I see what's coming before it's obvious.
Then I build it.
Four decades operating real businesses. One of the first online hotel reservation platforms, built in 1996. Five years chairing Ontario's travel regulator. Right now I'm building with AI. Early then... early again.
I sit on boards, advise a few founders, and build. If operating judgment would change your next decision, let's talk.
No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest conversation.
Early twice.
Decades apart.
In 1996, most people hadn't used the web. I'd already built BookDirect... one of the first online hotel reservation platforms, wired into the Amadeus Global Distribution System, with real-time booking across tens of thousands of hotels.
Forty years later the instinct hasn't changed. I'm building again... this time with AI as the tool that turns what I can picture into something real. Same move: see it early, build it before it's obvious.
The forty years in between... running hotels, founding a tech company, chairing a regulator... taught me the part nobody's born knowing. What breaks. What's worth building. And how to see the wrong move coming before someone makes it.
Operator-level judgment.
Regulator-tested governance.
Diagnostic Clarity
I read a business from the outside in and tell you why something isn't working... often in the first conversation. Forty years of pattern recognition does that.
Executable Strategy
Not a 60-page document. A clear, prioritized path your team can act on Monday morning. Strategy that sits on a shelf is worse than none.
Independent Perspective
No software to sell you, no preferred vendors, no quota. I've built companies, run hotels, and chaired a regulator. My only interest is whether you get where you're going.
Board & Governance
For boards and nominating committees: an independent director who's built and operated, not just sat in the room. Former Chair, TICO. Operating judgment in the boardroom... not a policy checklist.
The S.T.A.R. Framework
Most consultants deliver a report. S.T.A.R. delivers a system. Numbers tell you what happened. Context tells you why. The methodology handles both, because strategy built on data alone misses half the problem.
“Plan the Work — Work the Plan.”
Global plans and objectives that align the entire organization: the corporation, its divisions, and its products, around a coherent direction. Without this, everything downstream is noise.
Ground-level plans with attainable objectives, defined assignments, and clear budget allocations. Tactics are where strategy touches the real world — specific enough to execute and flexible enough to adapt.
Ideas are only as good as what you do with them. This stage converts plans into specific, time-bound actions...with the right people, budget, and tools assigned. Execution is where most strategies die.
Measurable outcomes are the only honest measure of strategy. We define success metrics up front, track them rigorously, and hold the plan, and ourselves, accountable to what was promised.
Resources and Responsibilities are embedded throughout the Actions stage, ensuring that accountability and capability are woven into every step of execution.
Who This Is For
Boards that want an operator who's built and governed... not a career director.
Founders who want operating judgment in the room on a decision that actually matters.
Opportunities where what I see, and how I build, changes the outcome.
Four decades of my own
building, operating,
and governing.
Governance & Regulatory Leadership
I served as Board Chair of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), a statutory regulator responsible for consumer protection and industry oversight across 2,400 registered travel businesses. I led the board through a governance restructuring, an Auditor General Value for Money Audit, a new industry funding model, and a modernized certification platform...reporting directly to the responsible Minister throughout. Term concluded February 2026.
Hospitality Operations
I opened and operated two Ottawa hotel properties over 30 years... Best Western Plus Ottawa Downtown Suites (opened 1990, hired all staff, oversaw from distressed acquisition through construction and franchise negotiation) and the Albert at Bay Suite Hotel (took over 1995, led conversion to full-service suite hotel). Both properties earned top quality designations and were sold in October 2020.
Technology & Digital Platforms
I pioneered online hotel distribution with the launch of BookDirect (1996), one of the first internet booking engines. Integrated with the Amadeus Global Distribution System, enabling real-time booking access to more than 90,000 hotels worldwide, and scaled across hundreds of properties including Delta Hotels and Westmont Hospitality. Built and led Spyre Infostructure Inc. for 18 years as founder and CEO.
Industry Leadership
President, Ottawa Gatineau Hotel & Motel Association. Vice President, Ontario Hotel & Motel Association. Member, Best Western International Marketing Advisory Board. Contributor, Canadian Tourism Research Institute at the Conference Board of Canada.
What People Who’ve Worked With Me Say
Michael is a creative, out of the box, cutting edge technologist and Entrepreneur. His ability to see the big picture from a completely different and dynamic perspective has brought tremendous value.
I evaluated all existing crew accommodations technologies in the market and found Michael’s CrewStay system to be innovative and richly featured. Michael is brilliant, easy to work with, honest and a great problem solver.
Michael is by far the most insightful strategist I have ever worked with, and I have worked with some of the best. If you are fortunate to have Michael on your team you have a tremendous resource to achieve your strategic objectives. One of the few people who share a “moon-view” of the world.
I’ve worked with Michael now for almost two years. He is honest, works hard and gets results. All this and he’s a nice guy too! What more could you want?
"The businesses I work with best are founder-led. They've built something real. They want to keep building — without losing control of the thing they built."
Let's have an honest conversation.
No pitch. No pressure. Just a focused discussion about where you are, where you want to go, and whether I can help you get there.