The Lights On Updates

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.

The 7 software systems every independent hotel needs, what they actually cost ($1,050-$7,500/mo), and the integration mistakes that bleed revenue.