Holograms: Pushing the Boundaries of Hospitality | with Andre Smith & Marnix Lock

The Modern Hotelier - Episode #30 === David Millili: Welcome to The. Modern Hotelier. I'm your host, David Millili. Steve Carran: And I'm your co-host Steve. Jon Bumhoffer: And I'm the producer, John Boom. this episode is sponsored by growth advisors, international network, the leading travel and hospitality, innovation and growth advisory firm. Gain is a global collective of seasoned C-level commercial tech. Operations finance and marketing executives. Delivering an advisory platform focused on tactical and actionable solutions. To drive growth. Industry impact. And intelligent commercial expansion for the travel food service and hospitality tech industry. From technology and product development reviews, commercial strategy, and brand positioning to sales, leadership, and international go-to-market advisory. . Game provides a range of managed C-level advisory services and expertise to tech vendors, investor funds and hospitality entities. And help startups and scale-ups in attaining commercial momentum and the capital for their seed to series rounds and exits. . For more information and to contact, gain advisors, head to gain advisors.com. David Millili: Steve, who do we have on the program today? Steve Carran: Yeah, David. So for the first time on the Modern Hotelier, we have two guests at the same time. We're really excited to have Andre Smith and Marx Locke with us today. They're the two co-founders of Hollow Connects. You can see what Hollow Connects is a little bit behind them, but we're gonna dive more into that today. But welcome to the show, gentlemen. Thanks for coming. Marnix Lock: Thank you very much. Thank you. Andre Smith: Thank you guys. Thank you for having us. Of course. David Millili: So we're gonna go through a couple of areas. We're gonna ask you some random questions, get to know you a little bit better, talk about the company and your careers and how you got to where you're at, and then we're gonna get your thoughts on the industry. All right, so so here we go. So first question is for each of you to answer. Are you a morning or a night person? Andre Smith: I'm definitely a morning person. I treat yeah, little children, so they are like waking me up at six in the morning. So, at 10 at 10:00 am I need to go to bed. Marnix Lock: Yeah. So, in the transition of being a more morning person, so I was more like an evening night person. I've also got kids, so you need to wake up early up in the morning. David Millili: Alright, good. What is the most use emoji on your phone? Andre Smith: Ooh. I don't really do emojis, but I do think it's probably a big laugh because the life is just one big laugh, Marnix Lock: I think. Yeah, me too. I. David Millili: Got it. So Steve Carran: here. Same David Millili: your. Who's your favorite band or singer? Andre Smith: Wow. I think these days I listen the most to Burna Boy, which is an artist coming out of Nigeria. probably have both the same answers because we're quiet the same guy Yeah. In another jacket. But yeah, for me, I think it's Burna Boy Marnix Lock: right now. Yeah. Burna boy listen a lot to music. My roots are also from. but my all time favorite artist I must say Michael Jackson. It's cliche, but yeah. David Millili: Yeah, good answer. Have either of you been told that you look like somebody famous and who was it? Andre Smith: No, not like somebody famous. People often tell me, Hey, they think I'm somebody else. So they say all kinds of names to me and they think that I'm the person, but not somebody famous. No. Marnix Lock: No, not me either. There was only a rapper in the Netherlands that looked a little bit like me, but no. David Millili: Okay. All right. So if you had a time machine and you'd go, you could go in the future or the past, which would it be and what year would you go to? Marnix Lock: I will go to the past. what year would I go to? maybe just before the birth of my daughter will still continue to sink that. But then do a little bit. Change up in my investments. Steve Carran: Okay. Andre Smith: Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's a nice one. I would definitely go to the future. and I think I would go like a thousand years from now because I see those series on Netflix where you have those alien planets where they get to look into the future and with all sorts of thoughts about what the future could look like. yeah. So I'm definitely curious about where we are as a civilization in a thousand years. David Millili: Cool. Andre Smith: very Steve Carran: that. I love that. Awesome. So now move on to the next section, which we just wanna learn a little bit more about you guys. What makes you tick. so this one you both get to answer. Andre, we'll start with you. and then Marx, you can go after. where did you grow up? Andre Smith: I grew up in a very small village. We had like 5,000 in evidence. I think. It's called osa, which is a city next to where we are located as a company right now. I think it was good growing up there and not too much. not like a big city. Steve Carran: What about you? Marnix Lock: So I grew up in the town that we also have our office, which is called . It's all difficult to pronounce for you guys in in English, but it was a great growing up here, just in a good neighborhood. And great parents have three sisters who are all lovely. So, grew up in a warm family. Steve Carran: Awesome. How did growing up there shape you? Andre Smith: Well, yeah I grew up in a small city, like I said, like five in 5,000 inhabitants. I think from the moment. I went to mid school. I think that's a little bit different than how that is structured in the us. But then I went to Kubo, which I know Mon for when we were like 13 years old. So, Basically all our lives we've known each other. But I do think that living, growing up in, in a very small village made me it was very important for me to have a big imagination and work with all sorts of things without too much distraction. And maybe that's was the basis for thinking big and thinking outside of where I grew up. And that that the world is much bigger and life is much bigger than that. So I think it was a good, environment to grow. Yeah. Marnix Lock: I think I can, agree with that also. But also I studied later on in in a bigger city, so, which also opened doors. Also, Andre studied in a bigger city, of course, but, that also opened doors and also to the imagination and to the creativity that you can, Get from maybe growing up in a smaller town, enhanced the vision and enhanced yeah. Everything that that you want to achieve, help. David Millili: Yeah. So what really drove you guys or made you become entrepreneurs? Were there other family members that you were kind of, you saw that they did something on their own or what led you to kind of down this path of being an entrepreneur? Andre Smith: I think in my case, I know for sure it was my my father, he had like a cleaning company. So when we were like seven, eight years old, we always went from our school. We drove by the bike to the office. My mother was there working as well. And yeah, basically grew up in an environment where, entrepreneurial Activities were daily be done. and my father, we had like a lot of conversations about business models, about ideas, about how you could, make from an idea something big. we always calculated what really cost what you can earn about it, what you need to be successful, and where you would go. I wouldn't say that, that my father was like a big entrepreneur, but I think that little seed, because of his vision and because what he, the way he looked at things, I think he planted inside of my hat. And that grew. So that's why I never actually worked for a boss. I think I do. Did like two small jobs, and I was terrible working for a bus because I was really dreaming much bigger than than what the reality could bring me that day. so from I think at the age of 18, I tried a hundred and things, just to become successful. And I think the last three years I really found something that, that could make impact in numerous sectors and could really, have value to society. So, yeah. Yeah. great. Marnix Lock: for me also my father's a big example, but not on the entrepreneurial side. In my younger years, he was working at at a bank, but he was al always working. He was a very hardworking person, always, educating himself, doing different types of masters, doing work while having four children, and having a wife of course. and later on after my study, he stopped working at the bank and he began, working for himself. And then I started, after my study, I started working with him. and that gave me inspiration to do something for myself also. But also in my young years, my older sister is not per se entrepreneurial, but driving me to do something for myself because I couldn't handle her very good. So she said, okay, you need to go and work for yourself. So, I think those two persons are, my memories of being being my own own Steve Carran: boss. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Awesome. That's a good low background. I appreciate that. Now find out a little bit more what you did before Hollow Connect and then we'll dig into Hollow Connects here. So, sounds like you both had that entrepreneurial spirit. What types of either jobs or businesses did you both start before, before coming together at Hollow? Andre Smith: Well, I, when I was 12 years old, I did a paper round at six in the morning, which in 70% I just threw them away. Steve Carran: Yeah. Andre Smith: no, that's no, that's true. I think that's true for like 50% of them. No, but I really learned working hard from a very young age. I mean, getting up at at half past five, we, 12 years old and doing a paper round, asked for some discipline. and I think in that sense, by that time I did the paper round, I was already, you know, it's like your own thing. You are planning your own route. So you're thinking about how can I be efficient, how can I, end this task, fastest as I can. I think that's where it all started. And then, like I said, I did some jobs, two or three jobs for a bus, which I ended up winning two months, stopping it because, I was already doing. Other things, at the same time. and then because my mother wanted me to be a doctor, so I went to I went to the university to become a doctor, but after one year, that was a terrible mistake as well. That's when I I started to really find my own path and I started to do a. a university within within business, which I did, I completed it in 10 years because after the second year we did a minor, which was entrepreneurial international entrepreneurship. And that's where I started my first company, which was basically like a it was a product for schools that they could use in the gym lessons, and it's like some sort of feather, which is quite similar to Batton, but this was a bigger feather. You could use it with your hands as well as with your feet. It was good for your hand and eye coordination. So I made a whole program, together with a friend of mine who is a teacher within GEM Lessons herself. And I saw those two different schools. Steve Carran: Was that photo? Andre Smith: That was photo. Indeed. Yeah. You did some background checking. Yeah that's good. Yeah. So it's good to know that, boy, what I'm talking about. It was photo indeed, which was, I thought I would be a millionaire within one year. and I had like a really big deal going on within I think 12 months. Yeah. and that was for 200,000 of those photos. And then the day they needed to pay the 50% down payment, they said, Andre, we cannot do it. Because there are like, animal feathers in it and we can't use products that are literally coming from an animal. So I said to them, well, it's like a product. The chicken is already dead. the feathers will be thrown away or they will be reused, for product that can stimulate children to go back on the street and play again. why is that not an option? He said, well, it's just policies. We cannot do it and we will not do it. so I have to I have to cancel this order. I think that was a pivotal moment for me to really stop with a product, because replacing the feder with another product was just not an option because it then it would be too, too heavy to. so that's when when I stopped that initial company and I did I think like three or four other things for which were not, yeah, not something worth mentioning. But then I think I went 25. That's when I had my first child Norris is now seven years old. and that's when I really started to retain that I need to make some money. And then I really literally started like call center jobs, just selling energy contracts. and that's where. Because I was going to work there. the guy told me, Hey, do you know other people that could work here? I said, yeah, I can do that. But then you need to hire them because I'm going to start an recruitment agency. And then he left. and one week later I had a recruitment agency and I had five people there that could start working. and that's basically when. When I really made some money until the point that I was like 29, I had a company in in OSA because me and my family, we moved to Kura Sal, which is in the Caribbean. And I had a, I had an office in Netherlands and I went back and forth. Then at one point I thought about growing this into a bigger company, but it was hard to do that because you were very reliable on people and not just a product. And I always thought I wanted to have a product because I know that's better to sell and I know you can make some real value with a product that could make some impact on society. And that's where Mar he joined, us with the family in Esau. And that's where. Started the concept of what we are doing today. Marnix Lock: So, for me, the phase that, Andre mentioned during his 25th year where he became a father. I had that a little bit earlier. I was my wife was pregnant when I was 19, so I was still studying and became father at 20. So my, my thought was, okay, what should I do? Right now I'm still studying, I'm here, I'm studying music, which is already a difficult sector to, to make money in. And I also did that with Andre. So there was also an A phase of where we were entrepreneurs in music. Yeah. And, we earned some money, but way, not enough to, to pay rent or to pay mortgage or whatever. so after my study, I start working at my father's company. And during the same time, I also made a website for myself and for my father. and I thought, okay, why shouldn't I do this for others? And. I did some acquisition and quite quickly I already got some customers, made some website, and then did an online marketing agency, which was not really a marketing agency, but I thought it was a market marketing agency, and I earned some money with that. But, Later on, while working with my father, I started the transition to a paid company. And I was a employer at, a recruitment company, which is called Temp Team. And during that same time working full-time, I, still had. At that online marketing agency. I wanted to work there full-time, make some, profit and had some money on the bank so I can transition to a full-time entrepreneur. And then I worked with Andre also at the same time, in the recruitment business. I had some money in the bank and I. I can say to the job, okay, I'm now quitting. I'm now working for myself. And so that was like, I think six years ago approximately. And then had the recruitment business for three years and then sold it. And stories come together. We went to, and then the initial idea of how Connects Came up and then we started the business. Yep. David Millili: Yeah. So share with us. So you guys are coming up on close to three years. Holoconnects, tell us, you know, tell us what it is and tell us how you guys came up with the idea. Andre Smith: what Holo Connects is an amazing company. Of course. It's it's a company that provides hologram as a surface, which is new to the whole world. and what we are basically doing is trying to solve bigger global problems with holograms, in some sort of way. And the hologram itself, it's a tool to, to create a bigger value. and that could. Kind of service. Marnix Lock: Yeah. And I think, that, during the time that we started and, developed the product that we have also in the background of course is that okay, we did events and we did some things and some companies bought the holo box, and then they've asked us for, okay, how can we implement it into our business? Or how can we use it? instead of only. Making content for them. We had, the idea, okay, how can we. Bring this hologram box into, a more like a service level. And that's why we transitioned to the idea of not only having a gimmick ish product to a service and helpful and more efficient making company Andre Smith: product. Yeah. So we initially started and I think that's a great story. We initially started. We went both on, we had a death in the family. and due to the death, we asked ourself, what if we suddenly are going to die? can our children see us as a life size person? And could they meet us after? We we died. And based around that question, we started to search a technology that could support this question. and then we found out that, there was no technology at all, that you could use in just a normal, location In a small room and you could see someone as a life size person. And that's when we started to develop our own technology, which is the Holobox which you see, on the background of course. And we got a lot of media tracking because the initial idea was you make your hologram, you leave that for the eternity for your children, grandchildren great grandchildren a thousand years from now, and it would be still there. And they could see you as a life size person and they could meet their. A grandfather, great-grandfather in a way that, could not be done before. but then, there wasn't any interest from people to really buy this technology or buy this service. but we got a lot of interest from other companies. and one of those companies was the United Nations that called us and said, Hey, can we use your technology to have our high officials being flew in from all around the world? But not by plane, but as a hologram. and of course we said we could do that. We did not have the technology to do that, but we made it happen. Of course. So we made that happen. And then based on that initial idea, we really started to pivoting into, hey, we could be a communication company. We could be a company providing, companies to be anywhere in the world. Without having to fly. We could even, be valuable to those. sustainability goals And make use of this technology and reduce emissions. so we started to pivoting into the live connection, side of of the hologram business. And that's when we got in contact with Thomas with CIC hospitality and they. brought up the question, what if we could, use this technology in our front of house services and, have one people, one employee from headquarters being called into several hotels, so that our onsite staff members can, do more important tasks and that's building a relationship with our visitors. so that's basically the route from the initial concept to where we are today. Marnix Lock: Yeah. What's also interest. To mention is that we had a lot of concept thinking and also the reception side, which the idea was already think born maybe two years ago. Yeah. But we didn't know how, and we didn't know what and with who we should work. And then, we had an event, it was a hotel exhibition. And then we met also Thomas, I think over there. Yeah, exactly. Steve Carran: So, how does this actually like work? Like we see that person walking behind you, Andre. They come up and talk for a little bit, and then they walk away. So h how does it work? Andre Smith: Yeah, well in the basics, it is quite easy to contact creation because we just use a normal 2D camera. and basically if you shoot a person in front of a white background or even a white wall with a plexiglass plate on the ground, and we upload it inside the box, it will. Directly feel volumetric and it will feel like someone is literally standing inside of a box. And that's because, all the magic happens inside the box itself. then I think Mon can explain a little bit better how how the box is built up. Marnix Lock: Yeah. it's making use of an LCD panel which make transparent, and we have inner box, which is lit from all five sides. and we have when you see the gray lines in the background that are physical lines, which en emphasize also the feeling of. A real inside box and feeling of that you're standing inside a box. and that's one part of of the big magic that's happening to make something feel, like follow like atric person. Steve Carran: so I wanna make sure I'm understanding this right. So somebody, you have an office somewhere and you're recording that person, you know, they walk into that section. And then that is projected directly to the hologram box. Is it prerecorded or can it be live as well? Marnix Lock: It can be both. So what you're seeing right now is prerecorded or? Yeah, you can she can move now from the white background. So we'll see what disappeared. No, just joking around. But this is prerecorded and which we also do at Thomas Hotel. CS C is prerecorded video with a combination of, videos behind the video. So, Push buttons, on the touchscreen. It's also touchscreen by this meeting. And you can switch also to live, live streaming. So the person can be a life size person, live streaming, and you can talk and interact with them wherever Steve Carran: So if a, hypothetically, if a hotel does have a question, they, you could do the pre-recording at first says, welcome to x, y, z hotel. But if they need to speak to a front desk, you talk to a live person. Marnix Lock: Yeah, so you can be more efficient if you have like common questions, inside your hotel, which take a lot of time or take, take some personnel time from personnel. You can, make it more efficient by, tackling those questions with prerecorded videos. And then if there's not, a question that, could be answered by pre-recorded video. It's like an uncommon question You can click on the live receptionist and then can switch to, to the live reception. So, yeah, you can make it more efficient with this Andre Smith: help. Yeah, so how it works within, within the Aden Hotel the first installation we did with Thomas is that somebody steps into the hotel, they step in some sort of activation zone through a remote sensor, the person is being, detected and then automatically the Welcome video will start and. That video will say, Hey, welcome to Hotel Aiden. How can I help you? And then it fades out. You see a couple of buttons. One button is I want to check in, and then if you click on that button, you see another video that says you can check in on your left side. if you have some questions, just please press the button. Call a live Aiden host, and then when you press the button. Call a live Aiden Host We will get a request at headquarters and they can step in and like a couple of seconds later, you have a live connection, running. yeah, it's basically like a Zoom call, but you can see the person, the employee, the receptionist as a life size hologram. And then you can wrap up the, questions, they have, answer them, correctly. And then, go on to the next request, which can come from, 10 or 20 other hotels. David Millili: So you guys are working with companies like T-Mobile, Deloitte, PlayStation outside of C I C. What's the most exciting thing that you're working on right now? If you can tell us, that would be great. Andre Smith: We are working on some very exciting projects, but unfortunately cannot tell you too much about it. But I think one, one great project and we just had an article about that online working with the government in the Middle East. Yeah. And which is a project for embassies and banks. It's a very big project and I think that that can create some real impact within that sector as well. Marnix Lock: yeah, I think working with UN is always Andre Smith: something special. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Working with the United Nation, it's like, we can make some real impact with the United Nations behind us. So, so I think that's a great project. And the other ones, yeah, we need to keep them for ourselves. Yeah. Because, Yeah. David Millili: Understood. We Steve Carran: Fair enough. David Millili: ask. him. Steve Carran: Absolutely. Do you guys have a long term future for Hollow Connects? Is this like on your roadmap for, you know, five years down the road? Is this the first step and then, you know, you have something next coming? What's Hollow Connect gonna be in five years? Andre Smith: Yeah, that's a good question. I think in five years, we have some substantial, installations within hotel sector itself, but then also office buildings, hospitals, all around the hologram as a surface concept. I think in five years we. Probably have an update in the technology itself. I hope that we by that time, have a full hologram floating in the air, without even having a box. there, I don't think it's really realistic to have it in five years. I think that would be more on a roadmap for 10 years, but ideally that would be in five years. And then I do think that the whole ai, Wave that is going on right now, which of course is a little bit, discussable right now. But I do think that it could have some substantial value in, automizing, a prerecorded hologram, and that you could ask questions to that hologram and he or she can answer them due to the whole open AI and jet G P t, technology behind it. and that we maybe can can make it more efficient for the. Steve Carran: Awesome. Honestly, the first thing I thought of, I don't, you guys we're on the same age, back to the future, when they have the jaws in the movie theater and he like comes out from the top of the movie theater and like Bites, Marty McFly. That's what I see you guys doing at the future. You know, you guys are gonna be, that's gonna be your company Andre Smith: away from Sharks, Steve Carran: Yeah. Marnix Lock: maybe Shark Tank. Steve Carran: maybe sharks. Andre Smith: Shark Tank. Steve Carran: Awesome. Awesome. That's great. I mean, that was really just a great overview for Hollow Connects especially for people who n might not be that familiar, but, you know, now I wanna tie this into how this is affecting the hotel industry. you know, we talked to Thomas from c i c, he had great things to say, but you know, what benefits are you seeing? Is this, Hollow Connects being in the hotel industry. And is you know, the CIC hospitality, are they the first group you're working with? Do you is there plans to expand more into this industry? Andre Smith: Y yeah, definitely. So we have one group in Amsterdam as well that's already deploying three hotels. Yeah. One with a small box, because these hotels are all under the 50 rooms and they are digitalizing everything. So from opening the door to generating the keys, to scanning the passports, to then having a holographic employee, everything is being. Un remotely. and in within, especially within this type of, surroundings, I think it has a great value because you, are going to digitalize everything, but you don't lose the human touch and the hospitality side of the business. And I think that's a big, going forward in comparison to the existing check-in kiosk where you maybe have a person with a face saying, Hey, welcome, or just a focal, not, or not easy. Yeah. So I think that's that's a big leap forward. Then, of course with cic we're going to integrate to 30 hotels within the next years, but there are already some big chains, which are yeah, shown great interest in this product. Times for that. They are quite long because it's going to be, for quite a big installations. David Millili: so you guys have kind of, you touched on this my, my question, but so are you focused on hotels? Do you have like a dedicated salesperson and do you think that, you know, you've gotten some interest, you have cic, do you think this is something that. You're talking about 30 hotels, other groups, do you see yourself maybe end of 20, 24 being in a thousand hotels or something of that nature, or is that too aggressive? Andre Smith: Yeah. The goal this year would be 50 hotels. Next year it is 400 and a year after that, we are looking at one to 2000 hotels. That's the aim, for the next years and definitely, because, The way we now deploy these technologies is, so sustainable that we do think that this is going to be where Ho Connects will be in the next couple of years. So probably 70 to 80% of our business will be focused on, Manning receptions with live holograms. and that would not only be hotels, but also like I said shopping malls, hospitals, office buildings. But this concept is definitely going to be our main focus. Yeah. and I think within hospitality itself, we are now building a team, especially for hospitality. so we are building a sales team in in Europe and a sales team in the us. because we do think that this is the time. to integrate this within, the hospitality sector itself. And it all is a result of course, the pandemic, where the whole hotel sector, Got to the point that they know that they need to, scale down on their operational cost and maybe rethink their operational model. And I won't say that we. will Completely replace the human side of it. But I do think that this alongside the already human employees on site can make it even more efficient to those companies and to those chains, and it could open doors have not been opened before. Steve Carran: And I'm gonna, I'm gonna kind of go off that if your comment right there, what do you say to those hotels? Are nervous to implement this type of technology that want that, you know, what if it malfunctions and, you know, thinks of more of all the bad things that can happen before of all the good, it can good, it can bring, you know, what do you say to those types of hotels that are nervous to, to start this process. Andre Smith: I say well completely understand that, and, probably you should be a little bit nervous because all new things are quite exciting and maybe you need to be a little bit nervous about it. But then what we always do is that we start a pilot period with just one, two, or three locations. then that will speak for itself because once we do a pilot period for a couple of months, 95% will go through and they really like it. so yeah, that would always be the first step. Like, let's do a pilot period. Let's see how your audience is reacting to this technology and let's see how we need to, structure this technology in your organization. Because it really varies from. From hotel to hotel chain to chain, how they use this technology. for example, we also have a hotel group that's going to use it only with prerecorded content, not even the live connection itself, but they're going to use it during the check-in procedures that the gm, has a welcomed message, which is prerecorded. Then in midday, they are going to move the box internally to the bar. during lunch, there is a. That's going to play a little bit of music. And then in the evening, there may be a DJ in the club itself. So they're going to use it on a whole different way than than CSE is going to use it. But also if you are going to deploy it like that, it really has some nostalgia value because the customer experience will be will be high in by then. Steve Carran: Absolutely. =Absolutely. David Millili: Okay, so this one is for Marnic. I wanna ask you, what advice would you give some to someone who's starting their own business, something you've learned that you would say, you know, make sure you do the following. Marnix Lock: Wow. Good question. What I should advise is that, first of all, believe in yourself. That's that's one thing. And, I'm having conversation, of course, with people that want to be an entrepreneur or want to do something for themselves, and they're only having the thoughts of, okay, this is my idea and this is what I can do and this is what I need to do. But just do it. Yeah, just do it and you will fall and you will get up. And if you fall 99 times, if you get up 100 times, you will succeed. That one. So just do it. David Millili: yeah. No, I agree. I mean, everyone says it, and it seems cliche, but you know that you sometimes learn more from your failures. Exactly. Yeah. Sometimes it's just, you know, doing it, having an issue, failing and then kind of coming back and getting it right the second time. So good Marnix Lock: I think also getting the right people beside you, you cannot do anything by yourself. And that's what Andre and Al and I also speak a lot of times about is the value of a great team is priceless. And yeah, getting the right people at the right place. will make the job work and done. David Millili: right, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna mix in one. Kind of surprise question. Sorry, Steve. But so both, for both, you give the audience one word that describes the other person. Steve Carran: Yes. David Millili: So, Andre, give us one word for marnic and vice versa. Andre Smith: Perfectionist, David Millili: describes him. Andre Smith: perfectionist, ambitious. Steve Carran: Wow, that was great. How did you guys know you wanted to work with each other? Because you guys like just vibe very well, and it seems like you guys just have great energies back and forth. Andre Smith: Yeah, we're brothers, so we don't wanna work together. Work together. No, that's question. No. I think of course, you know, because we're basically we're very good friends. Then we are family. Now we're business partners. They say they always ask, isn't that hard? Because it's a very thin line between, if the business can take the overhand on a private level and that can affect the private level, private relationship as well. So we did we were musicians together. then we tried another company together. That field that made us having quite a bit of a fight. Oh yeah. Which almost ended our private relat. As well. But that was, but it's still ongoing, so, yeah. Andre Smith: No, but I think that point, that we said to each other, okay, now we're gonna forget all the business side of it because you know, there's more than that. There's more than that. And we're gonna stick it to our private relationship because that's number one priority in in whatever we are doing. I think that was the basis for the fact that we won't, never, ever go to that position again and be in the same situation as where we were there and that we now completely. trust each other and that we know where our limits are and we respect we respect our boundaries. And I think that, yeah, that's, I think that really is the basis Marnix Lock: of fundamental. I think that's the fundamental the start of the relationship was of course, the fundamental, but I think the bigger, collision, if I can make say like that was also fundamental of this company. I had a dream always to make, a big company with alongside with my friends and maybe also with my family. And that's now going on. So, my wife is in the business. His wife is in the business. our greatest friends are in the business. His father is, lies in the business. So it's a family company. I think. it is riskful. But if you if you communicate with each other and if you are open with each other, everything will go in the right direction. And I think you will fight a little bit more than than when you work for a normal job if you say it like Steve Carran: Absolutely. I love that. I love that. Boy. Hey, I appreciate you guys coming on now we're actually moving to our last segment. Our producer. Has been listening this whole time. He's I don't know. John, you got some that you have from listening, like a fly on the wall. Jon Bumhoffer: yeah. yeah. So I'm a fellow musician artist myself, and so like that background that you guys have really intrigues me. Also, going from playing in a band, not making enough to support a family. And then starting a business, like we have that in common. So I'm wondering first off, what kind of music do did you guys play together? Marnix Lock: How we made hiphop music. I was producer and rapper and Andre was rapping also. Andre Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Jon Bumhoffer: dope. Well, and So that whole thing and the creative energy with that, and then how do you think that impacts like the entrepreneurial thing or the starting a business? Marnix Lock: Yeah, so when you start. Something like this like a music musician band or hiphop band. How, what kind of label you want to hang on it, but you are being in a, like a fun, like your studios, like your bubble. And when you make music, you are really proud at that moment. And also later on of course, can be better days and can be worse days, of course in producing, but. At some point you want to make people listen to your music, and then you need to think about how can we bring it to the people? How can we market it? How can we go to get life performances? Can we get it to YouTube or can we get it to Spotify? So you need to think about those business questions also. And I think Andre was already. More into that than I was because I was also producing. So I was more the creative br brain in, into the music music type. And I think Andre was more business minded, so he taught about more the marketing stuff and how can we sell it. And just calling also to, different types of venues. Can we do a pre-show, how do you say it? For the bigger concert? Concert, just to show before the concert. can we do that just for free or for just a little bit of money? So, yeah, Andre Smith: and I do think that period was was the fundamental of the creativity that we need to have or we needed to have in the business after that also Marnix Lock: with with no money. So you think more creatively Andre Smith: comes with the money? Yeah, and I always think about a period as, this is what's really fundamental in thinking outside the box, trying to think about concepts. Because if you're an artist, you always thinking, okay, what kind of concept am I going to? To write now on, on what's instrumental. I think that's really made yeah. Made you think in a different way. And then what I also think is that being on the stage and then talking to the audience and playing with the audience and see what works and see what doesn't work is also fundamental for me in terms of. I'm mainly responsible for sales and for business development. And then if you're in a conversation with someone or with people or, doing a presentation, you're just playing with audience itself. And I think being an artist was fundamental in how I do those things right now. Yeah. So yeah, would suggest everybody to just make music, and then do all the rest. Marnix Lock: Maybe it's not, maybe it's. Everybody. David Millili: That's about it. Andre Smith: I know that for sure. Marnix Lock: But we got other, so everybody can sing right now. So, but interesting. Andre Smith: What kinda music did you play? Yeah, what do you do? Jon Bumhoffer: / Like alternative rock. Marnix Lock: rock. You play the instrument or you singing guitar. Nice. Jon Bumhoffer: Yep. Andre Smith: And still performing, or is that out of the question now? Jon Bumhoffer: My daughter was born 18 months ago, so not in the last two years, but we're still writing music. Yeah. Marnix Lock: Just also just keep in mind, just make music. If you love it just do it because if it eases your mind and you get it to another universal universe. And so it's also good to do some relaxation in that. So, David Millili: All right. Thanks John. So guys, that brings us Steve Carran: I have one more question. Sorry, David. Should, is there a song that you guys have made that we should play during the outro of the podcast? Andre Smith: We can do an instrumental. Steve Carran: Sounds good. David Millili: Be careful cuz if there's anything online, Steve will find it and just pick his own and plug it. Marnix Lock: You'll find it. I think you'll find it. Yeah. We were like 18 or something like that, Andre Smith: I think. Yeah, we were 18. We were like street credibility Marnix Lock: rappers without having street credibility. Andre Smith: So no, I don't think that's pseudo That's for now. Next David Millili: all right, cool. Marnix Lock: Thank you for the question. David Millili: All right guys. Well that does it for another episode of The Modern Hotelier. At this point, Let us know how we can find out more information, how people can reach you. Plug away, give us some information. Marnix Lock: Yeah, so, so go to the website, ww dot ha connects.com and go to our LinkedIn page Also, ha Connects and you can go to my page, Mon look at. LinkedIn and Andre Smith with t h as well. Yeah. As well. Yeah. And follow us on Instagram also. Yeah. David Millili: okay, great. Thank you very much guys. That does it. Thanks for. We Marnix Lock: Thank you for having. David Millili: That does it for the Modern. Hotelier. Thank you so much guys. Appreciate it. Andre Smith: Appreciate Marnix Lock: it too. Thanks. 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