From a Personal Blog to a Hospitality Brand with Thousands of Subscribers: A Journey That Began in 2007
Reaching 1,000 publications is not merely a round number: it is tangible evidence of a commitment that has grown over the years, post by post, idea by idea, like tending to an endless notebook filled with learnings, questions, discoveries and reflections. What began as a personal blog, driven by the desire to share notes on Revenue Management, hotel distribution and marketing, has ultimately become Lead Hospitality, an open platform that has brought together thousands of professionals around a shared passion: understanding, transforming and elevating hospitality from within.
This post is not about looking back nostalgically, but about pausing for a moment, taking a deep breath and appreciating the journey. Behind every publication are hours of work, of course, but above all, conversations with colleagues, comments from students, ideas born from an overwhelmed front desk or a strategic planning meeting. Every article is an opportunity to keep learning together. And this milestone of one thousand publications feels like the perfect time to recall some of the anecdotes, encounters and emotions that have given meaning to this journey.
There are dates one never forgets, even as the years go by. For me, one of them is 2007. That year, I launched a small personal blog with no greater ambition than sharing what I knew at the time—and, above all, what I was learning—about Hotel Distribution, Hotel Marketing, Revenue Management and the emerging world of Travel 2.0. It was a time when OTAs were still finding their footing, booking engines were rudimentary, and the concept of Hotel CRM was only just beginning to emerge. That blog was a journal of notes, reflections and discoveries, with constant references to how technology was beginning to change the rules of the game in modern hospitality. Almost without intending it, Albert Barra’s Blog became a benchmark, alongside those of other colleagues whom I remember with particular fondness. Joan Gou, Isaac Vidal, Juan Sobejano, Javier García Cuenca, Edu Williams, Andreu Llabrés, Victor Mayans, Jimmy Pons, and many others were sources of inspiration and camaraderie.
In the beginning, it was all very personal. I wrote from intuition, from direct experience in the hotels where I worked, and from a fascination with understanding how to turn data into strategic decisions. At the time, I never imagined that this humble digital space would shape my career so profoundly. Every post was an open conversation with industry colleagues. I remember that many would email me to debate ideas, share results or simply say, “This has happened to me too.” A community emerged without any intention to create one, driven by something very simple: the desire to better understand hospitality and improve it from within.
Over the years, the blog evolved, just as the industry did. The topics became more sophisticated, and so did the readers. More technical questions began to arrive, along with collaboration requests and invitations to deliver training sessions... That was when I realised this space deserved a different structure: more professional, more open, less focused on me and more on the collective. That is how Lead Hospitality was born. It was no longer my blog; it was all of ours.
One of the things that has moved me most over the years is seeing how the content on Lead Hospitality has served as a bridge between generations. I remember a young man studying Hotel Management who wrote to me after reading an article on strategic repositioning for independent hotels. He told me he had used the content to help his parents, owners of a small guesthouse, redefine their value proposition. He sent me a PDF with his SWOT analysis, segment map and promotional calendar. It was not only a source of pride; it confirmed that shared knowledge can transcend the screen and transform realities.
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On another occasion, a reader sent me a very special message. She had followed the blog from its earliest days, when I was still writing personal notes on Revenue Management and Distribution. Years later, she told me that one of those articles had been the catalyst that led her to pursue a master’s degree and change departments, moving from the front desk to digital marketing. Her words were: “I discovered that hospitality could be done with both intelligence and soul.” That ability to spark vocations has undoubtedly been one of the unexpected gifts of this adventure.
Many industry colleagues have also found in Lead Hospitality a space to rethink their day-to-day work. One colleague once told me, jokingly and with a smile: “When I read your posts, I feel like reviewing my forecasts and hugging the receptionist at the same time.” And he was right: I have always believed that hotel management must balance science and sensitivity. I often receive reflections, contributions and even corrections that enrich the content and demonstrate that the community does not merely read—it actively participates in building collective knowledge.
And how could I forget the messages of encouragement during the industry’s difficult moments? During the pandemic, several subscribers wrote to me simply to say: “Don’t stop publishing; we need this beacon.” They were not times for grand strategies, but for supporting one another. It was then that I felt Lead Hospitality was not just a content platform, but a network of mutual support among hospitality professionals. A place where, even if we could not see one another, we knew we were thinking together about how to move forward. And that, honestly, is priceless.
I decided to take a step back in terms of personal visibility and a step forward in terms of collective impact. I replaced my name with a brand, my authorship with a team of contributors, and my articles with content designed to train, inspire and support hospitality professionals in their development. I committed to a premium subscription model, not for exclusivity, but to sustain the quality, depth and continuity of the content. And it worked.
Today, almost two decades later, I am moved to say that thousands of hospitality professionals and hospitality students are part of this community. There are people who have found in Lead Hospitality a constant source of ideas, tools and motivation to lead their projects with sound judgement and humanity. And that decision made in 2007, almost without thinking, has given rise to something far greater than I ever imagined.
Thank you to those who have been here from the beginning. To those who arrived later. To those who read, comment, share and apply. Thank you to those who believe, as I do, that sharing knowledge is a way of helping this industry grow through excellence and generosity.
And most importantly: this is not over. This journey continues.
Looking back, I realise that the best part of this entire journey has been feeling supported. It has been far from a solitary adventure. It has been a constant exchange with curious, generous and committed professionals who have made Lead Hospitality a true meeting place. Every comment, every email and every subscription has been a sign that this effort made sense, that there was value in what we were building together.
Many of the topics that were still emerging in 2007 are now a fundamental part of daily hotel operations. And new ones have continued to emerge, requiring us to remain in a constant state of learning. That is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of our profession: the ability to evolve continuously, to adapt to the times without losing the essence of service and hospitality. In that respect, Lead Hospitality has matured too.
There is something deeply satisfying about seeing how an idea born from a personal need—the need to organise thoughts, share concerns and seek new answers—has become a useful tool for so many. And if there is one thing I have learned along the way, it is that knowledge multiplies when it is shared. That is what drives me to continue.
I know more challenges lie ahead. Hospitality, as everyone who works in it knows, never stands still. Habits, technologies, guest expectations and business models all change. And that is precisely why we need spaces like this one: to reflect, adapt and lead each new challenge that comes our way with intelligence and empathy.
So my commitment remains as strong as ever. I will be here, with the same enthusiasm I had when I launched that blog so many years ago. Because a passion for hospitality does not fade: it transforms, grows richer and is shared. Thank you for being there, for believing in the value of ideas, and for being part of this community that grows with purpose.
This article ends here. The archive does not.
Lead Hospitality brings together 986 English articles published since 2008: years of experiences, decisions and lessons you can keep exploring.