Vacation rental businesses often have plans for protecting properties when a storm, fire, flood, or other emergency hits.
But true preparedness goes much further than securing the homes.
In this YouTube-exclusive episode, Alex & Annie are joined by Rachele Hobbs, Sue Jones, and April Burns of Hospitality Heroes for a conversation that pushes disaster preparedness beyond the property itself.
Drawing from experiences with hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, COVID, and other disruptions, they share the lessons that reshaped what being “prepared” actually means for a hospitality business.
The conversation also explores why some of the most valuable disaster planning comes from people who have already lived through the unexpected, and how Hospitality Heroes is working to turn those lessons into resources, partnerships, and stronger preparedness across the hospitality industry.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 - Meet the team behind Hospitality Heroes
02:01 - The Hurricane Helene response that sparked something bigger
05:01 - Who takes care of the people behind hospitality?
09:14 - Why preparedness has to begin before the emergency
12:42 - The employee needs businesses often overlook
17:58 - What happens when normal communication stops working?
19:48 - Turning real disaster experiences into better preparation
24:42 - Building stronger community support before it is needed
31:06 - Why sharing what went wrong can help someone else prepare
35:38 - Disaster planning for remote and distributed teams
38:07 - How to get involved with Hospitality Heroes
40:47 - Prepare, share, and start somewhere
If your emergency plan mostly focuses on the properties you manage, this episode may make you look at it differently.
Connect with Hospitality Heroes:
Website: https://www.hospitalityheroes.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-heroes-nonprofit/posts/?feedView=all
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