by Nicholas Falcone, founder and CEO of NDM Hospitality and Rentyl Resorts
Travelers today have more options than ever… and less patience. They compare total prices in seconds. They read reviews before your description. They expect a reply in minutes, not days.
For the big chains, adapting is slow. New policies, new systems, thousands of employees to retrain. For a hospitality entrepreneur, it can happen next week. In my experience, speed is the small operator’s biggest advantage.
Here’s where I’d use it.
Show the real price first.
Nothing sours a trip faster than a surprise fee at checkout. Cleaning fees. Service fees. Resort fees. Travelers are tired of it, and regulators are starting to agree. I believe transparency builds trust, and trust builds repeat business. Quote the full price up front. Explain what’s included. When your total is honest, the cheaper-looking listing next to yours starts to look like a trap.
Sell the trip, not just the stay.
Guests don’t remember the room. They remember the trip. Where they ate. What they did. How easy it all felt. I think of this as building an ecosystem, not a single product. You don’t need a concierge desk to do it. Partner with a few local restaurants, guides or attractions you trust, and send guests a short list of favorites before they arrive. Everyone wins. The guest gets a better trip, your partners get new customers, and you get a reason to be chosen over the property down the street.
Make flexibility part of the product.
Remote work changed how people travel. Weekends turn into weeks. Laptops come on vacation. Rigid check-in times and all-or-nothing cancellation policies feel dated. Big brands set those rules at headquarters. You can test them. Try a weekly rate or an early check-in option for one season. Watch the numbers. If it doesn’t work, change it back.
Treat reviews as free research.
Most owners read reviews to protect their reputation. I read them as product feedback. If three guests mention slow Wi-Fi, that’s not bad luck. It’s a to-do list. Respond to every review. When you fix something, say so publicly. The big chains answer with templates. You can answer like a person.
Answer like a human, fast.
Guests want to text a question and get a quick answer. Technology handles that well. Automated messages, digital check-in and smart locks take care of the routine. But when something breaks at 11 p.m., nobody wants a chatbot. They want someone who can fix it. Automate the predictable so your people can own the exceptions. That’s where loyalty is won or lost.
Your size is the strategy.
Every one of these shifts rewards the same things: honesty, local knowledge, flexibility and personal attention. Those are hard to scale. They come naturally to a small operator. Travelers are telling you what they want, the winners won’t have the biggest budgets; they’ll be the ones who listen closely and move first. For hospitality entrepreneurs, that creates an opportunity to build lasting guest relationships and earn repeat business by delivering the kind of experiences today’s travelers are looking for.
Nicholas Falcone is founder and CEO of NDM Hospitality, the Florida-based company behind Rentyl Resorts, a hospitality platform that combines resort-style amenities and services with vacation home and residential resort accommodations. Since founding the company in 2011, Falcone has helped grow the brand through partnerships with Marriott Homes & Villas, IHG, Margaritaville and Hard Rock. He is recognized for his focus on experiential hospitality, branded residential resorts and lifestyle-driven travel experiences.
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