The Modern Hotelier #73: Unlocking Revenue Potential through Upgrades & Upsells | with Paul Rantilla of Plusgrade
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Steve Carran [00:00:00]:
We're really excited to release this episode with Paul Rantilla from Plus Grade. David, what were some of your takeaways from this one?

David Millili [00:00:07]:
Well, it was it was great learning about Paul, his background, New Hampshire to Asia. It was pretty incredible. And just how Pulse grade is really tackling the upgrade issue and looking at it in a different way than hoteliers have in the past. So I I love what they're doing and think it's it's a great concept.

Steve Carran [00:00:24]:
I'm the same way. I think what they're doing with the bidding, even with not only hotel rooms, but trains and planes. I mean, that's just awesome if, you know, I think everybody always wants to get upgraded. And when the whoever's upgrading has the availability, why not get a little bit more revenue in the door and jack up that guest experience to, go up a little bit more? So I thought it was a great episode. Excited to release it, and I hope you all enjoy.

David Millili [00:00:49]:
Enjoy it. Welcome to the Modern Hotelier. Both hosts were honored as top 100 influential people in hospitality. We're bringing you interviews with industry experts, thought leaders, and innovators who are shaping the future of the modern hotelier.

Sponsors [00:01:17]:
Heading to Charlotte for the HSMAI commercial strategy conference next week? Connect with Paul and his team at the event to learn more about how you can drive revenue and deliver excellent experiences for your hotel guests. You can find Paul Rentilla, SVP and CRO of Hospitality Ancillaries at Plus Grade, and his team at their booth in the Crown Ballroom. Turn right when you enter the room, and look out for the friendly PlusGrade team. Stop by to learn more about PlusGrade's comprehensive data driven hospitality upselling platform. Their solutions seamlessly integrate with hotel operations, enhancing guest experiences, and driving revenue growth. Transform every guest interaction into an opportunity for excellence. You can schedule a meeting with Paul by emailing him atpaul.rantella@plusgrade.com.

David Millili [00:02:04]:
Steve, who do we have on the program today?

Steve Carran [00:02:06]:
Yeah, David. Today, we have on Paul Rantella. Paul is the senior vice president, CRO of the hospitality ancillary at plus grade. Paul excels in hospitality management, market expansion, sales strategies, and marketing leadership. Before joining Plusgrade, Paul held a pivotal role of chief commercial officer at Birch Street Systems, where he oversaw sales, marketing, and global hospitality brand relationships. He also served as the executive vice president of global sales at Amadeus Hospitality. Welcome to

Paul [00:02:41]:
the show, Paul. Thanks, Steve. Great to be here.

David Millili [00:02:43]:
So we're gonna go through a couple areas. We're gonna go through a lightning round, get to know about your background, dive into your career, and then jump into some industry topics. Sound good? Sounds good, David. Thanks.

Paul [00:02:54]:
All right.

David Millili [00:02:54]:
Here we go. What was your first job?

Paul [00:02:56]:
Alright. First job in hospitality, that would be being a DOS Delphi sales and catering installer traveling around the world trying to help hoteliers move from a manual process to doing things in software about 30 years ago, actually. Wow.

David Millili [00:03:10]:
What's your favorite city? I gotta go with Boston. Good. Best piece of advice you've ever received?

Paul [00:03:15]:
Assume the best in people.

David Millili [00:03:17]:
You could trade places with someone for a day. Who would you trade places with?

Paul [00:03:20]:
Oh, gosh. You know, I'd say Scottie Scheffler, but probably not today. But, you know, I I I'd like to be him on a day when he wins the masters, but not this morning. He had a rough morning.

David Millili [00:03:31]:
Got it. Alright. So if you had your own late night talk show, who would the first guest be on that show?

Paul [00:03:36]:
I gotta go with, Tom Brady to try to redo that that roast and give him, to do to do that he deserves and not not what happened with Kevin Hart the other night.

David Millili [00:03:45]:
If you had a time machine, are you going to the future? Are you going to the past? And what year are you going to?

Paul [00:03:51]:
Okay. I I would definitely go future. And, you know, I've got 3 kids, so I'll probably go out about 10 years and do some analysis and then see if I can then come back and do some course correction, see how things are going.

Steve Carran [00:04:02]:
Good. Oh, that was great, Paul. That was great. So now we're gonna learn a little bit more about your background, what makes you tick. So I noticed that you lived in New Hampshire since college. Did you grow up in New Hampshire? The the Boston is a favorite city would kind of explain that.

Paul [00:04:19]:
I've lived in 2 places. Well, 3, technically. I I've I've really lived in New Hampshire, but I also lived in Hong Kong as a teenager, came back to New Hampshire, went to school, and then I lived in Singapore for a couple of years too. So I'm kind of a New Hampshire or New England guy and a and an Asia guy.

Steve Carran [00:04:35]:
So how did that Mitch of being a New Hampshire and Asian guy, how did that really shape you into who you are today?

Paul [00:04:42]:
Well, they're so similar. Aren't they?

Steve Carran [00:04:43]:
I Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.

Paul [00:04:45]:
You know, it it's interesting. I think that as a teenager, when I had the opportunity to live there, it really opened my mind. And it it did change my life later because, my dad lived over there, and I had the opportunity to go live with him and just meet different people from all over the world that, you know, I did was not meeting in New England for sure. So that kinda led to me once I had started my career an opportunity to move to Asia. I had an open mind because I had been there and saw that my father did it and, just opened my mind to the world. I will say, you know, New Hampshire is a small state, 1,300,000 people. But, I love it here. A great place to raise a family, but I love to travel, and and I certainly love going to Asia.

David Millili [00:05:19]:
So you graduated from UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics with a degree in Spanish. How did the Spanish get in there? How did that come about?

Paul [00:05:30]:
Well, Spanish was my minor. So I was a I was a, a business administration with a focus on marketing. And then, yeah, Spanish probably doesn't belong anywhere in my profile. I I did take it for 8 years, but it was never fluent.

Steve Carran [00:05:42]:
So I gotta ask, when I lived in Washington DC, my roommates were from Exeter, New Hampshire, both big Boston sports fans as well. What is your favorite Boston sports moment that you've either been to or, I guess, so far in your life?

Paul [00:05:59]:
Steve, it's a good time for that question. First off, I'll just go ahead and acknowledge that Boston sports fans can be a little obnoxious, and we have to own that.

Steve Carran [00:06:06]:
I would say so.

Paul [00:06:06]:
You know, we don't we don't have our colleges. We don't have our d one great colleges, so we get a little obsessive about our professional sports up here. And we tend to go right through from hockey, which the Bruins have game 6 tonight against Florida. Celtics are going to the Eastern Conference finals. We know about the patriots legacy. Everybody hates them. We love them. And, you know, last but not least, we obsess about our red sox.

Paul [00:06:26]:
So, yeah, it's a lot. But, you know, favorite moment was the 1st Super Bowl for the patriots that just never seemed possible. In terms of been to, I went to an ASA championship with my my kids. And strangely, my oldest who's 21 is a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. And we went to that game, and we came back. And I I think he left in tears, but dad was very happy.

Steve Carran [00:06:46]:
Wow. I I was actually in Houston for the 28 to 3 comeback. And at halftime, the Falcons fans were going nuts. And my buddies who are Patriots fans were pretty upset, but that turned around one of the most crazy situations I've ever been in.

Paul [00:07:02]:
You've witnessed the better, you know, live moment than me. That's incredible. So lucky you got for that.

Steve Carran [00:07:08]:
I wasn't at the Super Bowl. I was at at a bar close by, but it still was a crazy atmosphere. But I

Paul [00:07:13]:
like you were there probably. Yeah.

Steve Carran [00:07:14]:
Yeah. It did. It was nuts. But, well, that was great. Now we're gonna get into your career a little bit, how you got to where you are today. So you were the director of sales at Newmarket International, then the executive vice president of sales at Passkey, which got acquired by Cvent. What did you learn in those earlier years that helps you in your current role at plus grade?

Paul [00:07:37]:
Oh, gosh. You know, actually, the time at Passkey was very similar to what I'm doing now. When I joined Passkey, it was a it was a software for group reservations that was in convention and visitors bureaus that did housing for citywide events. I was hired to build out the hospitality business and see if we could get hotels to use that system for events as small as a wedding or to a a a large conference and have a private booking engine where you could almost take group to more of a a leisure experience where people could extend their stay or upgrade their room type. But I will tell you it was hard. We the company who was kind of around the time when y two k was big and people were burning through capital and the Siri you know, the company had 4 rounds of funding, and we wanted a 5th. They gave us very little and said make it work, and I and I and I don't think our investors thought we were gonna make it. But it was a long process.

Paul [00:08:27]:
But, you know, hotel by hotel, we grew that business. We ended up working with all the major chains in Vegas casinos. They took 13 years, but we had a successful exit with Vista, who eventually put Pasky together with Cvent. But what a great experience to learn, you know, to to hang in there and and, just go, you know, one day at a time, property by property. My time here at Plusgrade is also similar where we're we're kind of a startup within a very successful company in terms of hospitality ancillaries. We did acquire a a company called Upstate out of Tel Aviv about a year and a half ago. Really great energy, very customer centric, but small. And and my time at Paseke helps me understand kinda what it takes to build something and especially in in hospitality upselling.

Paul [00:09:08]:
So a lot of competition. Some companies have been at it for 2 decades. So, you know, we really have to kinda carve out what's unique about us and the strength of our parent company with Plus Grade and and Points and their success in air cruise and rail really helps. And I kinda, you know, as to your question, leverage what I learned, from the startup and then trying to harness the power of the the mother ship as well.

David Millili [00:09:27]:
Yeah. I think it was in your guys' office, past key offices, maybe 2,001. But, yeah, those were those were the days, all the the .coms and everyone was just trying to figure it out.

Paul [00:09:37]:
Was that Quincy, Massachusetts, David? Was that No kidding. No kidding.

David Millili [00:09:42]:
I ran a booking engine company. We we didn't do groups, and we were trying to figure out maybe there was a partnership. And it it didn't work, but it was still it was still a great time to always meet, like you said, the small companies, that whole startup vibe was incredible because it was like nobody had seen that before. So that was great. So you're another portion of your careers, and we went over it in the intro, you you were EVP at of sales at Amadeus, chief commercial officer at Birch Street. From that time, is there, like, a a proud moment or something, an accomplishment that really, you know, sticks with you?

Paul [00:10:13]:
Man, let's see. You know, I I would say the moments that stand out are just the the incredible team at Amadeus going back. So I was at Newmarket for, really, I would say, formative time of my career where over 8 years, I had 5 jobs from leading Asia Pacific to going to lead sales. Company was growing so fast. Those are the early software days of DOS systems moving to Windows and migrating. I think just the relationships, that was a really special time, kind of getting to know the folks there. 13 years later after I left and went to Pasky and came back, so many people were still there. It was amazing.

Paul [00:10:47]:
You know, people that never left, yet their careers had grown, and they had families and got married, and it was like a homecoming. It was just so phenomenal to work with those people, and it was 5 minutes from my house. Love that. But I will I will confess, it was Amadeus at that point. It was a much bigger company, and I missed building something like I had done at at Pasky. And and I I think Burst Street offered an opportunity to really, instill some process and some rigor and professionalism into their sales and marketing. So it was really fun to know that every day mattered. And, of course, then COVID happens, and we have to start over.

Paul [00:11:22]:
But, you know, I I really enjoy building something, and I and I think that's what Berg Street, offered. And we recapped the company 3 years later for a 4 x evaluation when I joined, and I was very, very proud of that.

Steve Carran [00:11:33]:
That's awesome. Now you're the SVP and CRO at Plusgrade. Tell us a little bit more. For those that don't know, tell us a little bit more about Plusgrade, what you all do, and a little bit more about what you're focused on as as a CRO.

Paul [00:11:47]:
Yeah. Yeah. Thanks, Steve. I didn't know plus grade. And in fact, I think a lot of people in this world have experienced plus grade without knowing that they have. You know, we are opaque for the most part. You say, book a flight. Maybe a week before that flight takes off, you have an opportunity to bid for an upgrade, whether that's, you know, a premium economy or a business class, block a seat next to you, block the row, all sorts of ways to personalize that experience.

Paul [00:12:09]:
So the company had built that capability over the last 15 years, brought it to cruise almost even more successfully because the conversion rate's even higher because I think people think, oh, wow. 7 days on a cruise ship, 7 hours on a flight. I really wanna be comfortable. Right? I want that that great accommodation. So and then we took it to rail. As a matter of fact, I was going to a Celtics game last week. I bid on an upgrade on my Amtrak to get out a coach to, go to the business class car. Of course, didn't win it, but it was still fun bidding for me and my boys, $15 a seat.

Paul [00:12:39]:
So, you know, that's kind of what we do. We we try to engage with a traveler at the right time to personalize and upgrade their experience. And that's the plus grade that people experience but maybe don't know that we're trying to bring into hospitality. And, of course, we're branded as our customers when they have those engagements, whether it was Amtrak or Royal Caribbean or Lufthansa, Emirates. But and also really interesting part of our business that I was not really very educated about is what we call Points. And Points was a public company we acquired a couple years ago, which is a loyalty currency platform. So the actual selling of loyalty commerce to a member, whether it's an honors, Bonvoy, Hyatt, that is something that we power for them to try to grow their loyalty platform and make those points valuable to their members. And one of the reasons I joined this company was to think about using points for the everyday little things you wanna do when you travel.

Paul [00:13:30]:
On Air Canada, it's buying Internet. It's the ability to make that loyalty currency so flexible and usable that it creates even more loyalty because it's more meaningful to you. So

Steve Carran [00:13:40]:
That's great. Now we're gonna go into a little bit more about the industry thoughts. What how PlusGreat is involved in hospitality. So, you know, how is Pluscrate helping travelers choose where to have a more personalized experience? That's one thing that every guest travel traveler wants more of these days is personalization. So how is PlusGreat helping with that?

Paul [00:14:02]:
Yeah. I think, Steve, there was a time when when people would book class to travel and it it was kind of what you got was what you got. And we see it changing everywhere in travel where what I maybe find valuable might be very different from what you do. And and maybe what I find valuable on a business trip is very different than when I'm traveling with my family. And I think the industry is making great strides there. I I think first and foremost, it's important for folks to have a a strategy that touches guests or or travelers at all different times because not all of us book the same way. Some people maybe at the initial time of booking are gonna go ahead and book a premium room or experience. Many others are thinking very much economically at that time.

Paul [00:14:42]:
They have to think about the entire cost of their their trip. So we first wanna help hotels engage at the right time for the right guests. So what we find is many folks are thinking maybe a week out, a few days out. Gosh, I I really wanna have a great stay. While I was thinking about the budget couple months ago when I booked this, maybe I've paid that credit card bill, and I'm really ready to to make sure I have the best possible stay. So we think pre stay, a few days out, is the ideal time. And then it's about engaging in the right way because the right way is different for folks. It might be a text.

Paul [00:15:14]:
It might be a WhatsApp. It could be an email offer. But it has to be so easily understood and actionable because we all get so much sent to us, and I think we make split second decisions on, am I even gonna open this or look at it? So, you know, a consolidated simple to understand action. And let's face it. Some people aren't gonna even open that. And then maybe at the front desk, there's another opportunity to engage engage in the right way, hopefully. And then maybe during this day, if I didn't upgrade at front desk, I can get a text, or I can find out maybe I could get a late checkout, or I could extend. So I think that the leaders out there are trying to figure out how to engage in the right way throughout the entire journey, personalize it, make sure it doesn't feel like a nickel and dime, and that's tricky.

Paul [00:15:56]:
Right? There is there's a tendency to, when you say personalized, charge for little things. Sometimes people feel like that way. So it's allowing people to pay for the things they see value in, I would say.

Steve Carran [00:16:06]:
And kinda timely with with our conversation today, I was reading an article yesterday by the COO of Sage Hospitality, Patrick Polke. He was talking about how hotels are missing opportunities when it comes to ancillary revenue compared to airlines, cruises, you know, railways, things like that. How can hotels maybe how can they improve capturing more of the ancillary revenue and maybe what can they borrow from these other sectors that are doing it better?

Paul [00:16:38]:
Yeah. Good question. I I you know, to your point, I think in about a year period tripled ancillary revenue, which is amazing, and I think we're making progress. You hear a lot about total RevPAR, RevPAR now, and hospitality. I think sometimes the really big the big enterprises are are they have a tougher time moving. Right? Their scale and their their challenges. However, I would say they also have the power of their loyalty currency to try to to use that for personalizing. But there's a lot of great software out there, not just my company.

Paul [00:17:06]:
There's a lot of great opportunities to go and use a software to do that or, you know, engage with a front desk training or or platform that can train your folks to think about that. And and, you know, I think there's a there's a belief that some front desk people wouldn't wanna try to upsell. But if they're trained on how to do it, maybe it feels like you're actually taking better care of that guest and enlightening to them about how they could have a better stay. So there's a lot of things hotels can do, and I think it's about focus. You know, there's a great return on on trying to drive ancillary revenue, creative things that maybe hotels haven't thought of. And that's it's not just room upgrades. It's products. It's services.

Paul [00:17:45]:
Maybe it's a bottle of wine at check-in. We're seeing a lot of focus on early check ins and late checkouts. You hear about people let's say you're flying over the Atlantic. You live at 5 AM in London. Many people buy a room the night before just so they can get to the room. Well, why shouldn't I be able to get an early check-in? And I and I think the days of a hotel, you know, perishable experience from 4 PM to 11 AM the next day, I think those are gonna really get challenged. You know, why why does it have to be that way? And if we have technology that can help, maybe we can operationally adjust so we can accommodate the hours that maybe a guest wants. So there's just so much opportunity for it.

Paul [00:18:20]:
Technology is just a part of it. It's a mindset. It's training, and it's a willingness to, for folks to take the time in a industry that feels a little bit labor strapped and are trying to do a lot with maybe scarce resources.

David Millili [00:18:33]:
So in our industry, there seems to be a little bit of shift. So for example, next month there is high-tech and there's the Commercial Strategy Conference, which used to be rock. And the concept there is how do you bring marketing and revenue management together? So how do you see PlusGrid kind of leveraging I have some thoughts, but how do you see it leveraging some of the revenue management tools to make sure that you're offering the right offers to guests?

Paul [00:19:02]:
Yeah. David, I I actually think this is a great change, by the way. I you know, as as somebody, and I think we have this in common, it's sometimes hard to to find the right folks who have the purview to really kinda go beyond a certain discipline. And and I think that this commercial strategy versus dividing out marketing and rev is a great way to do it. There's all the talk about AI and this how AI is gonna change the job of a revenue manager. Well, I think it will change the job. It's gonna equip them, but it might kinda get more into marketing and partnering with marketing and and touching guests with the the ammo of AI with a really strong marketing, you know, acumen. So I I think kind of the 2 coming together is a real opportunity for folks who who are trying to drive revenue, but do it in a way that's really effective, which requires good marketing and good messaging and understanding that whole guests are different and they wanna be engaged differently and you have to be good at all these things.

David Millili [00:19:55]:
I agree a 100%. And are there any best practices, you know, and maybe it's more on the hotel side, some some things at plus grade that you guys, you know, tell hotels to champion and make sure that they're doing to really see more more success in leveraging the technology.

Paul [00:20:09]:
Yeah. I think there's something we do really unique here is where we we invite everybody to bid on an upgrade even if there's no upgraded rooms available. And at first, I think people scratch their head a little bit and say, well, are you setting them up for disappointment? And I would say that, you know, it's a fair question, but if you can at least establish engagement with that guest and understand what they perceive the value of an upgraded room to be, what if there's a cancellation? So, yeah, maybe you could put them in, but you can also understand what is the perception of the value of these upgraded rooms so your pricing strategy can change. That's something that we've done in airline and in cruise, and we really feel like that engagement does create a different experience for a guest. And they're actually their their opinion is seen as valued. And it's interesting. I get challenged sometimes by really high end luxury hoteliers that say, oh, we would never want our guests to bid. And my response is, well, the wealthiest people in the world love to bid.

Paul [00:21:01]:
We we have we have airline customers that are are bidding on $25,000 first class seats. So they go to auctions. They buy art. So they love to to tell you what they think something is worth. And I and I also think there's no major hotel company out there that has a homogeneous set of guests. Right? They're also different in age and ethnicity. In every way, they're different. So let's engage with guests and give them an opportunity to have a say.

Paul [00:21:28]:
And I think that's a very unique thing that we do, and what we find is once someone has bid, they bid again. And sometimes they're more likely to book the premium accommodation at the onset because they've experienced, a better, whether it's an airline seat or suite at the hotel.

David Millili [00:21:44]:
Yeah. That was the biggest mistake when I took over Pegasus. The owner said to me, just so you know, when you travel, you can you can travel on the front of the plane. So I had that free pass. And then after you get a taste of that, you're just like, like, I gotta figure out how to get back up there because I don't wanna be in the back. So anyway

Paul [00:22:01]:
What that so we've got the data where once someone has upgraded, 20% of them, I think, book premium and and cruise anyway. And, you know, they're exactly that. I think we all know if you take your significant other with you and you give them the experience of the the premium seat, next time they're gonna want that for sure.

Steve Carran [00:22:19]:
That's true. I upgraded, my wife and I's first to 1st class one time, and now it's, oh, are we gonna do that again? Every flight after that, which maybe I shouldn't have done that. But you mentioned AI, and that's such a hot topic in hospitality right now. How is AI changing and contributing to, you know, the space you're in? And how do you see AI changing hospitality technology and hotels as a whole? This

Paul [00:22:44]:
is a great question. Huge question. And it it comes up with all of our engagements. And I, you know, I I certainly on pricing, and I and I think that's the first and foremost. It's understanding that there there's so many variables that have to be processed in a short amount of time, and AI can allow us to do that. So we have really well through thought through, strategies on coming up with price, and I'm I'm sure David will attest to that. And then I I think it's also just looking at, for us, data across different areas of travel and see what we can learn and apply things from air or cruise or rail. And who knows what we get into next, but just understanding data across different segments and being able to see, oh, okay.

Paul [00:23:27]:
Should that, what kind of behaviors will that indicate? And, you know, without AI, I don't know how you do that. I I think it takes humans to really look at that data and come up with thoughtful strategies, But we're seeing it we're seeing it now in in hospitality with incredibly sophisticated rate strategies, and, it's exciting time. It really is. I I you know, you back to your question about the future, can't wait to see what AI has done and even 5 years from now. You know? I think sometimes hospitality is pegged as being a laggard when it comes to technology, but I I think there's an opportunity here where we can really challenge that.

Steve Carran [00:24:01]:
I agree with you a 100%. So, you know, we've been asking you questions this whole time, Paul. You're probably sick of answering questions. So we're gonna turn the tables a little bit and let you ask David and I a question.

Paul [00:24:13]:
Oh, I like it. Who's the favorite guest you've ever had on your podcast and why?

David Millili [00:24:19]:
Well, we it's funny. We get the last episode, hasn't aired yet, but we get asked the same question. And we both diplomatically said, you know, we've had moments. And so I guess I'll have to pick a different moment now because I don't wanna have a repeat. So I think I I won't give you one moment. I'll give you a moment. So as you spoke about sports and Boston fans, I'm from outside Philly. So I'm the guy where my nephew wore a Tom Brady jersey one Sunday, and I didn't I didn't I asked people where he was at.

David Millili [00:24:50]:
I said, has anybody seen Derek? And they're like, he's right there. I'm like, I don't see him. Where is he at? So as we've interviewed guests and they've they're they're from the South Jersey, Philadelphia area, that connection that somebody knows what a Wawa is, somebody that knows that Bob's Grill on the Ocean City Boardwalk, in New Jersey, those are the moments for me that are just kinda cool because, you know, you just you always love that connection to home, whether it be food or a a location or something of that nature. So that that's my favorite moments when we have people from the Philadelphia, South Jersey area.

Paul [00:25:22]:
It was so funny you said that. And by the way, when I when I really learned to self reflect about Boston sports fans, it it was me targeting Philly fans as being the most obnoxious Oh, yeah. And then saying, you know what? Maybe Boston's just as bad. You know?

David Millili [00:25:35]:
Yeah. Well, I I I'll give you one moment where I was at a a Eagles Packers game, and we were this is 2004, the year we went to the Super Bowl and lost to you guys. But there was a guy coming up, and everybody was screaming like, a hole, a hole, because he had a pack like a Brett Favre of jersey. And here, he had, like, a little girl with him in, like, a little Packers cheer. And I'm and you just feel so bad. You're like, oh, but nope. I can see the little girl. But you didn't.

David Millili [00:25:59]:
You're just like, oh. And you're like, oh, that's why we get our reputation.

Steve Carran [00:26:02]:
Man, that's so funny. My dad took my sister to a Packers Philadelphia game and was saying how terrible the fans were.

David Millili [00:26:08]:
Yeah. So Exactly.

Steve Carran [00:26:09]:
Weird coincidence. I'm gonna change up my answer. I'm gonna go so we I don't Bashar Wally came on, and when he travels, he has a thing about water pressure in his hotels. So he brings a wrench or some type of tool with him all the time. So if the water pressure isn't strong enough, he'll take apart the shower and, you know, make it stronger. And I just remember laughing so hard because he would talk about going through security with these different tools. And they're like, what are you doing with this? And he's like, look, I just have a weird thing with water pressure. Just let me take it.

Steve Carran [00:26:47]:
And he's like, half the time they took it, half the time they don't. But that was one of my favorite stories I remember. But I think that's that's my favorite part about this podcast is finding these personal stories or, you know, finding you know, asking questions which reveals these great stories or, you know, fun things about about our guests. But that was that was definitely one of the ones that sticks out.

Paul [00:27:08]:
That's a good one. You just reminded me. I I back in my past few days early on, we were we were trying to sell, you know, events that had major draw in bowling. We were selling directly to, like, the US Bowling Congress. And I went out to Milwaukee and was, you know, working on that, and they gave me a really special bowling pin to bring back. And I was going to the Milwaukee airport. It had some signatures on it, and and it got confiscated at at TSA. And I'm like, come on.

Paul [00:27:33]:
A bowling a 10 pin bowling pin? What am I what am I gonna do with that?

Steve Carran [00:27:36]:
In Milwaukee? Yes. Man, I I have flown with so many things through that airport. I can't believe next time I'm there, I'll ask about your bowling pin for it.

Paul [00:27:44]:
Maybe it's still there in lost and found, and you you could capture it for me.

Steve Carran [00:27:48]:
They're usually so nice in that airport. Like, they're Milwaukee TSA people. They're usually pretty nice, but we'll get it for you. We'll get it for you. So that was great. So our producer, John, he's been listening the whole time, and we're gonna hand it off to him for the final question here.

Paul [00:28:04]:
Alright. So you've got a pretty, extensive background working with hospitality companies and in the hospitality industry. I'm curious, what's your favorite moment, working just in the industry and why? Favorite moment? Wow. You know, I I think I'm gonna answer this. I'm gonna do a little twist on it. I early in my career, I was probably maybe around 30 years old at that point, and I had spent some time. And I felt like, oh my gosh. I'm gonna get pigeonholed.

Paul [00:28:28]:
I'm never gonna be able to work in any other industry. I'm only gonna be a hospitality guy. So, John, I left for, a period of 8 weeks. I took a job as a head of sales for another software company that was in a different vertical. I'll go ahead and say what it was. It was in construction. Heavy heavy civil construction estimating software. And I went to the world of concrete in New Orleans.

Paul [00:28:48]:
So, you know, early into it and said to myself, why am I afraid of being in hospitality for the rest of my career? And after those 8 weeks, I took the job at Passkey, and I would never ever leave it. I I love working in hotel. I love working with hoteliers. I just think they're so fun and that they're great people. I've always just enjoyed the opportunity to bring technology forward as a way to help improve their operations. So really hard for me to to answer that with a one event, but I did wanna share that I did try to step out and thought, you know what? The grass was not greener. I I just I love being in this industry, and the the different products I've done have made it really fun and diverse. But I I I do think too when you the the best moments are it's after you've made the sale and a customer has implemented it and they really see results that they can take to their owners or their board and show, look how I invested.

Paul [00:29:42]:
Look at this project. It was hard, but look at the success of it. And that feels great because that's that's just, you know, really making lives better. And, hopefully, maybe they're they're spending less hours in the office, more time with their families, and, you know, they're getting some real value out of, the solution that you provided.

David Millili [00:29:57]:
Paul, this is where we give you the opportunity to plug away, let people know how they can find out more about PulseGrid, how they can connect with you.

Paul [00:30:04]:
Yeah. Please do. I you know, we're we're at a point where we wanna talk to everyone about their revenue, their ancillary revenue strategies and whether it is pre stay, front desk, during stay, whether it's a brand, whether it's an independent, I can be reached at paul.randtilla@plusgrade.com. We got a great website, Plusgrade, so p l u s g r a d e. And, yeah, please reach out directly, and we'd love to engage and see if we can help you.

David Millili [00:30:30]:
Well, that does it for another episode of the Modern Hotelier. So, whether you're watching or listening, we appreciate you and we'll see you again soon. Thank you.

Paul [00:30:38]:
Thank you for the opportunity, guys. Really appreciate it.

Steve Carran [00:30:41]:
Thank you, Paul.

Sponsors [00:30:42]:
Heading to Charlotte for the HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference next week. Connect with Paul and his team at the event to learn more about how you can drive revenue and deliver excellent experiences for your hotel guests. You can find Paul Rentilla, SVP and CRO of hospitality ancillary at plus grade, and his team at their booth in the Crown Ballroom. Turn right when you enter the room, and look out for the friendly PlusGrade team. Stop by to learn more about PlusGrade's comprehensive data driven hospitality upselling platform. Their solutions seamlessly integrate with hotel operations, enhancing guest experiences, and driving revenue growth. Transform every guest interaction into an opportunity for excellence. You can schedule a meeting with Paul by emailing him atpaul.rantella@plusgrade.com.

Steve Carran [00:31:30]:
You made it to the end of the Modern Hotelier. Thanks for listening. The Modern Hotelier is produced by Make More Media. Make sure to like and subscribe if you're listening on YouTube or subscribe wherever you get your podcast. If you know a guest or sponsor that would be a good fit, feel free to email us at hello at the modernhotelier.com. If you'd like to get some Modern Hotelier merch, click the merch button on modernhotelier.com or click the link below. Thanks, and have a great day.