Cofounder, Siteminder
Search every verified Mike Ford interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Mike Ford, cofounder of SiteMinder, stated that the company was created to help hoteliers sell rooms online. He said he recognized a gap in technology adoption after holding a shareholding in a backpacker hostel in Sydney, noting that traditional methods like motel signs were no longer effective. Ford described SiteMinder as an easy-to-set-up, easy-to-use turnkey platform that has rapidly advanced independent hoteliers' capabilities. Ford also reflected on the company's growth, observing that as a startup scales, team members begin to take initiative independently. He described this shift as a moment when one realizes the organization has become "an engine" that is working.
“I'm Mike Ford, founder of SiteMinder — we built a platform that enables and empowers hoteliers to sell their rooms online.”
“I had a shareholding in a backpacker hostel on the northern beaches in Sydney and saw enough to realize that hotels were years behind in technology adoption.”
“They were really battling to get their product to market — the motel sign on the side of the highway no longer worked.”
“We saw an opportunity to develop an easy-to-set-up, easy-to-use, turnkey platform for hotels to sell their rooms online with our technology.”
SiteMinder's founder and managing director, and winner of a 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ Eastern Region Award, Mike Ford, speaks on the company's purpose and what its technology has meant for hotel businesses around the world.
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