How Geoff Graf doubled Aqua’s hotel portfolio, built Hogan’s owner-first model, and what small operators should outsource before a full management agreement.

Emanuel Moura, Director of Growth at Lights On, on building a connected system of paid, email, organic, and data for hotel direct bookings.

Kin Sio is joined by Brent Shiratori, Founder and CEO of Aidia Marketing, to discuss brand differentiation and storytelling for independent hotels. Brent explains how uncovering a property’s unique narrative can strengthen its brand and help smaller hotels compete with larger chains.

In this episode of The Lights On Podcast, Kin Sio and Keri Brown are joined by Jesse Stein, Global Head of Real Estate at Airbnb, to discuss redefining hotel distribution for independent and boutique properties. They explore how Airbnb is evolving beyond homes, what independent hotels can learn about competing at scale, and how storytelling impacts conversion. Jesse also discusses the future of hotel partnerships and distribution strategies.

Keri Brown shares how independent hotels can close revenue gaps through tech stack audits, smarter OTA partnerships, and front-desk upsell programs.

Jacob Messina, CEO of Stayntouch, on how cloud PMS cuts training to hours, drives ancillary revenue, and reshapes distribution for independent hotels.

How Hillary Folkvord grew boutique hotel occupancy from 40% to ~80% using local partnerships, OTA strategy, and place-based branding.

Independent hotels have access to most of the same tools as major chains — but most don't use them. In this episode, Kin Sio, CEO of Lights On Digital, breaks down why smaller operators leave significant revenue on the table, and what changes when pricing, distribution, and marketing are run as one coordinated system instead of three separate vendors.