Ted Schweitzer

Ted founded Direct Booking IQ in 2018 to fill a gap in the marketplace for connecting hotels and brands with the right technology partners to succeed in an ever-evolving  digital marketing ecosystem.  From strategy and partner selection to full service metasearch management, Direct Booking IQ is all about driving bookings to the hotel at the right cost.

Previously, Ted most recently served as Senior Vice President, Digital Commerce & Media at La Quinta Holdings, Inc. Prior to being acquired by Wyndham Hotel Group, La Quinta owned, operated and franchised over 900 properties under various brand names in North, Central and South America.  Under digital commerce, he was responsible for all product direction including mobile, apps and desktop sites along with global onward distribution relationships.  

During his time at La Quinta, the company grew from 350 hotels and $20MM in digital revenue annually to over $1.5B in booked revenue.  This growth was centered on both onward distribution and direct digital marketing efforts for the brand. 

In 2009, Ted created a self-funding model that enabled hotels to contribute to direct response marketing. This allowed digital marketing to grow and left  traditional off-line tactics in place to deliver critical  brand awareness and perception at broad scale. The self-funded program went on to produce more than $1.4 billion from its inception until the brand was acquired in 2018.

Before joining La Quinta in 2002, he was Director, Channel Distribution at Choice Hotels International. Previously, Ted served in multiple management positions of several Holiday Inn branded hotels in Oklahoma City. This is where he began his career in hospitality as a bellman in high school.  The travel industry is clearly in his DNA and the evolution of digital marketing keeps it fun!