Supporting Hospitality from the Inside Out

The hospitality industry continues to evolve, and the people behind it do so, too. Joining Sarah Dandashy on Say Yes to Travel was Dan Ryan, Co-Founder of Agency 967. Ryan is a lifelong entrepreneur, industry expert, and host of the podcast Defining Hospitality.

After falling in love with hospitality, Ryan spent 20 years selling and sourcing custom furniture and fixtures for hotels. Managing all aspects of it became chaotic, so he founded Agency 967 to be an intermediary. “I needed to simplify everything and work with the best in category companies, so I can shorten everyone’s journey. I’m a connector between brands and hotel designers.”

Ryan used those words “shortening the journey” throughout the show and are huge for his personal brand and agency. He took on new ways to do this during the pandemic, starting Blue Canary, a cleaning training platform for hospitality. “We created a culture of safety,” he added.

Ryan also started his podcast, which he was excited to do because of his natural curiosity. “It’s called Defining Hospitality because it means something different to everyone, and it even made me rethink what hospitality is.”

Ryan and Dandashy also discussed trends. “Smaller rooms are here to stay. The mature hospitality industry has much to learn from Airbnb. They can equally inform each other.”

On the minds of hospitality leaders, Ryan said, “The hiring crisis was a problem before and is now a serious structural issue. What work looks like after the pandemic will impact both business and personal travel.”

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