Bringing Independent Hotels to the Millennial

 

To quote the late great journalist, chef, and traveler Anthony Bourdain:

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable…But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

Bourdain’s words reflect a reverence for the power of travel and exploring the unfamiliar. It is this feeling that inspired Adam Harris to use technology to revolutionize the way we travel today by creating the Cloudbeds software for boutique hotels.

In 2012, Harris’ business partner traveled to Brazil. He struggled to book unique, under-the-radar hotels and realized there was a demand for making small hotel operations more accessible to the public.

As the FIFA World Cup and the Rio Olympic Games loomed on the horizon, the duo saw an opportunity to make Brazil’s independent hotels available to incoming travelers with easy-to-use online software. Hotels that were once invisible to consumers became bookable with a click of a button.

Inspired by the “open table” online reservation service for restaurants, Harris created Cloudbeds for boutique hotels.

Millennials are changing the landscape of travel. Today’s young adults have changed their priorities from accumulating goods to accumulating rich experiences. The boutique hotel stay is part of these “experiences” that Millennials crave, which makes Cloudbeds particularly relevant to young travelers wanting a culturally rich vacation. From staying in upcycled tequila barrels in Mexico to glamping in Yellowstone National Park, unconventional stay experiences can make traveling exponentially richer.

With a passion for exploring and a background traveling to over 50 countries, Harris spoke with MarketScale about using tech to encourage new interactions and inspire cultural bridges, both today and well into the future.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Hospitality Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @HospitalityMKSL
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

mentorship
WAVIT’s Mentorship Program: Cyndie Nelson on Building Careers Through Guidance
July 19, 2025

The AV industry, like many others in tech, often thrives on innovation—but it’s mentorship that sustains it. Behind every successful professional is often a mentor who provided guidance, shared hard-earned lessons, and opened doors that might have otherwise stayed shut. Programs like WAVIT (Women in AV/IT) bring this spirit of mentorship into focus by intentionally…

Read More
mentorship
Empowering Innovation: Kim Porter’s Role in the WAVIT Mentorship Program
July 19, 2025

In an industry where innovation often hinges on experience, mentorship is the bridge that connects the wisdom of the past with the promise of the future. Engineering, especially in the mechanical domain, is traditionally seen as a discipline of precision, but its culture is just as vital as its calculations. That’s why programs like WAVIT’s…

Read More
mentorship
Passion, Power, and the Mentorship Paradigm Shift in Tech
July 19, 2025

In today’s rapidly evolving tech world, mentorship has emerged as more than a professional development tool—it’s a powerful human connection that fosters resilience, purpose, and authenticity. Particularly for women in engineering and STEM, mentorship isn’t just about career guidance; it’s a lifeline to navigating environments where their voices may still fight to be heard. While…

Read More
AV
Lessons in Leadership: Mitek’s Cyndie Nelson on the Power of Mentoring Women in AV Technology
July 19, 2025

Mentorship has long been considered a cornerstone of professional development, but in the fast-evolving world of AV technology and sales, its value has never been more evident. The unspoken nuances of tradecraft—those bits of wisdom not found in textbooks—are often only accessible through the lived experience of mentors. Particularly for women in traditionally male-dominated industries,…

Read More