249: Frozen Food Fiesta
Orlie Benjamin is the founder and CEO of Lasoh, a hospitality technology platform helping vacation rental and boutique lodging operators strengthen guest relationships through marketing automation, guest experience tools, and AI-powered workflows. After building her career with brands like American Airlines, NetJets, Disney, and Victoria’s Secret, she traded corporate life for entrepreneurship, launching both a vacation rental business and a hospitality tech startup. Susan and Orlie talk about guests, growth, and the great hospitality convergence.
What You'll Learn
• Why one or two vacation rentals can still be profitable in today's market
• How to turn a side project into a startup opportunity
• Why Orlie’s research strategy included outreach to 800+ operators
• How hospitality companies obsess over properties and overlook guests
• What surprising NetJets lesson reshaped Orlie's view of hospitality
• How to unlock the overlooked value of the booking-to-arrival window
• When to use guest context to create memorable moments at scale
• What underused guest data is hiding in plain sight
• How drive-to and fly-to guests should be marketed differently
• What hospitality can learn from retail's customer data playbook
• Where AI will genuinely transform hospitality operations
• How to reduce dependence on Airbnb, Vrbo, and other OTAs
• Why experiential lodging is positioned to win the next decade
• Why guests should be treated like assets, not transactions
The Takeaway:
The future belongs to hospitality brands that treat guests as valuable assets, not just bookings, by combining memorable experiences, smart marketing, and personalized relationships that drive loyalty beyond the stay.