Defy The Odds With Success Tips From HotelPlanner Co-Founder Timothy Hentschel

October 28, 2022

Tim Hentschel is the Co-Founder and CEO of HotelPlanner.

Founded in 2003, HotelPlanner is a leading travel technology company and hotel booking platform that combines proprietary artificial intelligence and a global gig economy-based reservations network. Tim oversees HotelPlanner’s family of brands including its flagship site HotelPlanner.com and its business-focused site Meetings.com. Tim is a third-generation hotelier and a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration with a degree in hotel management and a concentration in micro-computing.

In 2018, his alma mater awarded him their prestigious Innovator of the Year Award. Tim created the annual American Group Travel Awards and European Group Travel Awards which donate proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other charities. Tim resides in London and manages the company’s European operations.

Get to know Tim and what inspires him about his work at HotelPlanner and his insights on success.

What are some of your favorite inspirations and why?

My biggest personal and professional inspirations have always come from people who overcame major life challenges or obstacles in order to achieve greatness. We were all born with certain advantages or disadvantages in life, but it’s the people who defy the odds that always impress me. I love all the classic ‘rags to riches’ and underdog stories from literature and film, whether that’s the story of David & Goliath or the classic films Rudy or Rocky. And I am in awe of what Elon Musk has built from scratch over the last two decades with Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company. He is our country’s modern-day Thomas Edison. When I’m exhausted from working a 16-hour day, Elon is just getting started.

That said, it’s really the personal friends and business partners I’ve made over the last 25 years who have truly inspired me to work toward more ambitious goals and achievements, whether that’s in the boardroom or on the tennis court. Friends like political analyst Gianno Caldwell, an African-American who overcame a tough upbringing (and the recent murder of his younger brother), and is now on TV every week sharing political insights and advising me on media relations. He’s an inspiration. I’m also inspired by our two HotelPlanner Brand Ambassadors. Pro tennis star John Isner holds the all-time ace record and the record for the longest match in tennis history.

He is the most humble pro athlete I’ve ever met, and he gives back to his community through the John Isner Foundation. If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is. Our other brand ambassador who inspires me is Lawrence Okolie, the current World Boxing Organization Cruiserweight Champion of the World. Lawrence used to be overweight and non-athletic. In a few short years, Lawrence went from couch potato to boxing world champion. Now that’s inspiring.

What do you hope to change with your work and success?

The hospitality industry is all about serving others. That should be the measure of success in my field: are you serving others? Are you making people’s lives better? It’s a privilege and a responsibility that I take seriously. And success is not a zero-sum game. It can be shared. I consider myself successful if I’m a little bit better husband, father, and CEO today than I was yesterday. Of course, I want HotelPlanner to continue to grow so we become the #1 hotel booking site globally. And I’m proud of our philanthropic efforts to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, our charity of choice. But my success is not really tied to my net worth. It’s really not about the money for me.

It’s about the spirit of service and hospitality and being able to give back. Thousands of times a day, I know that we help make customers’ lives just a little less stressful. Those small acts of daily service for our customers have had an incredibly positive ripple effect over HotelPlanner’s first two decades in the business. I hope our success will inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.