Web 2.0 Hotelier: VacantReady

The feedback from the Web 2.0 companies that were included on the initial Techcouver Map has been extraordinary. I ran into one of them, Chris Clarke of VacantReady, last night at nPost's event and we had a great conversation about the hotel industry and how the Web could radically change everything. FYI... Vacant Ready is an industry term that refers to a room that is clean and ready to sell.

After working in hotel management for 13 years with brands like Westin, Fairmont and Delta, Chris gave up his day job to see how he could apply social media to the tight-knit industry. After creating and subsequently selling a funky little website called BedJump, Chris realized the enormous potential of blogging and new media in the hospitality industry.

As a hotelier Chris always found it difficult to source up-to-date Canadian hotel industry intelligence, so his plan is to develop the premier Canadian portal for the hotel industry which will allow suppliers and partners to connect and do business online. The first phase of this project is his VacantReady blog which highlights the hotel happenings in Vancouver and beyond.  The blog generates interest in local hotel content and has started to build VacantReady's hotelier network so that he can hit the ground running with phase two. 

With Vancouver's current hotel development boom VacantReady has become the place to learn more about the new hotels popping up around the city. And if you work in the hotel industry, VacantReady promises to be an imperative resource for networking with your peers.