Rafael Blanes spent 15 years in hospitality learning what it takes to run a successful hotel, working across operations, housekeeping, food and beverage, and revenue management at Gaylord Hotels, IHG, and Wyndham. In every role, he tried to push past what the job was supposed to be and expand how much it could move the business. His tool for doing that was always technology.
So he went to build it. After time at TravelClick, he helped start Cloudbeds and spent more than a decade scaling it from zero to over $170 million in revenue. He drew on his years in hotels to help shape the product that made Cloudbeds a powerhouse in hospitality technology. As head of growth, he led sales, marketing, business development, customer success, and executive strategy across North America, Latin America, APAC, and EMEA.
The thread through all of it is growth: building the teams, motions, and partnerships that create scale.
An avid sailor, Rafael has learned that the celebration at the dock belongs to those who love the grind of getting there.