As the President of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Michelle Woodley leads with passion, vision, and a deep dedication to delivering exceptional experiences across the globe. With over two decades in the hospitality industry, Michelle has been a driving force in shaping the landscape of independent luxury hotels. Her journey with Preferred Hotels began in 2002, and since then, she’s played a pivotal role in the brand's growth, overseeing everything from strategic partnerships to brand loyalty programs. Under Michelle’s leadership, Preferred Hotels has flourished into the world’s largest independent hotel brand, representing more than 700 distinctive properties across 80 countries. Her hands-on approach to management and her commitment to sustainability and innovation reflect her belief that luxury travel should not only be about exceptional stays but also about preserving and uplifting the communities where these hotels reside. When she’s not busy steering Preferred Hotels, you can find Michelle exploring new destinations, discovering local cultures, and advocating for meaningful travel experiences. Through her vision, Preferred Hotels continues to redefine what luxury means in the modern world—offering more than just a place to stay, but a place to belong. Michelle speaks from her home base in Chicago, and credits her Greek ancestry with her passion and skills in hospitality and opens up in this podcast about her childhood and her passion for Greek culture and lifestyle as "a beacon of hospitality". She talks about food, hospitality and serving house guests as a part of daily life, and explains no-one ever leaves a Greek household hungry. In this podcast episode, Michelle Woodley speaks about how she looked up so much to Marieanne Russel, her first mentor at Swissotel, in which she spent 12 years working at. She also shares her view about how technology helps hotel operational and management, and how her goal is to let independent hotels stay independent but able to tackle current challenges in the world of hospitality. Chapters: 01:05 Meet Michelle Woodley 01:30 Her Greek ancestry, the "beacon of hospitality". 03:33 Michelle’s journey in hospitality 05:13 Michelle’s 1st job, her Country club stories 06:41 Michelle was attracted to finance within hospitality rather than front of house. 06:55 Swissotel was the gate to IT world and hotel operations 07:40 Women influencing women in hospitality 08:00 How could technology make people's live easier in hospitality? 09:10 Women wearing suits 09:50 How Michelle travels the world to train hoteliers about the central reservation technology 11:30 How hospitality sector lets people live better lives and her concept of revenue optimisation. 15:20 Finally, a time to work for Preferred Hotels 16:29 How many privately owned hotels are there in the world now? 17:33 How Preferred Hotels work with independent hotels 19:16 What Preferred Hotels provide as part of service and how customers access it. 22:18 The difference of luxury hotels growth between Australia and Southeast Asia with Preferred Hotels property in each region 26:51 Our core business 27:50 How much Michelle travels for work nowadays 28:52 Biggest challenge on luxury hotels 32:24 Where2fromhere, Michelle? ** Subscribe above to this YouTube Channel, Where2FromHere for the best and latest regular luxury travel updates. For collaborations, contact us at: [email protected] *** Host & Executive Producer: Renae Leith-Manos Editor: Raf Graphic & Design: Giang Nguyen For more luxury travel go to: www.renaesworld.com.au For more on Preferred Hotels & Resorts: preferredhotels.com Check out instagram: @renaesworldofficial For Luxury Hotel Consulting: www.luxuryhotelconsulting.com You can watch every episode with spectacular visuals from some of the world’s best and most luxurious hotels over on Renae’s YouTube channel, “Renae’s World, Where to From Here”.