Employee Spotlight - Jory Garcia, Business Development Manager

OTA Insight’s workforce is formed of passionate and talented people from 31 different nationalities, ranging from data scientists to product managers – all driven by a set of values and a collaborative culture which come together to make the #BestTeamEver. The Employee Spotlight series aims to give you an insight into the careers of some of the remarkable individuals who make OTA Insight the industry leader for revenue and distribution enablement.

Jory Garcia joined OTA Insight in November 2018 and currently works out of Chicago, USA as a Business Development Manager (BDM) for the AMER region. Having previously lived in Seattle, working for Expedia, Jory has been immersed in the technology and hospitality space for quite some time. In his near two and a half years with OTA Insight Jory has seen the company grow and take on the challenge of Covid-19. We had a chat with Jory to find out about his experience and journey working at OTA Insight.

Can you tell us about your role at OTA Insight and how it's changed since you started?

I’ve always been part of the business development team at OTA Insight, being the face of the company to many hoteliers in our growing partner-base. As for major changes, outside of the obvious alterations Covid-19 forced us to take, I’ve been able to work far more strategically as the company has grown.

I’ve been very lucky to be part of the company as it has reached over 55,000 hotel partners; and with recovery right around the corner, it’s very exciting to be growing our company internally once again.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Days at OTA Insight are very dynamic, but most of my time is spent connecting with current partners or reaching out to hotels not yet familiar with our products, to show how our technology solutions can help them drive business growth. We want to assist wherever possible and see how we can alleviate their current situation leading up to recovery.

How have you been able to learn and grow at OTA Insight?

Much of the learning at OTA Insight is done in action, working directly with our current partners and hoteliers looking to adopt our technology. The same goes for some of our savviest of partners who are the ones actually teaching me the principles of hotel Revenue Management strategy, in tandem with our business intelligence tech stack.

It would be remiss of me if I did not allude credit to some great mentors inside the company as well, who have passed on their knowledge and expertise along the way. 

What has been your proudest moment at OTA Insight?

I have had several great successes with OTA Insight thus far: adding to our partner base and even representing the company in several trade shows and webinar forums. However, I would have to say that helping to grow the team and train new hires at the company has been my proudest moment(s). We are only as strong as the team, and a great company culture is of utmost importance to me and the organisation as a whole.

Which OTA Insight value do you associate with most and how do you see it put into action at the company?

Passion for great products has to be the answer for me, with Fun being a close second. Coming from several years at Expedia, and having lived in Seattle, I’ve been exposed to and have found a passion for everything 'tech'. I certainly leverage that enthusiasm with the business intelligence solutions we continue to create here at OTA Insight, which are never-ending and best in class, in the hotel-tech space.

Recovery looks to be on the horizon, do you anticipate a rebound for the travel and hospitality industry as we move into the latter half of 2021?

Most certainly! #America… need I say more? All jokes aside, the USA is rapidly rolling out the vaccine, so summer 2021 is not a far reaching, optimistic hope for rebound across any and all travel sectors.

News updates for the travel and hospitality sector here in the USA are more promising each week and the domestic market is likely to see significant demand as we move through 2021. 

Once restrictions are fully lifted which destination do you wish to travel to first? 

Considering our wedding reception was postponed last year in my wife’s native Croatia, that’s the obvious answer, as we're still hopeful it’ll happen this year. Aside from that, we have had Scotland on our list for some time now. A winter trip to the Dolomites might be on the cards as well.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Travel, ironically enough (and not cliché at all). Doing everything in my power to help the travel and hospitality industry get back on its feet is a big motivator for me. I passed on a career in International Affairs to work with hotels, airlines, etc. and I really want to see everyone travelling again.

What’s your favourite activity in your spare time?

Grilling and cooking for the big game, with many friends and loved ones around.

What book are you reading currently?

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond.

What’s the last song you played on Spotify/Apple music?

If I have to say one song, it’s Hawai - Maluma, I’ve recently listened to that the most. Otherwise, it’s usually a mix of Texas Country music.

Jory's experience alongside that of other OTA Insight champions help to bring to market leading business intelligence solutions which are trusted by over 55,000 hotel partners around the globe and have been named #1 Rate Shopping & Market Intelligence Tool, Parity Management Software, and Business Intelligence Software by HotelTechReport.