Interview with Founder and CEO Kristian Valk of Hotelchamp

What was your first job in the hospitality industry?

Since college, people with a strong affinity for hospitality have surrounded me. My whole network, including my wife and good friends, went to hotel school. So, I’ve always loved being around people involved with hospitality. People focused on the hospitality industry are typically in good spirits, completely service-minded, and love to enjoy life.

While I don’t count this experience as a true hospitality career, I had an early taste of it when I worked as a ski instructor in college. I’d hop behind the bar for a few hours during every shift during that period. I’ve been even more immersed in the hospitality industry since starting Hotelchamp, and I love it. Hoteliers don’t just work in hospitality; they live and breathe it. And the passion shown by hoteliers is contagious.

What triggered you to start your company?

My co-founder, Kasper Middelkoop, whom I had worked with at my previous company, realized something critical in 2015 that triggered us to start Hotelchamp. We realized that hotels had been put into a defensive position and that there was a way that we could help them tackle the problem.

We knew there was an opportunity to enable hotels to control their future, deliver a good guest experience online, and highlight what makes their property unique. We also knew this process could drive more direct revenue and help them level the playing field. Being from the Netherlands, we were so close to the Dutch success story of a massive online travel agency.

But at the same time, we also knew that there was something of a love-and-hate relationship between hotels and the big OTAs. We knew that you could not, and should not, get rid of those platforms. So, we instead set out to enable a fairer balance between the risks hotels take while limiting what third parties take from them.

What is the story behind your company?

When Kasper and I first started Hotelchamp, we had two offices in the Netherlands, one in Amsterdam and one in Groningen. We are incredibly proud to have Champs (our team) in Spain, the Philippines, Armenia, and England. I’m truly proud that we have always had a diverse, passionate, and ambitious team throughout our journey.

We come from a variety of different backgrounds and locations around the world. But we share a mindset centered on growth and willingness to take on challenges. Our team embodies the term: intrapreneurs. We’re proud of the fact that we’ve cultivated a culture where people have the freedom to grow and take on responsibility.

We started the company believing technology could drive innovation, disrupt the status quo, and empower even a small independent hotel to take control of its narrative in ways that weren’t possible through traditional means. So, we leveraged proven scientific methods like heuristic science and consumer behavior to deliver a better guest experience. Doing so could drive more direct revenue and achieve the mission we’d set out to achieve from the start.

What does your company solve?

Hotelchamp was created with hoteliers in mind – to help them have more control over their direct channel. Likewise, we wanted hoteliers to have the option to reduce their reliance on OTAs. We have created advanced technology by combining different science-based methods. It’s a technology that helps hotels deliver a better guest experience while driving more direct revenue.

This allows all hotels, from individual locations to chains, to deliver a seamless user experience. It’s Hotelchamp’s mission to empower hotels to be closer to their guests.

What challenges did you face while developing and launching your technology? How did you overcome them?

Everything new and innovative brings challenges because it’s uncharted territory. You’re doing things that have never been done before. This type of innovation is an inherently difficult process. For example, we had one point when scaling extremely quickly, which was challenging. And, of course, COVID was a challenging period for the industry. However, having a clear vision of where we wanted to go and what we wanted to accomplish always helped us reach those goals.

We worked as a team and focused on solid internal communication so everyone could play to their strengths. We’ve always liked a challenge, so we don’t just take the easiest route. When we see a challenge, we’re eager to solve it. That’s why we call our team ‘Champs’.

Who were the people that have been the most helpful in getting you to where you are today? How did they impact your life and your success?

We all spend a lot of time working. This work, especially as an entrepreneur, is a big part of our lives. Working should be a great experience. It is an experience where you feel safe and respected, get energy from people, and feel inspired. And that doesn’t come down to just one or two individuals. I’m fortunate to get that from the people I’ve surrounded myself with. Of course, family and friends count for a lot. But this also includes the team of Champs, investors, our clients, and partners. They’ve all really made an impact on me. I see these important relationships as the driving force of success.

How do you balance the traditional touchpoints of hospitality with technology?

We shouldn’t be afraid that we have to find that balance because the guests themselves determine it. The guest is, more often than not, ahead of the hospitality industry when it comes to adopting new technologies. The guest’s expectations are born from how they use technology in their own lives.

I think, it is up to us, hoteliers and tech partners alike, to allow guests to attract services that blend human and technical touchpoints. I think hotels should automate where they can allow guests to get things done most frictionlessly and guide us to the balance they want. And that’s one of the most important things: giving your guests the best experience.

How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and advancements in the hospitality industry and technology? How do you incorporate them into your product roadmap?

I think this is what team effort is all about. We speak to customers daily, consume technology, and stay on top of what’s happening in the industry. This ultimately allows us to incorporate everything we learned into our product roadmap. One of the real strengths of our team is that we all come from different backgrounds and paths. We all have different perspectives, and that fact is one of the biggest drivers for the quality and strength of Hotelchamp’s product roadmap.

However, aside from that, I speak with experts in various industries weekly to see matters from different perspectives. This includes hoteliers, agencies, leaders in the tech industry, and our partners. The conversations energize me and give me a broader perspective of what’s happening in the industry.

And then there’s also the fact that we’ve always looked at what we can learn from other industries and implement those ideas. The hospitality industry usually isn’t the first mover, so we can learn many things from other industries. These are things that we can then deliver to the hospitality industry. This can ultimately be super disruptive.

How will technology change the hospitality industry over the next five to ten years? Where do you see your company fitting into that future?

Our view of eCommerce plays a big part in how we see the future, and it’s where things are heading. Of course, we’ll also see a large-scale adoption of AI within every industry. But I don’t think this adoption is really about the different trends. Rather, technologies will continue to play an ever-expanding role in the industry because it’s what guests ultimately want. My vision of technology is less about small bits and pieces, and more about delivering holistic value to hoteliers and their guests.

Technologies might be on the back, where PMS systems sit. Or it might be on the front, where Hotelchamp sits. But for me, it’s all about the guests and how we can make the guest’s journey smooth and sound. And how we can continue helping our customers make their guests happy.