Have you always been interested in the hotel industry? What sparked your interest?
In my junior year of high school, I enrolled in a marketing program called DECA, which allowed me to work at a Marriott hotel. At first, I’ll admit the attraction was about leaving school early and getting paid. However, within a week, I realized this industry was magnetic. Hospitality is one of the few fields where kindness and creativity directly shape someone’s life, and I knew I wanted to lead with both.
I started channeling my creativity toward that purpose, creating my first hotel concept at 17. During the summer of my freshman year of college, while working at the front desk of The Westin in Indianapolis, I attempted my first brand pitch by submitting my ideas—literally in a scrapbook—to my GM. It was a cute, amateur attempt that somehow made its way up the corporate ladder at Starwood, but nothing came of it. I realized I needed to create my own path to make my brands tangible.
Can you tell us about your career journey up to founding BrandClave Hotels?
I knew at 17 I wanted to have my own hotel brands. I went to hotel school, but I quickly saw I was going to work a lot of hours and not build enough of a nest egg to create the brands I had envisioned. I decided to offer goods to governments, like in the movie “War Dogs.” My goal all along was to save up and eventually use my resources to develop hotel brands that would define the future.
How did you come up with the idea for BrandClave Hotels?
While promoting commodities globally, one of my offerings involved AI technology to governments. A few years ago, I began noticing governments in most countries appointing chief AI officers and thought, “AI is about to reshape our entire world, and we need to build hotels now, in 2025, that will be ready for that change.”
Hotel development takes a few years, so for the market to really be ready for the AI world, developers need to implement futuristic concepts now—not just because it’s what technology will demand, but because data shows that’s what customers are willing to pay for.
I had already conceptualized more than a dozen original hotel brands that didn’t exist in the market. At first, I planned to partner with different operators for each concept. But then I realized AI could democratize brand creation, helping developers build future-ready hotels faster, cheaper and smarter. That’s how BrandClave was born: an attempt to use AI for good and to give both investors and guests the brands they truly want.
Can you explain what your company does?
Think of BrandClave like a Wall Street ticker for hospitality. I created a “What’s Hot in Hospitality” tool that scans global social trends in real time and identifies the gap between what travelers crave and what the market offers. Using that data, BrandClave creates complete, investor-ready hotel brands in just seven days—powered by advanced AI systems that make the process faster, smarter and more strategic than ever.
Can you give us some examples of the brands you have created?
Every BrandClave concept is a first-of-its-kind idea—category-defining brands built around emerging traveler desires. We’ve only been open for a month, and several of our concepts are already in discussions for sale. Stay tuned—some truly innovative projects are on the way.
What types of hotels or companies would be a good fit for your services?
Independent hotels are the obvious customers, as they often lack in-house branding teams and want to create unforgettable experiences. But BrandClave is actually an incredible tool for corporations, allowing them to use data to build customer loyalty not just through points, but by creating brands their customers really want to experience in just seven days. This allows the corporation to create a brand before its competitors see the demand for it.
What was the best piece of advice you have received during your career?
Ricardo Martinelli, the former president of Panama, who, like me, is known to be a colorful character, once told me, “Don’t be concerned about what others think. If you know it’s right and it adds value to the world, do it. Everyone will thank you later. Don’t act for approval, act for impact.”
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I don’t have much of it these days, as I am focused on delivering my brands before technology completely changes our world. However, people may not know it, but I am also a farmer. I love gardening, staying fit and traveling. During the pandemic, I lived nomadically for four years. I highly recommend that to any hospitality professional. Living in other countries has presented challenges, but it has changed how I understand the world and how I design experiences for others.
