Anyone who has worked at a hotel knows that the industry can be crazy—hundreds of people checking in- and out every day, cancellations and reservations, and keeping up with maintenance requests. 

Now imagine that in arguably one of the most chaotic cities in the world and you’re right in the hospitality career of Tony Trousdale, now Kipsu’s beloved Onboarding Manager. 

From the Bellagio to Silicon Valley

Trousdale got started in hospitality when he was young. “Whenever my family traveled, I was always interested in how a hotel worked, from operations to scaling a brand,” he said.

After going to school for hospitality at the University of Las Vegas, he began his career in hotels at the best of the best, the Bellagio. 

“Seeing how one of the largest, most luxurious hotels worked on a day-to-day basis behind the scenes greatly increased my interest in hospitality,” Trousdale said of seeing 10,000+ people working simultaneously to keep the hotel at top performance.

From working front office at the Bellagio, the Wynn, and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, to Guest Services Management at the Westin San Francisco and Four Seasons Palo Alto, there probably isn’t a scenario in hospitality he hasn’t dealt with. 

“I really liked that every guest was different in every way,” he said of his 10 years in hospitality. “It was exciting to meet so many people, learn about their travels, and create memories for them.” 

The craziness of working in Las Vegas hotels and moving along to different brands allowed Trousdale to see how each one was uniquely creating interesting experiences for guests.

A customer-first mindset 

On a day-to-day basis, Trousdale’s positions involved ensuring the hotels ran smoothly from the moment guests walked in the door, to the moment they left. 

Oftentimes sold out at the Las Vegas locations, his team had to make sure hotel operations were working perfectly from each department to ensure smooth guest experiences. From looking over to the front drive to make sure cars were flowing in and out, to making sure rooms were ready on time, to equipping housekeeping with the tools they needed to stay on track, it was never a dull moment.

“A lot of the time was spent talking to the guests, listening to their needs and making them feel like they were at home,” he said.

One of the skills that Trousdale honed from his hospitality experience and brings to his position every day at Kipsu is a customer-first approach.

“In hotels this is the golden rule and it lives within the industry we serve,” he said. “We always look to give our best to our customers as they give the best to theirs.”

Connecting with partners

Trousdale became interested in the tech space after working in hotels in Silicon Valley. Wanting to find a way in after a decade in hotels, a startup in the hospitality industry reached out and his tech career began. After working in the Saas world for another decade, he came to Kipsu in February of 2021.

As Onboarding Manager, Trousdale works with new partners to get them up and running on Kipsu’s hotel text messaging system. 

“I know the struggles they have first hand, from lean teams to super limited resources, so it’s all about, ‘How do we make Kipsu work for your hotel?’” he said. 

Because he knows where they’re coming from, it’s easy for Trousdale to connect with Kipsu’s hospitality partners. 

“Oftentimes, partners have their guard up because they think it’s just another system they have to work with,” he said of the hospitality messaging platform. “But the moment they see how impactful it is, there is an instant lightbulb moment that this [hotel texting platform] isn’t just ‘another thing to do.’”

Trousdale is one of Kipsu’s many hospitality experts and we are so lucky to have him! Learn more about hotel messaging on the Kipsu blog.

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