Living in Orlando, it’s possible to find a friend who works for a tourist attraction and can provide an insider’s perspective and the occasional admission ticket. For those of us not so fortunate, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management student, Dan Hatfield, offers “someone on the inside.”
The creator, owner and editor of the popular website, OrlandoInformer.com, Hatfield is a self-described Orlando enthusiast, vacation planning specialist, local blogger and full-time student. His website is dedicated to providing practical knowledge and insider tips about a wide range of Orlando vacation activities.
After walking away from a guaranteed career with his family’s wholesale roofing and siding company in Minnesota, Hatfield was called to the hospitality industry. “I knew I needed to be in an industry where my passions could be more fully aligned with my work,” he shares.
Knowing that Orlando was the premier location to launch his pursuit, Hatfield enrolled in Rosen College’s Hospitality Management degree program and promptly landed positions with Gaylord Palms and Universal Orlando Resort.
While at Universal, he worked with the Orlando Guest Contact Center, rapidly built his knowledge of the destination, and developed a 100-page training manual. “My education at Rosen provided a foundation to better understand Orlando from a management perspective and not just from a visitor perspective,” shares Hatfield.
Now a full-time student, the entrepreneur focuses his professional time on OrlandoInformer.com. What began as logging on to Yahoo! Answers to provide solutions to Orlando-related questions, Hatfield seized the opportunity to develop a site with visibility and focus. Additionally, he writes for Orlando Attractions Magazine and maintains OrlandoUpdates, a vacation social networking campaign.
Although still very much in its beginning stages, OrlandoInformer.com is positioned to be a resource for Orlando travelers and fans to learn about all of Orlando, and Hatfield sees a great deal of potential with the site. Currently, it hosts the world’s premier archive of insider tips and secrets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Additionally, Hatfield is developing an Orlando vacation book and a premium section of the site.
The ultimate goal of OrlandoInformer.com is to become the store front to a highly successful travel agency specializing in Orlando’s theme parks and the city’s best recreational and cultural activities. Hatfield adds, “There is a lot of fun to be had when working with people to plan a vacation. I love the idea of working where other people come to play.”
For more, please visit OrlandoInformer.com.