About Us
Plain and simple? We provide the leading travel industry directory and connect travel pros to in-depth resources.
Our Story
Hey there! I’m Steph Lee. I founded Host Agency Reviews in 2012. As a former host agency director for a $50M agency, I had spoken with thousands of new and experienced travel agents—many of whom found it difficult to find in-depth, reputable information about the travel industry.
I’m an entrepreneur at heart, so I naturally set out to provide a solution to these problems! The result? You’re looking at it! Yay!
But why should you trust I know what I’m talking about? I grew up in the heart of the travel industry. My family owned a home based travel agency that grew into a storefront, and we went through the same growing pains you may be experiencing.
Perhaps you’ve seen us mentioned around?
I’ve been entrenched in the travel community for years, receiving ASTA’s Young Professional of the Year award, Minnesota Business’ Young Entrepreneur award and Travel Agent magazine’s 30 Under 30. (Awards in general are great but it’s an extra bonus when they make you feel young and spry!) I’ve also presented at a number of marketing/travel events including: Social Media Breakfast, Minneapolis; Travel Weekly’s CruiseWorld; ASTA’s Blue Sky Symposium, Travel Agent Forum; and ASTA’s Global Convention. On the media front, I’ve contributed to Travel Research Online and Travel Market Report and was a member of Travel Market Report’s Editorial Board. But mostly, you should trust me (and my crew) because we all love dogs!
Dogs of Host Agency Reviews
The Fennec-Orion Team will be your go-to resource for all questions about branches. Or squeaky toys.
HAR started as a one-woman shop way back in 2012, but we’ve evolved into a team dedicated to creating content that helps people understand the travel industry on a deeper level. We keep ourselves busy designing infographics, crunching data from our annual surveys, and working to create the best articles around. Who is this “we” I’m talking about? Well, meet the crew that helps turn my ambitious visions into a reality!
Mary Stein, Sr. Content Manager
As Sr Content Manager for Host Agency Reviews, Mary Stein (she/her/hers) collaborates with a driven team to strategize and create multi-media travel advisor resources including articles, forms, travel agent survey reports, and more.
She has contributed to several travel trade media outlets and occasionally presents at travel industry events. She's a current member of Adventure Travel and Trade Association's Travel Advisor Group and strives to promote industry growth that fosters care of and respect for destinations' communities, ecologies, and local economies.
Mary hails from Minneapolis and loves nothing more than adventuring with her partner, young son, and their sweet devious pup, Nova.
Abbey von Gohren, Admin Assistant
Abbey von Gohren lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two small sons. She spends most days running around barefoot in the forest after them, foraging for wild food, writing, and plotting the next time she can board a plane to go adventuring with her loved ones.
Some of her favorite trips have been: the ten-month workstay in Paris that turned into three years; Fez, Morocco; family camping in the Westfjords of Iceland, and a fortified castle in Northern Italy for her cousin’s wedding. (The North Shore of Lake Superior in her home state ain’t half bad either, for the record.) She is excited to be working with this lovely HAR community.