Works A Beach - Impact Magazine Interview

The team at Lucky Find shared some insight about their motivation and redefining the industry standard of corporate travel.

https://www.launchimpact.com/tag/a-lucky-find/

“It’s a big risk to send all these people to sleep in tents in the forest,” CEO, Nick Ovanessoff said. Their risk is their secret sauce. Corporate group travel erupted long before Y2K and has been begging for an update. A Lucky Find Hospitality Management stepped onto the scene to press reset on the industry standard.

Nick Ovanessoff - Lucky Find CEO

When teleconferencing began to blip across the radar, there was a downturn in corporate travel and the work-from-home model was widely adopted. Nick recalled a resurgence when companies realized the benefits of having the team in one place. “You can’t foster corporate culture while everyone is working from home,” he said. A Lucky Find is supplying the desire, while the demand steadily increases.

It is “an immersive travel experience,” an accommodation that is more than a room and a continental breakfast. “There is a study we’ve read and collaborated on that shows when you tie in a multi-sensory experience, your memories make deeper synapse grooves in your brain,” Nick said. Imagine sitting in on a sales training in a windowless conference room in Tucson. Now imagine the same meeting, but in the redwood forest – lounging outside, unplugged, yet more connected than ever before. You’ll remember the smell, the sounds, the feel of the crisp forest air. It is those notions that will trigger your lasting recall

Kinkára, Costa Rica - A Lucky Find Partner Property

Often times, converting a platinum Marriott member to a believer in immersive group travel proves simpler than convincing the hospitality industry to tip toe into the age of technology. “It’s a slow moving industry,” Nick said. Hospitality veterans hold the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, when the next generation rebuts, “it may not be broken, but there’s always room for an upgrade.” Nick’s stint in the tech sphere gave him the confidence to explore the automation tools that give the company its efficient edge.

The travelers are not the only ones finding luck in this endeavor. A Lucky Find provides full-service hotel management to the unique properties they partner with, but scrap the fixed costs and operate off a premium commission model, which creates a mutually invested partnership. “If they’re not making money, we’re not making money,” Nick said in regards to their accommodation partners. That certainly doesn’t seem to be a problem for the company as each prospective property goes through a robust vetting process. Nick and his team are forced to pack their bags, fly to a slice of paradise and make sure the high touch experience is up to snuff.

“There is so much about this job to love,” Nick said. “Working with good friends and meeting incredible people from around the world is great, but leaving the office to go enjoy dinner with colleagues only further confirms we’re doing what we love.”