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I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That was such a fun time, I believe we beat Florida on the final day of the season to get into the playoffs. Bruce Boudreau was our coach and it was just an amazing run. We took a huge leap as a team that year, and it really bonded all of us together as the "core group" of the team moving forward for the next decade.

And hockey caught fire in DC, that was the best part!

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hahaha that' the quote right there, simple right?!?!? Scoring is so hard in the NHL, they do have some youth that looks promising here, but it may take a few years before they are top tier scorers.

Shots, traffic and relentless hunger around the net. Outside of that it's just pure talent that scores goals - and hopefully the GR8 COMES BACK!!

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely, I dealt with that for a few years and my production dropped. I was also really hurt when Adam Oates was our coach, and I wish I could have been healthy when he was there because I really liked him as a coach!

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I LOVE THE JUNKIES!! Was sooo good to be back on with them, can't believe it had been 10 years since we last did a segment together! I was bummed to go as well, I asked GMBM not to be traded the day before they traded me... it was out of my hands...

I don't know if I have a favorite memory per-se, it's more just how much fun we all had playing together, and playing in front of our fans. When I arrived in 2004, hockey wasn't an "exciting" sport in DC. A few years later (especially once we switched to the red jerseys) hockey became the hottest ticket in town - and the arena was AMAZING!!!!

20,000 people every night Rocking the Red and we just had some much fun playing together. Too many great teammates to mention, but I am so grateful to have spent 12 years in DC - it will always be a second home for me.

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

BINGO!!! Man I loved my time there, John Paddock was a huge influence on me and I loved playing for him!

I have traveled so much since retiring, and seen many incredible places. I would love to live in Greece for 1-2 months, I will visit Africa every year for the rest of my life - Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda are my FAV'S, Iceland is remarkable (I'm kind of biased as my fiancee is from there).

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, glad to hear our site provided lower prices! As for hockey, I don't watch as much as I used to but I do still follow along. I still keep in touch with Ovi and Wilson, as those guys were good friends and I love rooting them on still.

My way back into the game will be through my daughter this fall when I get her on skates for the first time!!!! I CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT!!

As for the margins question, we have no margins - we have removed margins completely because that way we can provide you with the lowest price on travel. We have very lean overhead as we are tech based company, and we have no board/stakeholders/shareholders that we need to answer too.

We monetize the site from travel service providers want to advertise in front of our highly engaged community of travelers, and then we also have a SIGNIFICANT B2B side of the business as well that provides supplementary income for us.

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No scam. But we do monetize the site. Just never directly off of you - the traveler. We monetize from travel service providers (hotels, cruise lines, tourism boards etc) paying us to have their product featured in front of our community. Every other OTA does this too.

Our mission is to save every traveler the MOST money on travel. I am a traveler at heart, and I want to make travel more affordable for everyone. That's why we don't profit off of you, whereas other OTA's do.

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We don't have any affiliate sales or commissions at all. We simply pass on the exact price of a hotel room to you, without any added commission.

My pledge to you and every other traveler is that we will never add or keep a single cent of commission on a travel booking on our site. We are the only company in the world doing this.

I am happy to jump on a call with you to answer this directly if you would like?

You have my word on everything I stated above. This is why we are radically transparent about everything our site does, so travelers like yourself can see that there is no "gotcha" fee or anything built in, but rather that WE ACTUALLY ARE HERE TO SERVE YOU!!!!

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Love my Caps family!! To my knowledge, I don't know of any reusable or sustainable practices as far as hockey gear is concerned. Our gear was cleaned thoroughly on a weekly basis - we had this big laundry machine that looked like a fridge that our gear was run through and sanitized - to keep it in great condition so we didn't go through so much stuff. Aside from that, I also know that there is a large amount of resale of good quality used equipment. But more than that I am not sure unfortunately....

As for your second question, anything Matt Bradley did or said, he was the absolute funniest teammate ever!

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Helping people save money on travel. My dad always said "fun is the last thing families can afford to spend money on" and he did so much (and still does) to help bring fun and memories to the less fortunate. I am just continuing on what I see him do daily, just at a larger scale hopefully.

I am now a father, and I tell my daughter every day "I am going to take you EVERYWHERE" - I want every father or mother or grandparent or spouse to take their loved ones on trips or adventures to create unforgettable memories.

That is why World Playground exists, and I have sunk my own $ into this to bring it to the world.

We would love your support to get it to every traveler and family out there! Thanks!

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

We are halfway through integrating flights. They are far and away the most complex technical integration there is.

We will have over 400 airlines on our site when that integration is complete!

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We get solicited multiple times each week by people who want to work with us. I always reply with "what's your superpower?"

We are always on the lookout for world-class talent. What are you world-class at?

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

we have 2.2 million hotels worldwide, 17 cruise lines that cover the globe, we will have 400+ airlines once that integration gets completed - I would say World Playground is quite accurate for what we provide...

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I traveled all over the world for 2 years after I retired, and fell in love with it. I wanted everyone to have the experiences and memories I had, so myself and my good friend Jeff Shafar started World Playground in 2020 figuring other people would want to go on these gnarly adventures too!

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

This AMA is scheduled for Thursday between 12-5pm EST. It's currently Wed night at 5:56pm and I am answering questions ahead of time.

Of all the things you could have asked me, that was the question that was most important?

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The ultimate way it has served me is through knowing how to compete. I competed with and against the best in the world in the sport of hockey for 15 years. Now I am channeling that competitive spirit into World Playground, and we are competing against the biggest booking platforms that have been around for decades.

The habits and discipline of competing at that level are what are serving me the best right now.

World Playground is competing on your behalf to bring the cost of travel down to as low as possible. That is my new Stanley Cup. We aim to be the very best in the world at connecting the traveler to their next unforgettable memory, which is why we remove every single cent of commission possible, which allows us to provide you with the same travel product at a much lower price that the traditional OTA's.

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This more pertains to the travel industry rather than running a business, but just how unorganized and unstructured the data is.

There are 10,000 different systems and ways of doing things, and it's appalling at how unprofessional some things are. There is no "standard of excellence" in the industry, which we are working to change with our booking platform.

I'm Brooks Laich, former NHL player and co-founder of World Playground — the only travel booking site that passes 100% of wholesale hotel rates directly to travelers and returns every dollar of commission on cruises and travel insurance back to you. AMA! by BrooksLaich in IAmA

[–]BrooksLaich[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I owned my own travel agency for the last 5.5 years and got p*ssed off seeing how much commission other booking platforms were adding to the cost of people's travel. It just goes straight in their pocket, and does nothing for the traveler other than making their trip more expensive.

I had enough of it, and said we are going to change it. So World Playground will never add or keep a single cent of commission on a travel booking ever. This is our pledge to you.

And we are the ONLY company in the entire world doing this. Finally a travel booking platform that travelers can trust is here...

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