Ask our fearless leader, Ryan Rivett, what the most effective touchpoint is and he’ll tell you it’s – without a doubt – storytelling. At least that’s what he told us in a recent conversation you’ll hear soon. When we launched the official My Place Hotels Blog a year ago, the primary goal wasn’t to just add a touchpoint, but to enhance our story’s accessibility and consequently deepen the connection with our community.
Since then, the blog has become our central storytelling channel, housing press releases, Q&As, cultural manifestos, video content, and most recently – our official podcast.
To quantify the past year’s progress in posts, there are currently 111 articles with 77,796 words, read by over 7,000 visitors to date. So, while us blog heads take a moment to celebrate an anniversary most dear to us (naps, anyone?), we called on a few familiar faces to help us commemorate a year in collaboration.
Matthew Campbell, EVP/General Counsel
Matt’s Pick: Is it even possible to choose just one?
“As you might expect… I don’t necessarily have a favorite article. Each article is important in its own unique way and they each provide tangible and intangible benefits to the reader. What I really appreciate is that MPHOA has established a new devoted outlet to share brand specific information with our friends, partners, and franchisees. Every day MPHOA is focused on expanding resources and our industry knowledge and this becomes an additional outlet to interact.”
Terry Kline, EVP of Franchise Sales
Terry’s Pick: “My Place Hotels Unveils Key Developments at its 2019 Convention”
“Having to pick a favorite blog article is like having to pick your favorite child and we all know that’s not possible. While I believe every article that is shared on the blog has a profound purpose and connection to our brand, I must say that this year’s Convention Recap from My Place Con 2019 is my favorite article that has been shared on the blog, thus far. Having the opportunity to connect with so many integral members of our brand, whether they’re franchisees or team members makes for an unforgettable experience, all-around. This year’s Convention was particularly memorable for me as we made our way to San Diego, so having the opportunity to look back on all of the announcements and exciting moments we shared with one another in April is quite heart-warming. I can’t wait to see what Ngoc and Tyler cook up next on the blog!”
Eric Myers, VP of Franchise Sales & Development
Eric’s Pick: “From Five to 50: Five Years of Franchising with My Place Hotels”
“Five Years of Franchising is one of my favorite articles. It does a fantastic job of laying out the timeline of our brand’s growth. It’s great to see the progression in design and slight changes in each of the property photos. As I review this article one thing I notice is the true excitement and joy in the faces of each and every person involved. To sum it up the article puts in print the story that each and every one of us enjoys sharing when asked about the My Place Hotels brand. Everybody likes a great “Story” and I think “Five Years of Franchising” is just that!”
Staci Kay: Director of Franchise Relations/Executive Assistant
Staci’s Pick: “Pride in the Pack: Looking back on a big afternoon at Northern State University”
“Reading this article makes me proud to say that I graduated from Northern State University and that I work for such an incredible company. NSU was just a stepping stone to landing my career here at My Place and if you look around our company, we have generations of other NSU alumni within these walls. Its great to see how much the Rivett Family has supported NSU and its continually growing campus!”
Dan Hilsendeger, VP of National Sales
Dan’s Pick: “The Layover: Q&A with Dan Hilsendeger”
“It was extremely easy to choose my favorite blog article because I chose my own Q&A… I did so because 1. It was the first Q&A, 2. Who doesn’t want to know what I eat for breakfast?, and 3. I made it easy for everyone by setting the bar low. In all seriousness, all of the blog posts have been my favorite. I feel like I have learned something from each one and isn’t that what it is all about? Learning about our work family and how we are all working together to make this Story that Ron and Ryan started telling have an ongoing happy ending.”
Nicole Spaeth, Director of Marketing
Nicole’s Pick: “It Takes Great People to Make a Great Place”
“It takes a lot of effort, planning and drive to maintain and sustain an ever-changing brand and blog. When I first heard that our blog had been approved, I thought to myself, “We’re going places!” Each piece is well thought out and crafted to be relevant and timely, consistent with our voice and a new perspective for our audience. My favorite piece still remains “It takes great people to make a great place.” I think each blog post speaks to this title – everyone will have a voice on the blog and everyone has an impact on our brand. That is the key to a successful business model – make your place a great place to be.”
Irene Roberts, Director of Brand Loyalty
Irene’s Pick: “From Five to 50: Five Years of Franchising with My Place Hotels”
“What a great challenge it was to have to decide which of the articles from the My Place Blog is my favorite. Having to choose my favorite article gave me the opportunity to re-read a lot of the articles that have been written. I do have to say choosing my favorite wasn’t easy, but I’ve got to be honest when I say that I never get tired of hearing about the history of My Place Hotels. With that being said, “Five Years of Franchising” really puts everything into perspective about how far we have come as a brand and how far we have yet to go! I can’t wait to see were the next 5 years have in store for us all.”
