We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kaleigh Wiese a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kaleigh , appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The seed for ODE was planted long before I realized I was creating something transformative for the hospitality industry. For nearly two decades, I worked fractionally with hospitality and service-based businesses as a consultant and educator—helping them find their brand voice, attract their ideal guests, and build revenue-generating strategies. I was the behind-the-scenes creative force, brand voice and problem solver when business owners needed outside clarity.

But in 2018, everything clicked. I was on-property for a client, among the multi-generational redwoods in Northern California, surrounded by trees that have witnessed centuries of change. In that moment, I understood the significance of our work—we weren’t just consultants passing through. We were writing an ode to the past while becoming integral partners of these properties’ futures.

The next couple years, I was supporting business owners survive through the pandemic. Behind the scenes I was reframing everything I thought I knew about entrepreneurship myself. Traditional agencies would swoop into support roles, deliver recommendations, and leave. I kept seeing the same pattern: beautiful strategies that died in implementation because owners were left to execute alone.

I had to figure out how to structure something entirely different—a model where we didn’t just advise, but stayed. Where we became fractional members of leadership teams, embedding ourselves in CEO, CMO, and COO roles until the teams felt steady.

In 2023 the name “ODE Places” launched and we kicked our repositioning not as consultants, but as holistic hospitality partners. When we engage with a property, we’re not there for a workshop and a deck. We’re there as fractional executives—providing the strategic insight, operational oversight, and creative direction that independent owners need to compete in today’s market but often can’t afford or don’t have the resources to build internally.

Today, ODE serves hospitality and hotel businesses through comprehensive asset support, operational transformation programs, brand development and repositioning services, and fractional executive support. We’ve proven that transformation happens through intensive partnership, not short-term consulting projects.

Kaleigh , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My career began in 2008 when I founded Méldeen to support solopreneurs and owner-operated businesses through psychology-driven branding and actionable roadmaps. Over nearly 20 years, I’ve worked alongside 1,000+ businesses through their ideation, trials, and growth chapters—learning that businesses don’t fail from lack of vision, they struggle because strategies die in implementation without the right support to bring them to life.

What evolved from Méldeen into ODE is rooted in this truth: Business owners need partners who understand both the poetry of brand storytelling and the pragmatism of operations, both creative direction and bottom-line results.

Today, we deliver comprehensive programs spanning brand development, operational transformation, revenue optimization, guest experience design, and asset management. Our engagements run 6 months to multiple years —we go deeper with fewer, committing substantial hours to strategic oversight and hands-on execution properties would get from internal C-suite leadership.

When a property engages ODE, we might simultaneously rebuild their brand identity, overhaul operational systems, coach their general manager, redesign their guest journey, optimize revenue strategy, and manage comprehensive refreshes—all while the property stays open and operating. We’re in the trenches with them, not coaching from a distance.

I see ODE as our clients’ mirror—helping them paint their vision, take control of their narrative, and build confidence in their innate uniqueness while implementing strategies that attract the guests they want and achieve the financial goals they need.
After two decades, I’ve learned that genuine transformation requires strategy and accountability working in tandem, vision paired with execution, creativity grounded in pragmatism. My greatest satisfaction comes from measurable outcomes that change owners’ lives: revenue growth, operational consistency, market share they never thought possible, and brands that finally reflect the exceptional experiences they’ve always delivered.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I’ve dedicated substantial time and travel expenses to showing up at industry conferences, speaking engagements, and building relationships face-to-face. The hospitality industry is relational, and you can’t build trust through LinkedIn alone. All business owners talk to each other. When someone sees real results, they share those stories with peers. Most of our clients find us through referrals from people we’ve worked alongside—a testament to long-term relationships!

People want to work with people they actually like and enjoy spending time with. In this industry, deals can take years to close. I’ve had conversations at conferences that didn’t turn into partnerships until three or four years later. You can’t rush the right partnership or fake genuine connection. It’s a long game but pays off.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Early on, I tried approaching the hospitality market through interior designers, thinking they’d be natural connectors to property owners. It made sense—designers were already working on these properties and had direct relationships with decision-makers.

But I was one step removed from the people who actually needed us. Designers weren’t always engaged during strategic phases where we could make the biggest impact, and owners weren’t hearing directly from us about what we actually do. The pivot was straightforward: start connecting directly with owners, management groups, and owner representatives. Show up where they gather, speak their language, understand their challenges firsthand.

The harder pivot has been learning how to talk about our services. Most property owners don’t wake up thinking “I need fractional CEO support.” They’re thinking “Something isn’t working and I don’t know how to fix it” or “We’re leaving money on the table but I’m too buried to figure out where.”

We’ve had to articulate what we do in ways that connect to the problems owners actually feel, not just the services we provide. That’s meant years of small adjustments—changing website language, testing different positioning at conferences, listening to how clients describe us to their peers.

Through these small, constant pivots, we’ve aligned with the right people!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ode-places.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gokaleigh/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaleigh-wiese-82790711/

Image Credits

Keelyn Costello