I always work to be better than I was yesterday.
Patrick Burkhardt is the co-founder and Chief Idea Person at Luxpitality, a hospitality company that connects progressive businesses with unique hotels and exceptional experiences around the world.
Burkhardt has more than a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, and served as president of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence’s (SITE) Southern California, the largest chapter in the world. Before he was elected president, he served as SITE Southern California’s Vice President of Communications for two years.
Prior to launching Luxpitality in 2015, Burkhardt grew his network and experience with some of the most prestigious hospitality businesses in the industry. Most recently, Burkhardt worked as the International Sales Manager for Group and Leisure at the Hotel Del Coronado. There, he managed high-end groups and developed the hotel’s presence on the international stage.
Though with the Resort at Paws Up in Montana for only a short time, Burkhardt was responsible for the luxury ranch’s acceptance into the Signature Travel Network Consortia, a sought-after network of hospitality and travel professionals. Burkhardt also worked as the Travel Industry Sales Manager for Wynn and opened Encore Las Vegas, where he managed the Wynn Ambassador program as well as all consortia programs. Before graduating from college, Burkhardt also worked as the International Sales Manager for connectworldwide, which provides sales, marketing and digital solutions to the travel industry.
Burkhardt began his hospitality career at a boutique hotel in Vaduz, Liechtenstein while still attending Arizona State University. He enjoys technology and gadgets, connecting people, eating amazing foods, rock climbing, golfing, sailing, running, and cycling and in his spare time.
Where did the idea for Luxpitality come from?
I grew up as a first generation American with two Swiss parents so naturally I traveled quite a bit. My passion for making friends and introducing them to impeccably designed hotels they would never know about is where the idea for Luxpitality stemmed from.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I wake up, go for a run with my Luxpitality co-conspirator, Rigel Bitterman, while talking about how we can make the most impact for our business that day. I then head to the office (we just moved into a new coworking space!), reach as many team members and partners as I can throughout the day, then head to the Rock climbing gym with Rigel, where we continue to talk strategy and business plans. I finish out the day by handling any emails and phone calls that need to be taken care of, then head to bed. Then, I repeat.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I find the right people who share my passion and I partner with them.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The idea of non-traditional hotel experiences whether it be an Airstream, a treehouse or hotel made from ice. It speaks 1000 percent to us millennials.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I always work to be better than I was yesterday.
What advice would you give your younger self?
To learn more languages! My younger self would have soaked them up quick!
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on?
That dreamers can be realists.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Never stop asking questions! This is what we do as kids, and we learn so much by asking questions.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
One strategy that has helped me grow Luxpitality is partnering with people who are professionals in their fields, and giving them some skin in the game to create mutually benefiting investments. We work with hotels and that’s what we excel in, however we aren’t as savvy when it comes to partnering with ground service activities and offsite venues for our groups. So, we partnered with an amazing company called Hosts-Global Alliance. They share the same global footprint as us but excel in all these services. We help them with hotels and they help us with destination management services…BOOM!
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
When I was still in college I worked for a company making very little income. I had an idea to create a booking engine for travel agents to use where they could name their commission. We worked with 5 of the biggest travel wholesalers and redistributed the inventory allowing travel agents around the world to query the best rates from each company. They would then mark up the rates to the traveler and collect commission instantly! My biggest failure was not asking for shares in the company. I thought I might get a bigger bonus or make more in commission or even praises from my boss for doing a great job. What I should have asked for was a stake in the business. It wasn’t so much about the money, but the lessons I would have learned early on in my career about owning a business.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
You’ve heard of Postmates, EAT24, UBER-Eats? You ever see a restaurant with six different tablets at the to-go area? Someone needs to create an app to curate all those services!
Coworking is huge this day and age. There are big ones that span the globe however many small ones that should join forces and create a consortium so that you always have an office when you travel.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Rock Climbing Gym membership! It’s like a jungle gym for adults
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Evernote. I can’t even find a pen in my house anymore.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Start with Why by Simon Sinek. I’ve seen him three times and read his book twice. No matter what you are doing or selling it allows you to dig deep and if you don’t know why you are doing this then no audience will ever feel the passion behind what you are doing.
What is your favorite quote?
“If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it.” Elon Musk
Key Learnings
- I always work to be better than I was yesterday.
- Never stop asking questions! This is what we do as kids, and we learn so much by asking questions.
- I find the right people who share my passion and I partner with them.
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Luxpitality on Twitter: @luxpitality
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.