The Modern Hotelier #164: Inside the Biggest Independent Hotel Brand, Preferred Hotels & Resorts | with Lindsey Ueberroth
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Steve Carran: Welcome to another episode of The Modern Hotelier. Today we are joined by Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO of Preferred Hotels and Resorts. David, what were some of your favorite takeaways from this conversation?
David Millili: Well, the one thing is that we've had a lot of people on the program that have traveled a lot and been to a lot of places. I think she might be in the number one seating right now after listening to her. So I think her story is great on how. Now, you know, she's traveled the world. the story behind, uh, her family acquiring preferred is amazing and, uh, I thought it was a great episode.
Steve Carran: Yeah, I agree with you. Like she really embodies what it means to travel, and she knows all the trends, not even just from traveling, but. Being a CEO of preferred hotel. we saw kind of how she has been ahead of things like sustainability ahead on loyalty. She's almost seems like she is one of the trendsetters in our industry where she kind of has an idea of where things are going before they get there. So this conversation was one of my favorites, especially around luxury independent hotels. So enjoy this conversation and let us know what you think.
David Millili: Enjoy it. 
David Millili: Welcome to The Modern Hotelier Hospitality's Most Engaged podcast. I'm David Millili. 
Steve Carran: I'm Steve Carran.
Jon Bumhoffer: And I'm Jon Bumhoffer.
David Millili: Steve, who do we have on the program today? 
Steve Carran: Yeah, David. Today we have on Lindsay Berro. Lindsey is the CEO of Preferred Hotels and Resorts. She leads the world's largest independent hotel brand, representing more than 650 distinctive properties across 85 countries. Lindsay focuses on global growth. Brand strategy and empowering independent hotels to thrive in a competitive marketplace. Welcome to the show, Lindsey.
Lindsey Ueberroth: It's great to see you both. I'm thrilled to be here.
David Millili: Okay, so we're gonna go through a couple different areas. We're gonna go through a real quick lightning round of questions. We're gonna get into your personal background, your career, and then we're gonna dive into some industry topics. Sound good? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Sounds great
David Millili: All right, here we go. What is something that you wish you were better at? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Cooking,
David Millili: Okay. What's the most used app on your phone? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: DoorDash.
David Millili: What's a, what's a luxury you can't live without? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: I really like valet parking
David Millili: Good. what superpower would you want if you could have one? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Time travel.
David Millili: That's cool. What's the best piece of advice you've received in your career or life? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: If it's not a hell yes, it's a hell no. ' cause I don't believe in hell Maybe.
David Millili: And who is your favorite band or artist? I. That's good. 
Steve Carran: Very well done. So now we're gonna go into your background a little bit more about your details. Uh, so you were born in Tarzana, California and grew up in the. San Fernando Valley, is that correct?
Lindsey Ueberroth: Yeah, for the first, I guess, 11 years of my life, I, I could have been a, a valley girl.
Steve Carran: How did that shape you into who you are today? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: It's so interesting. I mean, it was a very nice area to grow up in. You know, I look back on that part of my life and it was very consistent and predictable, and you know played on soccer teams and T-ball. It was really, I think what really started to shape me was actually when, when I started moving, because I was actually a really shy child, which nobody believes me now when, you know, when I say shy, very painfully shy. Like I had a second grade teacher who used to pretend to widen, wind me up, you know, to get me to speak. So, I mean, I was painfully shy and had people that kind of speak on my behalf. So I really started to evolve once we started moving.
David Millili: That's great. That's perfect segue. So one of your earliest, earliest travel memories is a trip to Tahiti, and then in eighth grade, your parents took you and your brother outta school. For months and you traveled the world. Can you tell us about that and what experiences you had during that trip? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Yeah, that was an incredible trip. I mean, it's funny now, I wish I'd appreciated it differently when I was that age. You know, I think, you know, eighth grade's, one of those pivotal years where you think your parents are ruining your life because they wanna take you outta school and travel the world. And you know, now I look back on it and think, this was obviously before social media, so you were definitely more detached. But we literally started in Siberia. You know, we started in Siberia, we took the Siberian Express, you know, into the, into the Soviet Union. We traveled through parts of the world that don't even really exist anymore.
You know, it was the Soviet Union, now it was Eastern Lock. You know, we went through Checkpoint Charlie. You know, I had opportunities to, my parents were running a YPO event in China, and I went to, you know, an international school for two weeks while they were doing that. You know, when I reflect on that experience, I mean, it really was transformative And, you know, we, we hit every continent and it was, you know, just, it was, it's, I said it was something you could never repeat because a lot of those, those countries have, have evolved and changed so dramatically since then.
So, said I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I do now at the time, but, I'm very thankful that my parents did that. 'cause it also, you know, I think really helped my, my brother and I really mature. You know, we, we got a lot of confidence, which I, I do think comes with traveling, especially as a child. You know, just that ability to explore and, connect with different cultures and people was really quite tremendous.
Steve Carran: Very cool. Very cool. So you got your degree from Wake Forest in communications, you know, from going to being a almost a valley girl. How did you end up on the East Coast and what made you choose to major in communications? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: You know, it's a really funny story. So I went to high school in Hawaii. So initially when I was looking at, when I was looking at colleges, I started looking the west coast. But then, um. This is funny 'cause a lot of people from Hawaii, they either stay in Hawaii or they go far, far away, like the East Coast.
So I was looking at a lot of East Coast schools. My parents were really smart. They took me during the dead of winter though, to look at schools. So that dramatically changed my lens in terms of what, you know, where I wanted to go and, where cousin actually was going to Vanderbilt at the time. and so it kind of opened my eyes to, to going to school in the south and ended up visiting Wake Forest on a. I called an opportune day. It was during Greek week, and there was a lot of really fun things happening on campus. And I think that just like made me fall in love with the concept of not only southern, you know, southern schools, but Wake Forest in particular 'cause it just looked like a lot of fun at the time.
you know, in terms of communications, I don't really recall why. I just remember that. You know, I just tended to gravitate towards the type of classes, that were part of that, that major. And, I guess that's, that's why I don't know.
Steve Carran: That's great. That's great.
David Millili: So your father John and your uncle Peter, they own the transportation consultants International TCI and then. Which they later acquired. Ask Mr. Foster Travel Agency, how did this shape you in the way that you got into travel and how you view travel as a whole? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: I mean. We just traveled a lot as, as a family because of, you know, my, my father and my uncle being, being in that industry. So I just remember, you know, traveling from a very, very young age. But what, what's so interesting about it? So it was, it was just part of our DNA and as we did, you know. I always tell people that when we traveled, we didn't do a lot of the predictable things that people might do in terms of checking the boxes of, of sites.
You know, we would do site visits of hotels, you know, I mean, I remember, I remember doing a lot of hotel visits and, and having access to some really unique things because of, of, of my dad's career or, but interestingly, I graduated from college with no intention of going into the travel industry.
You know, we didn't have a family business at the time. I went to work for. Anderson Consulting, which is now Accenture Consulting, and change management, which, you know, I was good at 'cause I moved a lot and went through a lot of change in my life. but I, I, I think even when it, when I kind of fast forward to where I'm now, I think it was just 'cause travel was always a part of my life.
You know, it was always really important to, to us as a family and something that, that we did and relished and enjoyed.
Steve Carran: That's great, and I love your love that you said you didn't do a lot of traditional travel because you've traveled to over a hundred different countries and every continent except Antarctica. You haven't crossed Antarctica off your list yet? Not yet. I know you well, I know you, so I have to ask this. We have people come on this show, you know, who do travel often, but where is your most underrated place that you have been? Where you left, and you're like, that blew away my expectations. I was not expecting that.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Oh, gosh. That's a great question. Underrated. that's a really hard question. I, I mean, there's, there's places that I could say, I think that. Have a lot of misconception around it. I mean, I love India. India is one of my top three places in the world to visit. I tell people if they wanna go with me, it's like a money back guarantee. 'cause I believe it'll change their life.
But I think it's a very misunderstood country. Um, I think a lot of people say. You know, I, you watch movies and I think that they just have one perception of it, and I don't think they understand that the, the depth of it. That there's, you've got oceans and deserts and, and you know, lakes and, you know, I mean, it's just, it's very diverse and you can do, I mean, you can go on Tiger Safaris and, you know, there's just so much to it.
I've probably gone India 15 times and I would continue to go back. So, I mean, I think it's more about maybe a destination that, I just think that. Said, misunderstood. I had not underrated. So I put that on top of my list,
Steve Carran: That's fair. So you said that was in the top three. What are the other two?
Lindsey Ueberroth: Southern Africa. And I put that because obviously there's a lot of different countries in Southern Africa. Uh, I've always said it leaves an imprint on your heart and soul to go though. And then the third, it goes back and forth. But I'd probably put New Zealand in that. I,
Steve Carran: Okay.
Lindsey Ueberroth: I did find it just a beautiful country with a lot of diversity and it was fun 'cause I drove from south to north, so, you know, I felt like it was one giant Microsoft screensaver that I was witnessing.
Steve Carran: That's incredible. I think this is the first time people have said New Zealand. If I was a betting man, I would've said like Japan or something like that, because everybody who goes to Japan loves it. But New Zealand, first time to make it on the show, so.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Oh good.
Steve Carran: Yeah. So now we have a new tip for our listeners. So, that was great, Lindsay. Now we're gonna dive into your career a little bit more, how you got to be the CEO of Preferred Hotels and Resorts. So, you mentioned this, but after you graduated, you began your career as a management consultant at. Anderson Consulting, which is now Accenture. you then joined Ambassadors International, which was a global meeting and incentives company As an account executive, what did those early days teach you that you still take with you today?
Lindsey Ueberroth: You know, the change management part was really interesting, you know, because I was young, I was a college graduate and I was, in a division where the change management at that point in time was obviously about, there was a lot of systems implementations. I'm everybody that's old enough.
Remember when Y 2K was gonna come and the world was gonna stop? And so we were doing a lot of of systems implementations and the change management piece. What was interesting, being young, I was working with a lot of people that were a lot older, older than me. but I definitely learned the art of just listening, you know, really just listening, asking a lot of questions.
That was a lot of what I had to do because it was really facilitating what. What were the challenges? What were people concerned about as it related to the change that was gonna happen? and I was implementing a lot of training, so the art of listening and asking good questions is what I learned from that.
Because especially being young and a lot of people, I think the tendency would've been to discredit, you know, what do you know? but I, I, I sort of became a glorified therapist in some ways. But a lot of, a lot of good lessons just from that. Just the, the ability to just listen and, Has served me well throughout my career.
then at Ambassadors, you know, that was, incentive travel I think is a really fun industry to be in because you're working with a lot of diverse companies that are obviously trying to, drive sales and incentivize their customers or associates through travel programs.
Right. You know, you hit this goal and we're gonna take you on this incredible trip. what I loved about it was learning that every business is interesting, like I said, whether it was car dealerships, radio stations, manufacturing companies that you really understanding how their business works and then the art of incentivizing people, have found so interesting. And so that's why, again, I think it goes back to asking questions, being curious, and then the art of motivation and, what makes people tick. And there's something about travel that gets people really motivated, especially if their spouse knows that they can go on a trip that's even more powerful.
So, I think that's also where I just always realized, you know, the power of travel more so than cash incentives or gifts. that that was also something that that resonated with me deep deeply. That has obviously benefited me as I've moved a across and through my career.
David Millili: In 2004, your company, I'm sorry, your acquired preferred hotel. Take us through what that process was like and what were the early days like after acquiring, acquiring preferred. 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Sure. I mean, it was interesting to probably, to put it in perspective, why was preferred even. For sale, I guess you could say. 'cause preferred originally when it was founded was, um, member owned. So the hotels were actually the shareholders in, in, in the company which was great. Now as the, you know, company grew, um, it was really almost operated like a not-for-profit, right?
Because, you know, you've got shareholders at the member hotels. after nine 11 happened, when the travel industry was obviously in. Quite a bit of turmoil. the company got into financial trouble. So at that point in time, that was when they were starting to look for somebody to buy or invest in, in the company.
And my father and and mother were approached, as potential, people to be interested. And at that point in time, my dad was still running Ambassadors International. And, that company decided to pass on it. And that was when we sat down as a family. And I still remember, you know. This is my version of it.
I made my parents say, I dunno if we exactly said this, but you know, sort of like, we think this is a great opportunity and we probably gonna spend your inheritance buying a company. What do you think? And my brother and I, I guess we're wiser than we thought, you know, so, well, it's really not our inheritance.
This is your money and we think it's, you know, an exciting opportunity. I fell hook, line, and sinker for it. My dad was smart. He never asked me to come work for the company. He just asked me to, to go on visits with him, you know? 'cause at that point in time he was, he was meeting with a lot of different hotels and trying to understand, um, what was working, where they found value, what wasn't working.
So it was interesting. I mean, definitely tapped into my, my change management skills in terms of really having to understand, what wasn't working and then how, how were we going to turn this around. I still remember going to the first. Global meeting that the company had had. Um, we were in London and my dad telling the story about why, why we decided to, to build the business.
And asking for the hotel members to give us, I think it was nine months, you know, to turn things around and give us the benefit of the doubt that, that we were the right people to be the new stewards of, of this company. And, it was interesting times, you know, there was a lot of things that.
My dad is really talented at turnarounds in change management as well. And you know, he took people that had been at the company and said, you know, you might be, a salesperson in Italy, and guess what? You just became a regional director. What does that mean? Well, that means you now have to go out and meet with every hotel in your region in the next 30 days, and you have to accomplish the, the following thing.
So, I mean, it was, it was a very fast paced process I remember, of that first year of just trying to, you know, get buy-in from the members. that not only were we gonna be the right. People to own and lead, but really to get to the heart of, except what was working and what wasn't, and how could we facilitate change really, really quickly. So I remember it being fun, interesting, challenging, daunting at times. But you know, it's obviously panned out. 
Steve Carran: Absolutely. And you became president and CEO, or you came, became president in 2010 and CEO in 2014. And under your guidance, the. A went through significant changes. They went through a rebranding in 2015, where Preferred Hotel Group became Preferred Hotels and Resorts, and you also introduced five new collections. What was the reason for the rebrand and can you tell us more about what all went into that?
Lindsey Ueberroth: It actually, the rebrand started 'cause we were gonna launch a new brand and I remember we worked with a gentleman named Robert Louis and. I have him to think for it because he came back 'cause we'd hired him. We wanted to launch this new brand kind of in that design space. And he says, you know, I think you're, you have an opportunity here.
He said, you know, all the major brands are continuing to launch new brands, right? And he said, there's so much clutter and so much confusion in it, and you have so much heritage in the preferred hotels and Resorts brand. It's like, I actually think you should retire. Several of your brands collapse it all.
Enter preferred, which has the greatest legacy and the, the greatest brand awareness, and then redefine and recategorize the hotels under these collections, which I think the travel trade is like, I just think people are gonna understand it better than launching another brand. And you, you know, you've gotta put so much behind that.
And so that was, that was the decision behind it, which. Now I'm so glad we did because it really did simplify things, like I said. So now all of your, your marketing spend and, and the, the language that goes behind it is talking about one brand. And the collections, as I said, were to define a type of luxury.
And, you know, we've used a lot of different analogies. You know, you can go from their ultra luxury for the legend collection to approachable luxury with lifestyle collection, but it's really about. More the way that people travel. And if you think about yourselves, and this is true of of myself, I might stay at a legend collection hotel for a special occasion or, you know some of them, you're willing to have that splurge and there's other times or certain markets where it just doesn't lend itself to have an ultra luxury hotel. So that's where a lifestyle property's great. Or maybe if you're traveling with your children and saying, do I really wanna spend $2,000 a night or is the two 50, you know, price point a little bit better for me? you know, so that's how the collections work. It really kind of runs across, they're all luxury properties. They're all full service. they all have all the right services and amenities, but different styles, different price points for different types of travel. 
David Millili: And you spearheaded the launch of I preferred Hotel rewards that program. So it's points based system that has become really kind of a key differentiator for preferred hotels. So how did that idea come to be and what makes you very passionate about that? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: It was one of the first things I remember when we bought the company and we were talking to our hotel partners that they felt. was an area of opportunity for us, you know, as independent hotels to compete against the chains and all of the chains have these loyalty programs. So that was really something that they felt that we needed to launch.
And when we first did it, we actually launched it not as a points-based program. It, it was a recognition program, but over time what we realized is it real, to be competitive, we really needed a points based program. And so that was to be competitive, meaning obviously you've got your corporate traveler who loves to amass their point so that the benefit of being a road warrior is that you get to then go stay somewhere nice on a personal vacation. but what's been unique and what's been fun about the evolution of this program is, you know, we really benchmarked it off of not what the chains were doing, but more along the lines of what, like an American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts program is doing.
Right. So, by nature of our hotels. It tends to gear skew a little bit more towards a leisure traveler, and or a c-suite executive, corporate traveler. So the demographics are a little bit different, it's not points where you amass points for a full free night stay. I mean, you can redeem for, uh, a credit that you can use towards your ho hotel stay, or towards.
Amenities and services on property. So it's allows a lot more flexibility from an earn and a burn standpoint. Um, we've introduced the points and points plus so you can, do points in cash. You know, we really tried to make the program a lot more flexible and a lot more transparent than, than some of the other traditional hotel loyalty programs.
If you were comparing us against, I'll call it your traditional chain model, so it's easier for the, for the traveler to redeem. It's much better for the hotel partners as well because, it actually doesn't drag down their a DR, which hotels care a lot about, you know, so it's not you're, hey, unless you're 85% full, you know, you get this rate, so there's a lot of benefits on both sides to the, the, the hotel, the hotel operator side, as well as the person earning and redeeming.
Steve Carran: That's great. So Preferred Hotels and Resorts, it now represents over 650 independent hotels, resorts, and residents across 85 different countries. What's been really the key, the key reason for growth that preferred has seen over the past few years.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Luckily, the world's a big place and there's always new destinations that are, that are popping up. So I mean, that, that lends itself to, to growth that we've been. I mean, if you look at our numbers, we've been very consistent in our growth, and there's no magic number. We're really trying to be thoughtful about how we grow and looking at, I call it the hub and spoke, you know, key city center markets, and then you look at the secondary, tertiary markets around it.
So, I mean, that's really how we, we look at destinations. and the good news is the independent segment has continued to grow. So I think with advent of the internet and people having a lot more access to information, and the travelers being a lot more aligned with it, the independent hotel experience, you know, it's, I said, travel's now a reflection upon how people look at themselves.
Right. So it's almost like a values alignment and, and where they wanna stay as a reflection of that. And the independent hotels, like I said, because they're so. They're just, that they're independent, they're authentic, they're very unique to their destination. There's nothing cookie cutter about them and you've got hotel owners and operators who are much more sophisticated and understand that, that they can run an independent hotel, successfully, especially when they have a partner like Preferred Hotels and Resorts. It gives them that access and the scale and allows them to plug into a network, but without all the rigidity, of being a part of.
Again, maybe a traditional chain model where you know, this is the bi bed you have to buy. These are the certain ways that you have to operate. you know, so there's been just been a lot of growth in that. We've seen a lot of hotel owners de flag for major chains and go independent. and it's just, it's just a lot more viable option than, than it used to be. So that obviously lends itself to a lot of growth as well. 
Steve Carran: That's great. So now we're gonna dive into the industry thoughts section of the podcast. one thing, I mean, great timing on this conversation. But preferred just came out with the luxury travel report. what was your biggest takeaway from that report and how is preferred set up to succeed from kind of whatever stick out to you? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: There was so many great nuggets from, from this report. So it was really, really fun to get it. so there was kind of, there was five key takeaways, and we'll put 'em in buckets. So the first one was, um, be ation of travel, right? So that, that the, the traveler doesn't want. So I talked about this cookie cutter beige experience.
And so because every single one of our properties is unique and distinct and special, Hey, we've already nailed that one. you know, the legacy moments, people are obviously, they're, they're continuing to prioritize travel, as an investment, and how they wanna spend their leisure, not only their time, but their money, right?
So, that is great, but that also these legacy moments. And again, wanting to be somewhere unique. So that was, fantastic to hear. heritage travel, outside of, you know, we preferred television resorts has a lot of, um, very famous historic properties. Um, we also have Historic Hotels of America and historic hotels worldwide, that we also work with.
So the fact that people are now looking at history is not, dusty and musty, but, that they wanna be a part of it. And a lot of people are actually going. Look at genealogy and revisiting their roots and, you know, so that, that's also, I think, a very unique trend that has changed, you know, that there is this gravity towards, going to more historic properties and really understanding what that was all about loyalty is also playing into it. We talked a lot about loyalty, but partially right now because, because of what is happening, um, across the globe and, you know, a little bit of concerns around. Economics, you know, having a, a loyalty program that not only you can trust, but also that helps with your wallet, is important.
So, those were all key things that are right in our wheelhouse. So that was, that was fantastic to hear. But one of my favorite takeaways from this, and I love the term, was that travel agents are the new power brokers. And you know, back in the day people used to think, you know, they were gonna.
They were gonna die off, right? Travel agents were gonna go away. Nobody was gonna use it. Everybody does everything on the web, you know? there's so many tools that you can use and really what's happening is, is people are leaning in more than ever to using travel agents 'cause well, when something goes wrong, It's Expedia is not the most helpful place to go, you know, resolve things, you know, so being able to pick up the phone, talk to somebody live, you know, they've got access to things, you know, and it's not just about booking air and hotel. I mean now it's, it's experiences, it's dining reservations. I mean, there's so much more to it.
And so I love that they're calling them power brokers. That that was one of my favorite. Kind of nuggets that came out of it as well. So, uh, we've always been, been, been big supporters of the travel, travel, trade, and that will continue to be even more so. 
Steve Carran: I agree. I love that terminology and whoever came up with be vacation, that one also made me laugh because it's like, you guys do truly stand out. You're not just another luxury collection. Right. So overall, I thought that report was, was really incredible. And if you haven't checked out to any of our listeners, check it out. Some really good points in there, especially if you're focused on luxury travel.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Absolutely. Well, and I was just happy to hear that international travel's still strong, you know?
Steve Carran: Absolutely.
Lindsey Ueberroth: The average person in this was gonna take eight trips and three of those trips would be international, which I thought was tremendous. 'cause I really did think that that was potentially something that was gonna change in the current environment. And, and we did this in February, March, so this was after the US administration had changed, you know, so there was, it was very timely and very relevant, which I thought was um, was also important.
Steve Carran: That's great. 
David Millili: So Preferred now has over a hundred properties in the Legend collection, and so. How is preferred insurance that these hotels still have their individuality, and especially in a time when it seems like standardization is just really everywhere in in hotels. 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Again, I think they mean it's just, it's, it's the DNA of our, our brand, right? So we only work with independent. Luxury hotels, hotel, and or small groups. So I mean, we, we do have some, some groups like Montage Hotels and Resorts or Lila Hotels that we work with. But again, each of their properties is unique and distinct.
but at the same token, we do have quality assurance standards. So every hotel does have to meet, quality assurance standards. They get inspected every year by a third party auditor. You know, we've got an online reputation management. So, so you're able to ensure that we've got the, the quality assurance piece of it, and that we're monitoring that on a.
Literally on a daily basis, but also on an annual basis. it's just the antithesis of what we're not. So, the legend hotels are, you know, there's some additional criteria that they meet, you know, so they're, they're gonna tend to also be the rate leaders in their market, but they've won the world's best awards.
they've got five stars and five diamonds. You know, you look at their online reputations, they're very well respected. And, and, and we also lean on the, the, the travel trade community who also says, yeah, this is an exceptional property. And I've always said there are properties at their destination in their own right you could go and never leave.
And, and, and really felt like you'd experience something, about that destination. So, they really do sit in a very special space. I mean, every hotel across the preferred hotels and resorts. Portfolio is, is, is unique and special at, um, these properties take it up a next level. If I oversimplify it.
Steve Carran: That's great. So preferred launched the Climate Action Plan last year. What role does sustainability and climate responsibility play in the future of luxury travel? And, uh, what can travelers expect when they're visiting preferred at one of these properties? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: I mean, I've learned a lot about sustainability that more than I. Obviously more in the last few years, but I think there was this misconception that sustainability and luxury were mutually ex excuse, exclusive. You know, I think back in the day it was all about eco travel and that people felt that they were giving up something.
And I think that is something I think that's very important for travelers to understand is that those are not mutually excu exclusive and that some of the most luxurious properties are, At the forefront of sustainability. And when you really look at climate action and in the, in, in the business we're in, we really have, we have a stake in making sure that, that we mitigate this.
Otherwise people aren't gonna be able to continue to travel and they're not gonna be able to go visit some places in the world that, you know, I think it would be so sad them, you know, I mean, I climbed Mount Ki Manjaro when I was much younger. like that's a perfect example of a destination that climate is changing dramatically. And I would hate for people to not be able to go have that experience. And that's true of a lot of places around, around the globe. So being in this industry, we feel that, we have to be stewards of this, you know, that, for people to continue to travel, that we, we've gotta do the right thing.
So as a company, we also felt okay, then we really have to walk the walk. So this isn't just what our hotel is doing, but what are we doing as a company? so we partnered with a, a great company called The Travel Foundation, who's really been our partner in working through this process, we signed the Glasgow Declaration, which was our commitment by 2030 to, to reduce our emissions by 50% and by 2050 to beat net zero.
I had no idea what that meant. Um, we took a leap of faith and I said, we're gonna do this. And, and, and the Travel Foundation has been in incredible at helping us, do this. But I mean, the first thing was just to measure, you know? So we had to go through every facet of our, our, our business. We're looking at what our office is doing, we're looking at, what our travel policies, what are we doing for our own internal events.
I didn't even understand things like it. I'm thinking it, I don't understand how websites factor into this. Well, it's things like, where are you? Hosting your websites, you know, how quickly, I mean, so there's a lot to lot to learn about. So we, we've now gone through the, the measure process and so we've, we've now set targets and then, then it's really about, you know, decarbonization.
But then I've now learned it's about really regeneration. 'cause you can only plant so many trees, so you know, how are you gonna regenerate and then collaborating. So we're really spending a lot of time educating our hotel partners. We've got hotels that are doing a lot of incredible things. And then there's.
A lot of hotels are saying, I don't know where to begin. So we're spending a lot of time educating them on that. And then our ultimate goal would be, to invest. So we would love to ultimately spin up a, a nonprofit fund where we are, really investing. So how great is it to take a percentage of profits and put it into something that's really focused towards this?
So, we've put it out there, you know, so we put our climate action plan, um, we released that last December. We're very committed to it, but we're learning as we go. I mean, that's the one thing I've become very aware of. It is not an easy thing to do and um, it takes a lot of commitment and, um, we've got our whole team on board and we've got a wonderful ho hotel community who's also very committed to it.
David Millili: That's great. So what excites you most about the future of luxury travel and where is preferred headed next? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: I don't know what's not to be excited about luxury travel. I mean, it, it's, uh, I mean obviously I, I love travel. You know, we're, we believe in travel. It's actually part of our manifesto, as we call it, our ideology. so we believe in the power of travel and I think what's encouraging. Is again, this in the report reinforced It is.
People are looking for experiences, you know, and I think that that's what they're prioritizing and they're looking for connection and travel's one of the best ways to do that. And so, you know, I just feel like we're, we're just well, well positioned to, to be able to, to deliver those experiences to people and, and have.
Incredible member properties that know how to do that and are continuing to evolve in terms of what does luxury travel look like and how can you, it's not, it's not just about like thread counts anymore and, you know, five fixture bathrooms. I mean, it really is about helping curate incredible experiences and I you're seeing hotels really.
Lean into that and, and getting to know their guests even better. Right. So they're really wanting to be able to personalize it down to amenities, down to um, obviously the repeat guests that they get to know, um, incredibly well. Uh, I think hotels are doing a much better job of also, connecting with their local communities so they're able to also say, okay, not only great experience on property but let's make Sure.
that we can curate Whether it's connecting them to the best restaurants or the best artisans or, you know, here's where you'd go to get, you know, personally, you know, tailored outfits, you know, access to, you know, exclusive events. I mean, I think that that's where it really is, this sort of cross section of bringing in their community and giving them access to things that is well beyond just having an incredible stay and sleeping in a great bed.
So I think that's evolving. I think they're also, you look at the evolution of wellness on properties. So you've got hotels that have spas, but now they've really moved into wellness. And so what does that mean? It's blackout curtains and making sure that, some of 'em have sound machines in them and they've got curated sense and they've got, you know, the, just the programming around making sure that, the life when you're on the road can align with the life that you have at home and.
Really just focus on health, wellness, longevity. You know, I think there's, there's just a lot of things that hotels are really, I think, doing an incredible job of adapting to, to, to make a stay much more than a hotel stay.
Steve Carran: You bet. And kind of to follow up on that, I was reading an article recently and I can't remember if it had to do with the white. Lotus or not? I feel like when I'm talking, when I'm reading things about the luxury side, white lotus is incorporated somehow, but the thing it was talking about was privacy, and that's kind of this not upcoming trend.
Something in the luxury space where you're gonna see these ultra luxury properties, you know, incorporate those wellness journeys. You know, obviously hyper-personalization, but also where people don't maybe want to be around as many people as they once did, but now they wanna be with their groups and have a lot more privacy. Have you seen that? As well, or not so much yet?
Lindsey Ueberroth: Yeah. Yes, and I think the area, you see it. More is, the increase in suites and residences. you've got families or groups. I mean, that could even be friends, that wanna travel together. They love being in a residence that's attached to a, a, a hotel resort, right? Like, so they want all the service and amenities, but they want their own space and they wanna be able to do things except to together, but not necessarily with the masses.
And so we continue to see the rise of, a lot more residential product in, our hotels and resorts, like I said, larger suites and or again, hotels that are just getting really smart about programming. You know, they're creating their own yoga retreats or just. It sort of packages around experiences where people can have a lot more of that, call it solitude in, in some ways or aligned to an affinity that, I mean, we have, we have a post ranch in is a great example. They brought in this, uh, I don't wanna call it psychic. I know that they probably have a better word for it than that, you know? Um, thought what? That's such an interesting thing. I mean, it sells out right away because people are just really drawn towards having that sort of experience in a place like Poach Post Ranch in is a great example of a place people go to disconnect.
And the way that the, the property is laid out, you really can have that, you can have that seclusion, those sort of intimate private spaces, but also have a really unique experience with.
Steve Carran: That's very cool. Very cool. So my last question I have to ask you is, you know, being the CEO of Preferred Hotels, what advice do you have for those, those maybe younger people out there, even not maybe somebody who's looking to be the CEO of their company, or who's somebody who's interested in getting in hospitality?
Lindsey Ueberroth: Well, hospitality is a great career. so I would start by saying that, and I think, there's this, you know, belief that, oh. Being a, a hotel general manager is also a great career, but there's so many different facets of hospitality that people can get into. So I think that's also, um, I'm always trying to educate younger students on that.
You know, like there's a lot of different things that you can do. so there's the finance side, the development side, the operations side, the, the sales and marketing side of it. the experiential side there. There's so many facets to hospitality I think are great. I've always said the best part about my career is it's.
Intellectually and emotionally stimulating. You get to meet really fascinating people in the travel industry. You know, it's global. so I mean, I just find it, like I said, it's just an interesting career. always evolving. It's kind of cute. I was actually with I six high school students last night.
They're all about to graduate, and something came up about being a CEO and I said, um. I said, so which one of you thinks that you wanna be a CEO? And what I loved is all six of them raised their hand. Um, and they said, we all wanna be CEOs. and I thought that was great in the sense that, you know, their perspective was that anything is possible.
And, um, when they asked, well, you know, what, what do we have to do to, to do that? And I said, you know, it's, do something you're passionate about. Be curious, always learning. it's okay to change your mind. My father taught me that very early on my first job. I agonized over. I, for whatever reason, thought if I took that, that was gonna be my job for the rest of my life.
And, you know, so you have to remember, you might get into something and hate it. That's okay. Leave, move on. You know, I think that, you know, also getting the younger generation comfortable with. Do it, try it, learn from it. If that's not the right fit, go look for something else, but continue to follow your passion.
I mean, I think that's why I've been so successful at what I do. I'm doing something I love and I'm passionate about. Right. It was in, it was in my DNA from my, a young age, even though I didn't know it. And, you know, it makes it so much easier. But I, I've also learned too, I mean, being a CEO, um. I'm, I'm about to take on a coach again.
And they're like, why? And I said, because that's the other thing you realize. Just 'cause you're the CEO does not mean that you have the answers. As a matter of fact, you probably have less answers than, anyone you know, you really have to rely on your team and it almost becomes like you're the tiebreaker.
Right? You, you know, it's, it's, it's when a decision needs to be made that you'll make the final call. I've learned that hire smart people, trust them. I say give 'em a lot of authority and ti autonomy tug on, tug on that rope every once in a while to make sure that we're, you know, we're all still aligned.
But the greatest gift I've been given as a CEO is really hiring really, really talented people and trusting them and, and them trusting me That, you know, we're focused on growth, thoughtful growth. I love being a privately held family owned business. 'cause we can make medium to long-term decisions.
You know, we're not beholden to a shareholder. And I think that that, that's a really nice gift to have as a CEO as well, you know, that, you're not having to make very short term decisions based on that. And I'm, I'm very lucky for that. And that my family's still involved. 
Steve Carran: That was great. So Lindsey, we've been asking you questions this whole time. You're probably tired of giving answers. So we're gonna turn the tables a little bit and we're gonna let you ask David and I question.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Oh, okay. What's your most used app on your phones?
David Millili: I'll go. 'cause mine's it's LinkedIn. I mean, I'm on LinkedIn all the time. because I just find it's, you know, with some people it's almost like they're paying more attention to LinkedIn than they are their actual messages. So with some people, I feel like I can, and I always want to just. For me, I'm just always on there trying to make sure that I'm congratulating people or connecting people or making comments and just kind of, you know, seeing what's going on. So that, that's by far my most use. 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Okay.
Steve Carran: I would say that's probably close for me. My mail app, I'm always on that. Whenever I'm like away from my computer, I'm always seeing if I have any emails or things like that, so responding. So that is gonna be one of my, one of my top used ones as well. But I would have to say like ESPN is also one of my top ones too. I'm always going to check scores, things like that. Once fantasy football, once football season comes back, fantasy football app will be. Will be my
Lindsey Ueberroth: Okay.
Steve Carran: For that one. 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Okay,
Steve Carran: Question. First time anybody's ever asked us that.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Here's an easy one. Window or aisle when you travel,
Steve Carran: Window Jon's in the middle.
Lindsey Ueberroth:  I'm curious, 'cause you travel a lot as well. do you have, like, what are you currently either binge watching on one of your favorite. Network or is there a podcast that you really enjoy besides your own?
Steve Carran: Believe it or not, we're not listening to our own podcast when we're traveling.
David Millili: Yeah. 
Steve Carran: The podcast that I'm listening to right now, which I just can't get enough of, how I made My First Million. So that is my number one podcast that I'm listening to. And, um, I'm behind, behind the curve on this one. I'm currently binging White Lotus, so that one I I'm a little bit behind. And then, the righteous gemstones on HBO is also one that I have been binging a little bit as well. I.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Okay. I'll have to write that down. David, what about you?
David Millili: Oh, sorry. YouTube because I like, I don't, I, I've just found that I kind of like the distraction given on my mood. I might, 'cause everything's up in your feet, so it might be something political, it might be something with sports, it might be old movie clips. So for me. I don't know why, but I just kind of, I think once COVID hit, I just got into this YouTube phase where I like just going in and typing in like Benny Hill or Pink Panther movies and just seeing little clips because I don't wanna watch the whole thing, so that's mine.
Lindsey Ueberroth: I could do this all day long. We call, we play this game. We play this game at our company all the time. I call it the hot seat. And we just love asking people random questions. so what, what is, what's the one destination you really wanna visit?
Steve Carran: Ooh, in a domestic or international
Lindsey Ueberroth: Be there.
Steve Carran: Either.
Steve Carran: So Japan, I really wanna go to Japan. Everybody said that, that's why. But I, I really wanna go to Alaska as well. I don't know if you've ever seen Alaska Bush people, but that was one of my binges a while ago. Uh, so like, I would love to just, I, I love the outdoors, so go to Alaska and kind of be able to bump around up there.
David Millili: You're not being a good guest, Steve. You're only supposed to say one. 
Steve Carran: Oh, sorry. Yes.
David Millili: Okay. I would say Greece. 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Okay.
David Millili: Been to Greece yet. My father's side of the family is Greek, so I, I, I just would love to go. I just haven't, whatever reason, there hasn't been a lot of hospitality, events or things to go to Greece, which has kind of been a lot of my international travel.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Both are great choices that you picked. Uh, maybe you just go on vacation there.
Steve Carran: There we go. 
David Millili: Yeah, no, I need to. 
Steve Carran: Well, that was great, Lindsey. Great questions for us. we have one more question before we get you outta here. Our producer, Jon, who is the middle seat guy, uh, has been listening the whole time and we are gonna kick it over to him for one final question before we let you go.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Oh. Okay.
Jon Bumhoffer: Maybe it's a hard one, but this one's more for our audience. You know, you've seen so many independent hotels, um, hoteliers. I would say. My question is what do you see the most successful hoteliers doing? Like, is there any common denominators that you see? anything that you can kind of leave our audience with? 
Lindsey Ueberroth: I find that general managers who. Are out interacting with their guests. Like I, I call 'em front of house general managers, you know, they're really, they're the ones that are there greeting their guests, having conversations, I find are incredibly successful. And also, general managers that go stay at their competitors and visit other hotels.
I think that those are two very important things so that they really understand what the competition is doing. They understand what's new and fresh. but just being front of house, really understanding what your guest wants, I think is the perfect recipe for success. And I tend to find that leaders of hotels like that are doing that, have a better experience. 
David Millili: I agree a hundred percent. I love the answer to that question because. I had one owner when I ran a hotel in, Times Square who said, you're never in your office. And I said, that's because there's, you know, I need to be out seeing what's going on, walking the floors, checking in with the front desk, bellman, you know, all that stuff.
So I love that answer. So, that does it for another episode of The Modern Hotelier, Lindsay. This is where you get to let people know how they can find out more about Preferred, how they can get in touch with you. So plug away. 
Lindsey Ueberroth: Sure well visit us at two different ways. Preferred hotels.com. Or preferred travel group to learn about the, the, the parent company and all the things that we're doing there. as it relates to me, well, you can track me down on Instagram or send me a personal email at lueberroth@preferredhotels.com. I do love hearing from hoteliers, and guests alike, so thanks for having me on. It was really a lot of fun.
David Millili: Oh, that's great. Well, that does it for another episode of The Modern Hotelier Hospitality's Most Engaged Podcast. Whether you're watching or listening, we appreciate you and hope to be with you again soon. Thank you, Lindsey.
Lindsey Ueberroth: Thank you.