Our Team

Darren has held leadership positions in hospitality sales and business development, working with several of New York City's most prominent lifestyle and independent hotels. Since 2007, he has cultivated a deep expertise in corporate, entertainment, and group travel, successfully managing complex sales operations and building lasting industry relationships.

Before founding Generation Guest, Darren held senior sales roles at some of the most iconic properties in the industry. As Vice President of Sales for Blueberry Hospitality, he was responsible for driving growth across a portfolio of boutique hotels. He also previously served as Entertainment Sales Manager for Soho Grand and Tribeca Grand Hotels, Director of Entertainment Sales for Dream Hotels, Director of Sales at Sixty LES and Director of Sales at The Standard High Line, one of New York's most trend setting lifestyle hotels.

With Generation Guest, Darren leads a team that provides comprehensive travel coordination, hospitality consulting, and personalized concierge services to clients around the globe. Known for delivering high-touch solutions, Generation Guest caters to a diverse roster that includes touring musicians, podcasts, TV & Film productions, corporate groups and events, executives, and more.

He has worked with a wide range of clients, from small production groups to A-list celebrities, and from emerging tech startups to global brands like Google, Universal Music Group, LVMH, Nike, and many more. His expertise and industry connections have made Generation Guest a trusted partner for those seeking tailored hospitality solutions.

Generation Guest is an IATAN accredited travel agency, and Virtuoso member, through affiliation with Travel Experts.

Katie Palencsar is an investor, advisor, and thought leader in high growth startups and venture capital investing. At Generation Guest, she specializes in travel arrangements for board meetings, fundraising, investor relations and portfolio company support. With her previous experiences in founding and leading companies, she enjoys advising startups on runway and budget (which always includes travel!) at each stage of company growth. 

Most recently she was Partner & Head of Venture Studio at Anthemis Asset Management, where she also led the Female Innovators Lab Fund. Since launching the fund at the end of 2019, Katie led its global expansion and AUM growth with backing by Barclays, Aviva, Visa and Bank of Montreal, investing across North America, UK and Europe, making it the largest fund focused on female founders in fintech. 

Katie was named American Banker’s Most Influential Women in Fintech in 2023 and is the recipient of the 99u General Electric Emerging Innovators Award, Drexel University Alumni Educator of the Year Award, SmartCEO’s Voltage Award, Women in Fintech Powerlist and is a USPTO patent recipient. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Bloomberg, Crunchbase and The Wall Street Journal.