PLENARY From the Atrium to Online

CAREER PATH Mike Mason Founder and CEO, Zentila

Mike Mason led sales and marketing teams in the hotel industry for more than two decades before leaving “one of the coolest jobs in the world” at Gaylord Hotels to spend more time with his family. Earlier this year, he launched Zentila, the first online booking engine specifically focused on short-term meetings, where his title is “Z.E.O.”

How did you get started in hospitality? I was actually born into the hospitality industry, back before there were child labor laws. [Laughs.] I was working in my mom’s pastry shop when I was 10. When I finished school, I ultimately ended up working in and open- ing — right out of college — the Orlando World Center Marriott. When I interviewed for the job, it was pre-

opening. It had the coolest swimming pool ever. So [I figured] if I got a job at the Marriott just as a waiter, I could probably come back and swim in the pool because that’d be really cool. Long story short, I found out that I had to be a manager before I could swim in the pool, so ultimately I ended up working my way up at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

How did you know when it was time for a change? Having worked my way up through the sales and marketing ranks, I found myself on the road a lot. I just woke up one day in 2009 and realized that my oldest daughter was graduat- ing high school. And we sat down and I said, “I want to make sure I see all of your last swim meets.” I realized that my travel schedule really backed into every single one of her meets. I’ve got four daughters, but this is my oldest one. So at first I was leaving so I could spend the last few months with her, and ultimately ended up reconnecting back with my entire family. It took me a good three-and-a-half months

to start to really think about the future. Zentila was just a pea of an idea. Zentila today is so much more than I ever, ever imagined it to be, and the great news is it has very little to do with me, to be honest. I had the pea-sized idea, but the team that we put together really helped to build Zentila up.

What do you like best about the role of entrepreneur? I think that everything that I loved about work- ing [in a corporate job] are the things I love about working for myself. I love the blank slate every day. We as a team are sort of looking at launching this business like pre-opening a hotel sales office, where you know you’re watching the construction and you’re out there convincing customers: “We’re going to be something. Just trust us when we open.” So this process is very similar to me, because I’ve really opened all but one hotel I’ve ever worked for. n

— Barbara Palmer

“ Zentila today is so much more than I ever, ever imagined it to be, and the great news is it has very little to do with me, to be honest.”

30 pcma convene December 2011 www.pcma.org

HOSPITABLE: The hospitality industry “really comes down to relationships. In no other industry are you able to not just hug your customers, but hug your competitors as well when you see each other at trade shows.”

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