A little bit about us

A recent comment to the blog asked who we were. And that's a valid question—one of the general complaints about blogs is that the barriers to entry are tiny, so how is anyone to tell who's an expert vs. the guy next door? When you read any blog, do you really know who you're listening to?

This blog is a creation of the HotelWorld Network, which is a group within Questex Media, an international publisher of b2b (business-to-business, or trade) magazines serving industries from pest control to quarrying. Our group comprises four print publications, all targeting the lodging market: Hotel & Motel Management, Hotel Design, Luxury Hotelier and The Hotel Times. Our editorial team is made up of eight journalists (soon to be nine) with a variety of backgrounds. I hope that each one of them will post some information about themselves in the coming weeks, but I'll start off with myself.

I'm a newcomer to the group and to the lodging industry, although I feel like it's been a lot longer than the 10 weeks it has. I have found that people on our staff and in this industry are very ... well, hospitable. I've been in the b2b industry for 13 years, most recently with an engineering trade magazine that served the fluid power market. I had a lot of involvement on that magazine's move into the online space, from the website to blogs to social networking sites and more. I look forward to working with our team here—as well as all of you—to create more online opportunities to talk about lodging.

My past also contains a stint as president of the b2b editors' professional association, and that experience introduced me to so many amazing editors in vastly different industries. I continue to draw on their strength, creativity and tenaciousness. Personally, I live in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, along with my wife and two sons. I enjoy running, photography, the beach and ... yikes, why do I feel like this has disintegrated into a personal ad? Sorry.

In all seriousness, though, I'm very excited by the prospects that this group has, and I look forward to your getting to know all of us here at the HotelWorld Network. Please let us know your opinions and ideas.