Founder of Hotels Above Par Brandon Berkson has created an “expert-curated guide with under-two-minute articles designed for the hip traveler who is short on time, both on Instagram and online.”
Brandon Berkson launched Hotels Above Par in April 2020. Since then, he has been able to grow the guide’s following significantly, “resulting in an ever-expanding community of hotel and travel enthusiasts who share my passion for the industry.”
For Hotels Above Par, Brandon Berkson writes content dealing with “different hotels and destinations.” Aside from writing, he also hosts an Instagram Live series called “Checking In with Hotels Above Par,” where he discusses hotels and travel with industry experts. Since the debut episode, he has featured Christine Tran, a lifestyle and travel influencer. He has also featured The Hermosa Inn, the premier boutique hotel in Arizona, as well as journalists who have published in Forbes, Travel + Leisure, DuJour, ShermansTravel, POPSUGAR, Time Out, USA Today, and Sunset.
Aside from “Checking In,” Brandon Berkson has also premiered another show for Hotels Above Par. This is the “Hotel Hit List,” which is “a set of playful superlatives highlighting different illustrious figures’ favorite hotels.”
Also for Hotels Above Par, Brandon Berkson hosts a weekly segment about the guide, in Spanish, broadcast on one of the leading radio networks in Mexico, Radio Formula MX.
With the website launch of Hotels Above Par, Brandon Berkson has seen continued growth of his company. He has since brought along freelance journalists to help create content for the guide.
Check out more interviews with hotel industry founders here.
My backstory starts with a passion for hotels. Brandon Berkson, Hotels Above Par
Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! What is your “backstory”?
Brandon Berkson: My backstory starts with a passion for hotels. I’ve been deeply fascinated by them since I was a kid — some eight-year-olds want to play soccer; some have no interest and would much rather force their younger brother to imaginatively “play hotel” with them (the latter one was me). I carried my love for hotels with me as I moved around the world, from San Francisco, where I worked at a boutique hotel, to Paris and London, where I completed university and held communications positions in travel & hospitality, and most recently to New York, where I landed at a travel PR firm.
When the pandemic struck, I was furloughed for several months from the travel PR firm in New York. Needless to say, I was devastated. Not just about my 9–6, but also witnessing the tragic decimation of my beloved hospitality and travel industry.
“When life gives you furlough, make lemonade.” My out-of-a-job despair galvanized me to make an impactful contribution to my greatest adoration in life — hotels. I knew two things: I wanted to stay connected to travel, and I wanted to support hotels during a time when they needed our love most. So, with this, I created Hotels Above Par. What started out as an Instagram page touting my favorite hotels eventually evolved into, what I describe as, “an expert-curated guide with under-two-minute articles for hip travelers.” Today, in addition to a website and articles written by several well-versed travel journalists, Hotels Above Par’s readership across all platforms stands at over 70,500.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your company? What lessons or takeaways idd you take out of that story?
Brandon Berkson: I’ve never been on the radio speaking my native tongue, English, but I have been on the radio speaking Spanish. Those who know me are aware that my second passion in life, after hotels, is languages. I speak four, Spanish being one of them. Back in May, I was contacted by a friend at leading Mexican radio network, Radio Formula MX. She heard about Hotels Above Par and loved the concept. She knew I spoke Spanish and offered me the opportunity to speak about travel and hotels on the Baja California / Southern California station’s morning show. What was supposed to be a one-time thing ended up as a seven-month-long weekly segment broadcasted to over ten million listeners, from Los Angeles to Ensenada.
Leading a radio segment in Spanish and talking about travel — during a time when it was much-needed as we were all craving it — fueled me. When I was on a furlough and back in San Diego, it was something I looked forward to every week. It also brought a bevy of people to follow Hotels Above Par, which made me very happy.
The takeaway: Life is so unexpected and full of many amazing opportunities. Who would’ve thought AP Spanish in high school would have led to my own radio segment in that language?
Jerome Knyszewski: Do you have a favorite book that made a deep impact on your life? Can you share a story?
Brandon Berkson: Magazines and publications have been my biggest source of inspiration — I’m always reading them. There are two that you can always catch me diving into:
First, Monocle — it holds a persona that is artfully debonair and impeccably handsome, from its aesthetic to articles. I want our readers to feel Hotels Above Par has those same qualities.
Second, A Hotel Life — the publication has garnered such a community of hotel enthusiasts who celebrate the amazingness of hospitality every day. From its readers to expert contributors, there is such a collective sense of love for the industry. I want Hotels Above Par to have that same community.
Creating my own business has brought me to firmly stand my ground, which has made me a lot stronger of a person.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you share 5 of the most difficult and most rewarding parts of being a “TwentySomething founder”. Please share an example or story for each.
Brandon Berkson:
- Hard work pays off. Between my PR job (I returned back in September 2020) and Hotels Above Par, I’ve been working 12-hour days the past five months. In addition to that, I’ve dedicated my weekends to Hotels Above Par. Yes, I’m exhausted, but that’s the life of an entrepreneur. Plus, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your brand grow as a result of all that hard work. I remember there was a month where I literally didn’t have a second of spare time — I stayed home, worked both jobs, worked out, and went to bed. I dedicated myself to work and building my brand. I woke up the first day of the following month and immediately checked our Google Analytics; HotelsAbovePar.com had grown 115 percent in website traffic. Then, I exhaled.
- You can still be a people person during a time when we can’t meet/see people. I love meeting other industry professionals and talking travel and hospitality with them. In PR, we often take journalists out for coffee and chat about story ideas. I find so much enjoyment in meeting new travel-obsessed people. So, when the pandemic struck, these interactions were put to a halt. I had to pivot these IRL like-minded conversations to the digital stage. And, let me tell you, since doing this, I have never in my life made more connections with industry professionals and journalists.
- Don’t let social media consume your life; it’s bad for your mental health. Like many other Millennials, I spend way too much time on social media. It’s a bit hard to set limits when you have an Instagram account that requires frequent attention. There are times where I am fatigued by just looking at my phone, however, I can’t stop doing it. While this attentiveness has helped my brand grow, it sometimes, just like many people my age, affects my mental health and the ability to stay present. I’ve recently set limits to my social media consumption and am proud of my progress. That said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
- Stop apologizing about saying ‘no’ to things. I often feel so guilty about hurting other peoples’ feelings. With that, I feel I am constantly apologizing for saying “no” to things. Creating my own business has brought me to firmly stand my ground, which has made me a lot stronger of a person.
- When stuck in the mud, be resourceful and try to find a way out. Instead of sulking when I was furloughed, I listened to my mom’s advice and created something that aligned with my passions and evoked personal joy. Thanks to this advice, I am where I am now.
Jerome Knyszewski: We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
Brandon Berkson: I would like to get coffee with Journalist Sebastian Modak, who was The New York Times’ 52 Places Traveler in 2019. Shortly after the article was published, I saw him speak at the NYT Travel Show about his year around the world — it was extremely inspiring.
Jerome Knyszewski: What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
Brandon Berkson: Hotels Above Par is on Instagram @hotelsabovepar and online at HotelsAbovePar.com.
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
