Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Bernard.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Emily. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been passionate about travel since I was a little girl. When I was seven years old, my parents took the family to Paris and the Loire Valley for the winter holidays. I was utterly enchanted by the idea that you could get on a plane and land in a place of childhood dreams: fairy tale castles, hot chocolate as an art form, and restaurants that allowed you to bring your dog inside. Dogs in restaurants! Needless to say, I was hooked.
In the intervening years, travel has been integral to my education and my career. My first job in college, for example, was as a travel writer for the Let’s Go! Guides in Southern France and Corsica — not a bad gig for a 19-year-old. I’ve worked hard to sustain my passion for travel throughout various phases of my career, so when the opportunity arose to start a travel business, I was thrilled.
Technology has made nearly every aspect of travel booking more transparent and more convenient. From airline tickets to hotel rooms, it’s never been easier for travelers to get what they need quickly and securely. But it’s still surprisingly hard to find and book great in-destination experiences. My co-founder Ethan and I launched PlacePass to change that. We believe that technology can make experiential travel more accessible for everyone. We’re committed to making it easy for people to find, compare, and book great things to do worldwide. We’re giving travelers the information they need to make great decisions, and maximize their valuable free time.
For many people, local experiences and activities are the highlight of the trip. Whether you’re visiting a famous museum for the first time, discovering a new side to your favorite city on a walking tour, or taking a group surf lesson with your closest girlfriends, experiential moments bring us joy and tend to stick around long after we return home. And not only on the Instagram feed. Research shows that people who spend money on experiences rather than material goods are happier in the long run. At PlacePass, we’re proud to play a role in helping people create those memorable experiences.
Has it been a smooth road?
We’ve been fortunate to hit some pretty big milestones in our first 18 months of business, including a successful Series A funding round led by Marriott International. Our success is a testament to our people, who are incredibly passionate and hardworking.
Like all startups, we’ve faced unexpected twists and turns. We’ve made plenty of mistakes – from marketing experiments that didn’t quite deliver, to product features that we thought would be a hit and ended up fizzling out. These moments are valuable learning opportunities and they help make us stronger and more effective as a business.
We do have an ongoing struggle on the office foosball table, where we’ve seen some intense rivalries develop for the title of Office Champion.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the PlacePass story. Tell us more about the business.
PlacePass.com is a digital marketplace for travel experiences. We help people find, compare, and book amazing things to do in any destination. We offer more than 150,000 high-quality experiences across the globe, from sumo wrestling lessons in Tokyo to hot air balloon rides in Napa Valley to private wine tastings in France. No matter what your passion is — or what your budget maybe — we can help you find something great to do.
From the beginning, we’ve been committed to giving back. We believe travel has the potential to unlock significant social and economic benefits, and we want our guests to feel good about their journeys. For every booking made on PlacePass.com, we make a donation to support EGBOK, a non-profit organization that provides hospitality vocational training for at-risk Cambodian youth. EGBOK students complete intensive coursework to prepare for careers in the travel industry, and 100% of them find placements in Siem Reap’s top hotels upon graduation. Our contributions help support curriculum development, school supplies, and more. You can read more about our EGBOK partnership here: https://www.placepass.com/corporate-responsibility.
We’re based in Cambridge, MA and got our start in February of 2016. We’re growing fast, and looking for great talent in engineering, marketing, sales, and more. Head over to Placepass.com/careers if you’re interested in joining our team!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Travel is a fast-changing industry, and the tour and activity space is particularly dynamic. I think we’ll see a number of exciting shifts for people interested in experiential, immersive travel:
1) Growth of peer-to-peer experiences. Travelers will have more opportunities to connect with locals and enjoy unique, authentic activities. New technologies will empower individuals to serve as local expert guides.
2) Integration of virtual reality for better travel decision-making. Virtual reality technologies will enable travelers to make more-informed travel decisions. With the capability to take a tour of your hotel room before you book, check out the view from the top of that bucket list monument, or even check out the interior of the airplane cabin, travelers will be armed with more intelligence than ever before.
3) More opportunities to give back. The industry is increasingly recognizing the importance of socially responsible, sustainable travel. As more and more travelers look to make a positive impact, we’ll see existing and new travel companies create opportunities for fulfilling experiences that benefit local destinations.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.placepass.com
- Phone: 617-945-9145
- Email: emily@placepass.com
Image Credit:
Zeb Goodman
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