Taktsang Goemba (Tiger's Nest).  This is the most famous monastery and a holy place in all of Bhutan.  Legend says Guru Rinpoche meditated in a cave at this site for three months after he flew here on the back of a tigress to subdue the local demon Singey Samdrup.   Getting to this viewing point and then to the monastery, requires a rigorous trek with a vertical climb of 900m/2952ft above Paro Valley .  The trail head starts at the base of the cliff and winds its way up the mountain.   Then, at 3180m/10,432ft elevation, Tiger's Nest comes into full view at eye-level for the first time.  The sight of it took my breath away and I completely forgot about my labored breath from the hike. It was surreal.  I took this photo with a Panasonic DMC-GF1 camera.  Paro, Bhutan.  October 27, 2012.  - Laurel Pfund

Testimonials

Bacara Resort & Spa

Laurel joined Bacara as a Revenue Consultant in 2011. In the year Laurel consulted for Bacara Resort & Spa, her impact was immediate. She was instrumental in setting up the resort for financial success. In order to achieve the owner's financial goals, Laurel's first objective was to swiftly steer the reservations and sales team in a new direction. In order to do so, she implemented and migrated our property management system from Fidelio to Opera and negotiated favorable central reservation system contract rates. She then seamlessly managed the switch to an independent property. She has a keen ability to quickly identify missed revenue opportunities and inefficiencies and then made changes which yielded revenues and occupancy levels never achieved in the resorts history. As a result, our year over year increase in room revenues was 25% and occupancy by 50%, which equated to a 52% growth in revPAR. Laurel's skill set and ability to quickly react and set up revenue structure and strategy is unparalleled and is extremely result driven.

Kathleen Cochran
General Manager
Bacara Resort & Spa, Santa Barbara, California

Bacara Resort & Spa Gallery


Verdura Golf & Spa Resort

We have retained the consulting services of Laurel Pfund who I met during my tenure as Managing Director of the Orient - Express Hotels in Mexico. Laurel brings year of revenue management acumen with strong focus on driving revenues through a very detailed approach on systems management and distribution channels, pricing structure and strategic planning for mid and long term tangible results. Having worked with her for over ten years, Laurel is by far the best I have seen to manage change and development of the revenue management areas.

Felipe Espinoza
General Manager
Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sciacca, Sicily, Italy

Verdura Golf & Spa Resort Gallery


The Grand Del Mar

Laurel assisted us as an interim revenue manager. In this short time, her insight helped us to fine tune our revenue management practices. She was quick to assess the current set up, then recommend and implement changes to make processes more efficient. Her calm demeanor and ability to meld with the team made for a seamless transition.

Rob Stirling
Director of Marketing
The Grand Del Mar, San Diego, California

The Grand Del Mar, San Diego, Gallery


The Lowell

In an ever increasingly competitive global economy and hospitality industry, the role of maximizing revenues has become more crucial than ever before. I am delighted to endorse and recommend Laurel Pfund as one of the brightest professionals in the intricate world of 'Revenue Management'. Laurel is extremely sharp, knowledgeable, and well informed on latest trends in technology and systems to enhance Room Revenues by capturing business for a Hotel. I have worked closely with Laurel to experience significant gains from her inputs made to my properties both past and current. Her skill set, thorough understanding of our Industry, deep comprehension of tools at our disposal and natural flair to provide results quickly are most impressive. I strongly recommend her expertise to any hotel/hotelier/hotel company which simply wants to see it's revenues increase

Ashish Verma
General Manager
The Lowell, New York City, New York

The Lowell, New York, Gallery


Capital Hotel

Having grown up in the rooms side of our business, I've spent the better part of twenty years studying the practice of revenue management. Along the way, I transitioned from student to teacher and have always fancied myself fairly accomplished on the subject. That is, until I met Laurel. If I'm classified as competent, she is definitely an expert. And while her knowledge is remarkable, it's her tireless and creative search for new revenue opportunities which make her so valuable...a combination of skills rarely found in revenue managers.

Michael Chaffin
Managing Director
Capital Hotel, Little Rock, Arkansas

"Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues."

Name an advisor you recall as being brilliant but never boastful, devoted without guile, direct yet courteous, creative but not strident whose simple objective is to make a living helping you succeed? My list includes one name; Laurel Pfund. It was a lucky day that our paths crossed.

Charles A. Magill
Director of Marketing
Capital Hotel, Little Rock, Arkansas

Capital Hotel Gallery


The Montage

"As a consultant Laurel immediately places herself as a member of the team with the same passion, sense of accountability and responsibility as any full time associate. Laurel is tenacious, respectful, and extraordinarily skilled at immediately identifying issues, and needs which immediately impact revenue while working with exists staff to achieve the results she was hired to accomplish.. She is capable of addressing both highly technical, process and staffing issues as if she had worked with you for years, identifying strategic and tactical needs essential for short and long term revenue success. Her impact and work results have made a significant impact on our business."

Jeff Johnson
Vice President, Marketing
Montage Hotels & Resorts, Laguna Beach, California

Montage Beverly Hills Gallery


Hotel Blackhawk

"Today, Hoteliers are asked to take on multiple roles on property and it becomes increasingly challenging to focus on specific areas of the operation. Laurel has been instrumental in being our focus on Revenue Management. There has been tremendous value in Laurel's services in Assessment and Oversight throughout our development of a new Hotel Management company and opening of our first hotel. Laurel's expertise and enthusiasm embody one of my favorite quotes from Henry Ford - "Quality is doing it right when no one is looking."

Wesley Ludloff
General Manager
Hotel Blackhawk, Davenport, Iowa

Hotel Blackhawk Gallery


Viceroy Hotel Group

Recently I had the pleasure of working with three premier properties in the Viceroy Hotel Group:


Please enjoy the included pictures from these stupdendous resorts.

Viceroy Hotel Group Gallery


Hay Creek Hotels

Laurel had the responsibility for developing, implementing and supporting Orient-Express's rooms merchandising systems for the North American properties and in the major international hotels.  This covered a range of areas of functions, including weekly revenue management, new reservations operational training, evaluation of monthly and quarterly business forecasting and direct modifications of strategic GDS interfaces and databases. She was effective with her diverse and critical responsibilities and the results were measurably successful.  I would recommend her for evaluating, managing and implementing key reservations and rooms revenue management programs.  She remains a resource that I rely on for her professionalism.

Dean P. Andrews
Principal
Hay Creek Hotels, New York City, New York