York, and that was a great opportunity to do so. I joined the field marketing department. So there I really learned how to navigate the Google landscape and build websites for independent hotels within their luxury collection at the time. I had a lot of success. I met a lot of great people within Starwood. I think that's really where the foundation of being incredibly organized, understanding how to navigate a corporate structure and how to make friends with the influential people in the room was really important. Then I progressed into overseeing W Hotels of North America. And at that point, not only working with a really flashy lifestyle brand at the time, I understood how important it is to scale the brand. So what may work in South Beach, Miami, does not work in Austin. And what may work in Seattle does not work in San Diego. So it's kind of how you have that brand framework, but then how you localize it to make sure that the people that live in those local areas are going to visit the property during the slow periods. It's great to have a profitable summer and high occupancy and high rates, but you really need the locals to embrace your brands when you don't have those opportunities. After Starwood, I had a really incredible time there and I really enjoyed living in New York, but SBE Entertainment called, and that's when SBE was really all over the place when it came to nightlife and Hollywood and the celebrity culture and opening nightclubs like Hyde and really being the epicenter of pop culture and using the media to drive attention and clicks and attention on social media was coming out at the same time. So I oversaw all the Katsuya, the Bizarre by Jose Andres, Clio restaurants. I was flying to the Middle East to negotiate brand deals with a Middle Eastern partner over there to scale the Katsuya brand. And from there, I really learned how to leverage celebrity for a marketing channel. You know, how you have the right people in the lobby or the right people checking in or the right people staying on property that at the time really drove a lot of attention for the brands that we were working with. I moved to South Beach. I opened ESLS South Beach and all the restaurants and bars that went with that property and scaled a lot of the SBE brands down in South Florida and down into Bajamara and uh NASA and really loved it. You know, I was able to work with some really incredible individuals, some visionaries within the marketing landscape. Um, Veronica Smarley was the first CMO that I reported to, and she just had such a knack for understanding brand, brand evolution, and keeping things relevant. Had a really great time in South Beach. And then Blake Danner, who we all know well, sat me down one day and said, Hey, you know, I think there's an opportunity here at Sadell Group. And the fact that I had worked with some true hospitality visionaries from Starwood, you know, to Barry Sternlake to Sam Nazarian at SBE. And then the opportunity to work for Andrew Zobler and yourself, Blake, was just really exciting to me. And the opportunity to move back to New York and, you know, work on the nomad and really create a brand identity for the line and help scale the freehand brand from one small little location in South Beach into four properties across the country was incredible. That's where I really learned that brand was incredibly important to have a framework for a brand that could be scalable. What was so special about the nomad in New York, we needed to make sure that the nomad in London was going to have that same essence and that same wow factor. And you know, that's also, I have to say, where I learned from you how to empower and motivate a team. That was an incredible skill through COVID that I always remembered listening to you about how you kind of led a sales division after 9-11 and really taking it day by day and picking your head up and realizing like you fish where the fish are and you gotta keep people excited and motivated to come to work every day. And I thank you for that.
SPEAKER_01:It's funny you say that. You know, through tough times we learned so much. And I still to this day think about the skill sets that we honed in a post-9-11 environment that have been so helpful for me today. I think they're probably why we succeeded through post-COVID uh proper, like we did. But yeah, I hear you.
SPEAKER_02:And so after Saddell. After Sadell uh moved back to LA, I was consulting for a little bit during COVID. Then I was able to work with some pretty incredible chefs uh like Evan Funky, who opened Mother Wolf. It was really interesting because there I've worked with some from some great chefs from Jose Andreas to Kristen Kish to Evan Funky. And you realize that type of creative talent is not behind a computer. They're not answering emails. They don't care about your critical path at all. That's where I learned that you really need to meet that creative talent where they are. So I was in the kitchen with chef. I was taking photos when we were going to the farmer's market. You really need to kind of follow that creative vision to help create the brand because they are in a different world of creativity. And in the kitchen, that is their landscape. That's their canvas. And to watch them paint with different ingredients and recipes and menu merchandising, you know, that's not anything that's going to be done in a spreadsheet. I really learned a lot with working with those chefs, especially Evan, because they're so powerful and you just have to meet them where they are. I hate using that phrase, but that's exactly what it is.
SPEAKER_01:But how important is it as a marketer to really understand what's driving the product, what the passion is? I think that's something that you've done very well and you just hit on it. Being in the kitchen with them and understanding how to manifest that self to the customer.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. I mean, Evan is an incredible chef and just the passion he shows and enrolling one individual piece of pasta. And I realized this is the magic. This is what people want to see. I mean, Evan also has a really great creative marketing mind. Being able to meet these creative people where they are. I mean, Andrew Zilber is another good example. Kristen Kish, another great example, where she had a great strong vision and she understood the flavor palette and the type of inspiration that she wanted to go after. And the name of the restaurant had a beautiful story behind it that we opened in Austin. But you really needed to kind of shadow these individuals.
SPEAKER_01:When you're working with these great creative minds, how obligated do you feel to make sure, man, I've got to communicate this, I've got to market it the right way, I've got to make sure that I capture this in my messaging.
SPEAKER_02:It's incredibly important. But you also have to build that trust with the hoteliers and the chefs and the nightclub operators that I work with. You really have to gain trust because you don't want to be seen as, oh, just the commercial officer that's in the room that's always looking to value engineer things or cut costs or choose a cheaper fabric because it's just cheaper for that matter. Like you really need to build trust and let these people know and these developers and creative talent know that, hey, I got you. Like this is going to be incredible. And thank you for trusting me with your vision.
SPEAKER_01:Understood. So let me go back for a second. When I started off the questioning, I said, I think you've crafted such a smart career. You're talking about Starwood, big corporate entity, right? And then S B E S L S, huge kind of nightlife of the moment, Sadell, Uber Creative, Mother Wolf. You went on to Sage, large, well-respected management company. Talk to me about how important you think it is that you have such a diverse complexion of companies. Like I just think one of the things I like about your career is you've been very strategic and you've really made sure that you filled out all of your experiences with some additives.
SPEAKER_02:No, I appreciate that. And I think I've leaned into what each individual opportunity they were good at. So with Starwood, it was all about kind of the corporate structure, understanding the importance of having structure and SOPs in place and understanding who to go to to get things done. At Sadell Group, it was all about brand, understanding the importance of brand and who were the creative people that were kind of gonna pull through that marketing message and that brand identity. At SBE, it was all about leveraging marketing opportunities and promotions and getting out there in street teams and promoting things in a really guerrilla marketing, organic sort of way. And with Sage, I really learned that a CRM system is incredibly important. And by that, I mean you have to know who your guests are. Installing a Salesforce system across 50 hotels and 40 restaurants, I took the opportunity that Sage provided as a management company and understood the opportunity of, okay, as a marketer within Sage, where's the white space? What isn't working right now? How can we do things better? And the CRM program was really something that we identified that would kind of pull the independent collection together and make them more profitable.
SPEAKER_01:I just love the storytelling because I hope what folks listening to or taking from this is you've worked for several different scale size ethos companies. And the message that I hope people take from is lean in and take the best of what that organization lends you. So with Sage, it was this great scale and CRM. With Saddell, it was like this Uber creative up and coming with Starwood, it was systems that were critical to what you do. I just think that's such a great one lot for people to take away from this conversation is every organization that you work with probably delivers something different. If you're trying to build a really strong leadership profile, you want to just take from each of those the best that it has to offer. So you round out your leadership skills.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. I had a vision when I started the career within hospitality. I had always looked at the CMO, the chief marketing officer role as that is my North Star. That's what I want to work toward. That's the title that I wanted as an adult. And from each individual role, I tried to learn a different category of the business, whether it was digital marketing, brand marketing, social media, CRM, PR, so that it made myself a more well-rounded marketer. And in addition to that, it was really important for me to understand the operations of the business, the sales, the revenue function, because you can't be a great marketer if you don't understand how the operation works.
SPEAKER_00:Amen. Anybody listening? I'm doubling down on that one. Say it again to me, Brian.
SPEAKER_02:You can't expect the GM of a hotel to understand the promotion at hand because they have guests at the front desk that need servicing right away. Oh, by the way, housekeeping staff called off sick. And oh, by the way, there's a union labor issue. Like you have to get inside of the operation to understand how it all works, then drive the marketing off of that.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know, my North Star has always been multi-dimensional communication, making sure everyone understands the dimensions of the business. Probably sometimes I overcommunicate, but I think what you've just articulated so well is if you don't understand what's going on in all sectors of the business, it's hard to price, it's hard to market, it's hard to sell.
SPEAKER_02:The operation is the most important function of the business. You know, you can't have ego going into any critical path meeting or any executive leadership meeting because you learn so much from the other people around the table. And that's something that at Sage, Walter Eisenberg was always an incredible leader. He sat at the table, he listened, he understood what the guest wanted, and he delivered on that. And that's why I think Sage is so successful these days.
SPEAKER_01:Walter Eisenberg, another legend name in the business. Absolutely. So here you are today. You find yourself at AutoCamp, which, by the way, is just a vertical of our business that's new and burgeoning. And I am just personally so excited about. You guys have like nine locations now. You're like in the Catskills, you're in Yosemite. Tell me about it.
SPEAKER_02:Auto Camp is incredible. And just to take it a step back, the fact that we've been speaking about my career up until this point, I mean, yes, it has been in luxury, it has been in lifestyle, it has been in more traditional hotels. And when the AutoCamp team called me for this role, I admittedly didn't really know anything about the category. And I was a little intimidated. Really? That surprises me. Yeah, I was, I just didn't know enough about it. And I was a little bit intimidated with how would I even market this? What would I do? Like, do people even want this? I did not seem that interested at the beginning. And then I said to myself, you know what? I've done this traditional luxury lifestyle hotel thing for quite a while. And let's see what else is out there. Let's see what's different. I went to the auto camp in Joshua Tree, and immediately driving out there, you know, the sun was setting and nothing better than the desert at sundown. I checked in in the clubhouse, which is at every single location. The clubhouse is where we have the bar, the restaurant, we have a pool right outside the clubhouse. We have all the branded merchandise, anything that you would need for your stay. I remember looking out over the Joshua Tree National Park as the sun was setting and thinking, this is so different. This is so special. I took a picture, I sent it to a few of my friends, and immediately I thought I've had the opportunity and the benefit of experiencing a lot of cities, a lot of different hotel brands. And if this is making me show my friends taking a picture, posting it to social media and saying, hey, we got to come back here, like if this is impressing me, then it's something that I want to be a part of.
SPEAKER_01:You know what I find so interesting about that story is when I read that you had joined AutoCamp, I remember the day I read it in one of the trades or something. We hadn't spoken in a while. So I learned it that way. And I just shook my head and I said, that is perfect for Brian. You've always been kind of that next gen, bleeding edge, doing the next thing. It's so funny how you describe it because as an outsider looking in, I was like, of course that's what Brian's doing. Of course it makes so much sense. So in the first five episodes, I've heard a lot of people talk about well-being. And well-being not just as a buzzword, but well-being as something they're committed to that's important, not only in their lives, in their brands, in their product. So talk to me about the benefits of being outdoors and how that plays into your brand vision at AutoCamp.
SPEAKER_02:There is a huge shift in our culture these days. People are saturated with screens. There is so much data about how people are watching TV and they're scrolling on their phone at the same time. And oh, by the way, the iPad is also on next to them. And all the kids that have their own media devices that are just scrolling, Doom scrolling, there's a lot going on and a lot of screen time. Being in the outdoors forces you to reduce the screen time. Put your phone down, turn the TV off, get outside and kind of understand the beauty that is nature. And there's so many stats about how sleeping under the stars like really resets your circadian rhythm. Instead of buying these sound machines, like at Auto Camp Sequoia, we're along the river, which you open your window and you hear this rapid right outside your window. You don't even need a sound machine. Like you naturally fall asleep to the sounds of nature.
SPEAKER_01:When am I going there? When? When?
SPEAKER_02:Don't get me started. I've invited you many times, but dude, we're coming. We're coming soon. I promise. There are so many benefits to being outside. National parks are really having a moment right now as well. I mean, people are noticing that there is so much beauty in North America that's yet to be explored. Yosemite is obviously the crown jewel and everyone knows about Yosemite. But you know, our property up in Sonoma, right by the Russian River, our property in Sequoia is really incredible. Up in Catskills, New York, Hudson Valley is a hot spot. And Cape Cod overlooks the ocean on this 11-mile bike path, which is so quintessential, Cape Cod. All of our properties are so unique. And I'm actually going to Zion next week for a company off site, which nothing cooler than be able to do a company offsite in the middle of Zion National Park and take the team out for like a half day adventure day in the park.
SPEAKER_01:So let me ask this question. I hear the passion in your voice, and I hear your passion about screen time and well-being and detaching and the benefits of being outdoors. As a marketer, how do you communicate that in your messaging? How do you get that to resonate with the customer?
SPEAKER_02:Great question. We have really pivoted our marketing to feature the landscapes. Instead of traditional hotels are so focused on, oh, come to our lobby and meet new people or come to our happy hour and get a free glass of wine. Ours is more about creating community with the guests that are on the property. We don't even have to force it. I mean, at six o'clock, when that communal campfire goes on and everybody comes back to base camp from their exploring the park from the day and they're just sharing stories about, oh, I saw an elk or, oh, did you do this hike? Or wasn't that rapid incredible? The natural conversation that happens around the campfire. And then we break out the s'mores and everyone has this like very nostalgic, very Americana moment of like, Oh my God, I love it. No matter how old you are, there's always this who can build the best s'more competition that happens, which is just so special to see. And from young families with young kids that are creating memories that will last a lifetime to older couples that are just in their golden years wanting to see the rest of the country and check off these national parks that they have heard so much about. It's really incredible. And it's been really interesting. Back to the marketing question. You don't have to work that hard to tell these really organic stories of people that are on property. They kind of tell it themselves. Wow.
SPEAKER_01:That's a really good point.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. It tells itself. It really tells itself. And the word of mouth that we get from people that stay on property is also just the best, you know, promotional tool that you could ask for.
SPEAKER_01:You're a seasoned hospitality marketer. You have literally been on the commercial team for some of the most famous lifestyle properties in the United States and London. As I think through it, you know, you were involved in the NED, the Nomad, SLS. I mean, some really formidable names. But I have to believe that your demographics for outdoor hospitality are different. But I could be totally wrong. So tell me, who is your customer?
SPEAKER_02:Our customer is anyone that wants a unique experience. So whether that's adventuring into the canyons, doing the narrows in Utah, or someone that just wants to go on a reflective writing retreat, it is something different that you can't get from a traditional hotel. This whole idea of creating memories, a vacation has to work a lot harder these days, as you know. You know, there's not this disposable income as there once was, where people could take multiple vacations with their young kids throughout the year. So these days, a vacation, you know, if you're taking time off work, you need to recharge or reset, you need to spend quality time with your loved ones, you need to make memories with the kids, you need to explore something new. And autocam checks all those boxes.
SPEAKER_01:You guys are so unique because you have a luxury aspect to what you do. So what do you say to a guy like me who says, yeah, roughing it means no room service? How do you communicate to someone like me? No, you don't understand. This isn't the old camping experience that you're used to. This is a whole new experience that you guys are presenting.
SPEAKER_02:Well, Blake, I would actually ask you this as someone who's on the road, such as yourself, many, many days out of the year, someone that doesn't even unpack their suitcase when they get to the destination that they're in. To us, what auto camp is to you, it's time. Time spent with your loved one, with your dog, time with yourself to kind of recharge. That is the luxury point within auto camp that it could provide a traveler like yourself.
SPEAKER_01:Wow, that message resonates so much. I'm sitting here a little chilly right now because it really resonates. And you're right. Look, I, as you know, I'm a road warrior, and I think you just nailed it. That was a really great response because it was very emotional for me.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And and by the way, we have a great wine selection. We have full bathrooms with luxury amenities and all the cabins and the airstreams. I mean, it's a very elevated experience.
SPEAKER_01:But you know what's funny? When I asked the question, what I thought you were gonna say is that, well, Blake, it's not really rough in it. We've got wine, we've got luxury, we've got you know, amenities. I actually love the fact that that's not what you led with. You led with no, there's this emotional connection, Blake. You're gonna feel time. How brilliant. Uh I have to be honest with you. You didn't just spit back some features to me, which is probably what I expected. It's the experience, it's the connection that people are looking for.
SPEAKER_02:People are stretched very thin these days. Whatever you're following in the political environment, families, trying to raise quality children, trying to stay connected to your level and trying to take care of your parents, whatever it is, the ability to disconnect and be in nature, also in a comfortable way. You don't have to pack up all the stuff. You don't have to go to any camping store REI and spend thousands of dollars. It's kind of a set it and forget it. You check in, you get your room key like you would at any other hotel, and immediately you just feel this sense of calm that kind of comes over you when you come to the properties.
SPEAKER_01:What's the biggest challenge you face in trying to attract customers who have just never stayed at an outdoor hospitality experience? They just don't know it. So they're either afraid of it or they're just not particularly risky or they're risk averse. What's your biggest challenge in trying to convert that customer?
SPEAKER_02:The number one question we get asked, whether it's people that call in or the clicks to the website we can track, it is always about the bathroom. People want to know how big is the bathroom? Is there a shower? Do I have to share a sink? The answer is in all of the cabins and all of the airstreams, you have your full standing bathroom, you have your full vanity, full toilet, just like you would with any other property. People are so concerned about where they're gonna get ready in the morning and how are they gonna brush their teeth. So, marketing expert that you are, how do you overcome that? We have great photos of our bathrooms. Bingo. But we also just let people know that you don't need to have a lot of stuff. You don't need to be this live off the land. You don't need to be a survivalist that knows how to build a fire like a survivor episode. You literally can just come, and all you need is the zest for adventure and to be outside and to explore nature. That's what AutoCamp really bridges the gap there. Love it.
SPEAKER_01:One of the surprises in this season has been how many folks have discussed AI. You know, I was talking to a chef and did not have on my bingo card that when we talked about chef and leadership and kitchen management, we'd talk about AI. And yet we did significantly. I've always thought of you as someone who's kind of on the bleeding edge of technology. You've always been super smart, super quick to find new terms. You've led some really large organizations. How is AI impacting your marketing strategies today?
SPEAKER_02:In terms of just optimization, understanding our guests, extracting data from Google, all of that stuff, we are absolutely looking to AI to make things more efficient. Even when it comes to copywriting at times and proofing documents and things like that, AI is incredible. But on the flip side, and I hate to give this away, but one of our upcoming campaigns is it's not AI, it's Autocam. You don't need to look up a picture of Yosemite. You should be there and experience it for yourself. Oh my God, I love it. We're really flipping the script there, and we are gonna let people know that yes, technology is important. AI is here to stay, and it's a great tool. However, there's something to be said for going analog and getting into nature and putting AI away for two to three days. I love it.
SPEAKER_01:Let's move away from AutoCamp for a second and just talk your leadership style. You have led some very significant teams. Talk to me about hiring and growing a strong marketing team.
SPEAKER_02:I'm a strong believer by not micromanaging. I'm a strong believer in hiring the right person for the right job. I also look for personality. People that have passion in what they do, I think is incredibly important. You and I have been through countless resumes of people that on paper, they could definitely do the job. They look great. But in that interview, if you can't convey passion for what you do, then I don't really think that there's a place for you here. Or in any marketing organization, you need to show that you're excited. Hospitality is exciting. It is an industry that we're fortunate to work in that has so many different channels within it, whether you're an operator, a brand marketer, even if you want to be in finance, like we are so fortunate to be in hospitality because it's fun, it's creative, and it's a way to connect with everyone out there, anyone that you meet at a dinner party or at a restaurant or any social gathering, everyone has a favorite place they've stayed, everyone has a favorite city they've visited, and that is hospitality. And if you can't convey that passion behind hospitality, then you probably shouldn't be on my marketing team.
SPEAKER_01:I love it. That's such a great place for us to start to wrap up. Brian, you are literally one of the good guys in our industry. It has been so fun to watch your career growth. Can I tell a little story before we close out? Depends on what it is. Yeah, well, I'll tell it anyway. So you just said, you know, if you're sitting at a dinner party and you're talking to people, and common theme through season one has been networking. And I think you are an amazing networker. And one of the reasons why you do such good brand affiliations and promotions, and you're always kind of like you're in the know. You always just kind of know what the next big thing's gonna be. And I think it's in large part because you are a great networker. And so I want to tell a quick story. I don't even remember how we met. We met many years ago. I think it was through social friends or something, but I kind of knew who you were. But that was it. We crossed paths every now and then. You know, I knew who Brian Terzi was and I knew of you. And as you said earlier in the conversation, when I had a senior marketing role available at Sadell, you reached out, you networked, you picked up the phone and you said, Hey, let's talk. Now, there are a lot of really talented people that applied for that role, and frankly, you were at the top of the heap. But that phone call, that simple outreach of networking, put your resume to the top and we started talking, and then you went on to be hugely successful for me. I'll always appreciate you for that. But just talk to me about how you view networking. I think it's something you do really well. And I use that example all the time when I'm talking to people about we knew each other. It was that phone call. It was using your network to say, hey, not for nothing. Let's talk about this role. And I've seen you do that in so many different situations.
SPEAKER_02:It is important. I would take it a step further and just maybe reposition it from networking to just relationship building. Ah, good point. Yes. I love that. I'm I'm fortunate to have a really great group of friends, colleagues, peers within my world. And I'm constantly connecting the good people that I think could help each other out. And I don't think that's networking. I think that's bridging relationships, building relationships with like-minded individuals that just have, back to my point earlier, passion and excitement for what they do. And I really try hard to build relationships with the good ones out there. And I think it's really paid me back tenfold with the people that I can call today of, hey, I need a videographer out in Joshua Tree next week for this great thing that we're doing, or we're shooting a commercial in CAD skills and I need some food and beverage support from a great chef. I am really fortunate that I've built incredible relationships in true, authentic ones, not just like a, hey, what can you do for me? True relationships where I feel like that time spent building those relationships have really paid back in many, many ways. And that's an example of us building a relationship. And when that role was open, I knew that it wasn't just me cold calling Blake Danner. We had a relationship. And I think that's incredibly important.
SPEAKER_01:I think that is such sage advice. And I hope everybody's listening takes that to heart. Hey, Brian, thank you so much for joining me today on Hotel Daddy. At the end of every episode, I like to just give you an opportunity to say anything we didn't cover. So the campfire is yours.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, wow. So appropriate. I've sat at so many campfires recently. It's really exciting to be in this category as a marketer that's worked in hospitality for so long. Seeing this, I hate to use the industry term white space within hospitality really flourish over the past two years and to be kind of at the forefront of it with AutoCamp, it's incredibly exciting. We get to take chances, we get to take risks. I have crazy ideas and we try them. And if they don't work, we don't do them again. And if they do work, then we do them twice as much as more, more, more.
SPEAKER_01:Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:You know, I really am fortunate to learn from people such as yourself and such as the other people that I've listed previously. That I think that my strategy is just a product of people that I've learned from in the past and just being really smart to connect and build relationships with people that are doing the thing, you know? And I think it's great. It'll be interesting to see how people travel this upcoming year, how corporate events are restructured and repositioned over the next few years. I think that's an interesting thing to look at. I just really hope that people take that chance. And if they've ever thought about going on a trip to a national park or just something that's not traditional and get outside and get out into the outdoors that they choose Autocamp to do so.
SPEAKER_01:Kids, this has been the Hotel Daddy Pod. Thanks to my guest today, Brian Tursey, Chief Commercial Officer of Autocamp. Thanks for listening to Hotel Daddy with your host Blake Danner. Be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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