Hosted by Alexandra Hoag, Head of Sales North America at Thynk
In this edition of Open Thynks, Alexandra Hoag sat down with Amanda Frank, VP of Commercial Strategy at Pallet Hotels, to talk about career journeys, hospitality’s evolving landscape, and the importance of thoughtful technology adoption.
From falling into hospitality “by accident” to leading commercial strategy for a fast-growing hotel group, Amanda shared her perspective on balancing people, owners, and technology in today’s complex hospitality environment.
From Accidental Start to Hospitality Leader
Amanda’s path into hospitality was anything but traditional. After studying advertising and marketing, she began her career as a ticket taker at a baseball stadium in Indianapolis—next door to a Courtyard by Marriott. A chance job posting on the hotel marquee led her to apply for a sales role she didn’t even know existed.
“I didn’t even know hotels had salespeople. But six months in, I realized I loved it and decided to see where it could take me.”
That decision set Amanda on a career path spanning hotel sales, revenue management, and now leading commercial strategy for Pallet Hotels.
The Tech Transformation: Progress Over Perfection
Hospitality is in the midst of a digital transformation, but Amanda emphasized the importance of thoughtful adoption.
“As an industry, we’re behind. It can feel like turning the Titanic. The temptation is to do everything at once to catch up, but that creates chaos. For us, it’s about progress over perfection—rolling out technology in small, thoughtful steps and empowering property-level champions.”
This philosophy helps ensure that new tools actually deliver value to teams, owners, and ultimately guests, instead of overwhelming staff with too many systems at once.
Commercial Strategy: Breaking Down Silos
Amanda also shared her perspective on the rise of commercial strategy, a role that unifies revenue management, sales, marketing, and distribution.
“With fewer people to do more, it’s about efficiency. Bringing these revenue-generating departments into one cohesive conversation makes us more effective and better prepared to embrace innovations like AI and automation.”
She stressed that success lies in shifting away from siloed operations and creating a holistic commercial conversation across teams.
Navigating Brand Partnerships
As a mixed-flag management group, Pallet works with multiple hotel brands, which brings both opportunities and constraints.
“Sometimes we go down a path only to find out we can’t do something with a certain brand. It requires close collaboration with brand partners, advocating for our owners, and knowing when to adapt. At the end of the day, owners are looking for revenue—it’s our responsibility to deliver that.”
Strong relationships with brand partners and consistent feedback loops have become key priorities for her team.
Growth at Pallet Hotels
With Pallet Hotels expanding rapidly—especially in the Northeast—Amanda’s commercial strategy team is growing too. She highlighted the importance of regional directors who oversee manageable portfolios of 10–12 hotels and stay closely connected to properties and teams.
“We don’t want to be a corporate office that dictates from afar. Visiting properties regularly ensures we understand the realities on the ground, which can vary dramatically even within the same market.”
Exciting News: Pallet Chooses Thynk
Amanda revealed that one of the initiatives she’s most excited about is Pallet Hotels’ upcoming implementation of Thynk.
“We’ve been running on Excel for far too long. It’s not a sales CRM. After 18 months of pushing for it, we’re finally rolling out Thynk to give our sellers a proper centralized system. I couldn’t be more excited.”
For Pallet, the move represents not just a technology upgrade, but a step toward building a scalable and efficient sales infrastructure across their portfolio.
What Keeps Her Up at Night
Despite the excitement of growth and new technology, Amanda says her biggest challenge remains balancing people—employees, owners, and guests.
“Hospitality is about people first. The hardest part is making sure we never lose that focus, even as we bring in new tools and processes. This industry is supposed to be fun, and I want to keep it that way.”
Advice for Hospitality Professionals
Amanda closed with advice rooted in both resilience and adaptability:
“Be flexible. What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. Stay open to new ideas, be willing to pivot, and you’ll not only succeed but also have fun along the way.”
Watch the Full Conversation
This was just a glimpse into the insights Amanda shared. Watch the full Open Thynks interview with Alexandra Hoag and Amanda Frank to hear more about Pallet Hotels’ growth, the evolution of commercial strategy, and why thoughtful innovation matters more than ever.
