Lodging Leaders: Recent Episodes
Jon Albano and Judy Maxwell
Lodging Leaders is an award-winning weekly podcast that examines news and topics trending in the hotel industry, shared through engaging stories told by co-hosts Jon Albano and Judy Maxwell, and amplified by interviews with hospitality experts and other thought leaders.
In response to the death of a colleague who struggled with addiction, Steve Palmer and fellow restaurateur Mickey Bakst established Ben’s Friends, a community of restaurant owners, managers, chefs and other workers who seek sobriety. Palmer tells how Ben’s Friends came to be because he wants to raise awareness of substance abuse in the F&B industry and let those who struggle with addiction know there’s acceptance and help.
In the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., financiers anticipated a swell of distressed hotel businesses. Some raised rescue funds to respond to what they thought was a pending crisis. Though there are financial rescues taking place, the level of such activity is far below what industry advisers and fund managers expected. Commercial real estate investors positioned to act in the early days of the pandemic held off and are now just beginning to unleash their cash hoards totaling billions of dollars. Episode 345 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the state of capital investment in the hotel industry.
Shawn Seipler of Orlando, Florida, founded Clean the World 12 years ago to fight life-threatening illnesses in children who had no access to soap and water. He started by collecting discarded guest-room soaps from a single hotel in his neighborhood. Today Clean the World has recycled 63 million bars of amenity-sized soap from more than 8,000 hotels and resorts and distributed them to 130 countries. The COVID-19 pandemic dealt Clean the World a dramatic blow in its programming and growth strategy. Lodging Leader’s introductory episode in its special series, “Happy To Be Of Service: Stories of hospitality giving back,” features Seipler who talks about Clean the World’s beginnings and how a hospitality industry in recovery has helped the nonprofit pick up the pieces and move forward with its life-saving mission.
Hoteliers and allied vendors invested in both lodging and senior-living assets demonstrate how the spirit of hospitality and its best practices extend into other real-estate-asset groups. Episode 343 of Lodging Leaders podcast is the second in a two-part series that explores the hospitality industry’s growing interest in senior living.
Boston University School of Hospitality Administration’s Master of Management in Hospitality program launched this fall with a new concentration in senior living. The school believes it is on the cusp of a massive shift in how Americans view aging and where new opportunities lie for the hospitality industry. Episode 342 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores how hospitality professionals are aligning interest and innovation with what one researcher calls “the longevity economy.”
Families are driving the hotel industry’s recovery from the pandemic recession. A new report by the Family Travel Association reveals what parents are looking for when planning vacation experiences to enjoy with their children. The U.S. Family Travel Survey 2021 reveals the shift in mindset the COVID-19 pandemic has created in families intending to travel within the next 12 months. Episode 341 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores how hoteliers can use the information to generate business.
Episode 340 of Lodging Leaders podcast updates the progress of efforts by hotel industry leaders to open doors and break down financing barriers for women who want to invest in or own hotels. Whether they’re new to the concept or they’ve worked in lodging for years, women are an emerging force in hotel development, investment and ownership. This report features several industry leaders who are making significant strides in building programs that encourage and support women interested in becoming hotel owners and investors
Calvin Tilokee's first meme was printed out and hung on his office door. Since then, he's created @revparblems, a hospitality comedy account on Instagram with 20,000 followers. Susan learns how Calvin navigates the highs and lows of being the funniest account on Instagram and helps hotels with social media through his company, RevPar Media.
View the show notes for this episode at https://topfloorpodcast.com/3.
Squeezing every last ounce of profit from a hotel’s top-line revenue has always been a challenge for hotel operators but the COVID-19 pandemic has tested the mettle of even the most savvy revenue manager. One trend hoteliers are debating is à la carte or attribute pricing for amenities and services that are typically rolled into room rate. Some hoteliers are giving it a go while others are in a wait-and-see mode. Episode 339 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores how the industry may unbundle services and find ways to tap revenue from guests willing to pay extra to craft their own stay experience.
In the course of her hotel career, Kate Burda learned the business inside and out, from Minneapolis to Miami. Along the way, she figured out that the sound and fury of the hotel business could truly signify something by focusing on a traveler's point of inspiration vs. a hotel's product offering. Susan learns how Kate's company helps hotels and other businesses ignite the connections between financial performance goals and sales and marketing strategies.
From the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, the hotel industry turned to technology to solve immediate challenges. The very nature of hospitality can make a hotel vulnerable to cyberattacks. As the industry adopts new technology to help it recover from the coronavirus crisis, the threats are greater and the number of attacks are growing. Episode 338 of Lodging Leaders podcast focuses on the pervasive cyber threats the hospitality industry faces as it deploys technology to modernize its business processes and improve guest experiences.
As a teenager, Cat Meek took any restaurant job that would have her, working her way to becoming a certified sommelier and manager of a "very fahhncy" restaurant. Over romantic dates spent writing the business plan for a future fine dining establishment, she met and married her husband, who was conveniently also a chef. Susan learns how Cat built a multi-unit restaurant empire by making the guests part of the story.
In spring 2020, more than 1,700 hotels in the U.S. were closed as the coronavirus pandemic shutdown the travel industry. Eighteen months later, hundreds of hotels have reopened to a world still influenced by the ongoing crisis. In Episode 337 of Lodging Leaders podcast, we explore the challenges owners and managers faced in deciding to close hotels and what it took to reopen. We also talk to hoteliers who struggled with ramping up business at hotels that were at such low levels of occupancy, they might as well have been closed. And we feature owners who opened new properties during the pandemic.
As America approaches the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on its homeland, Episode 336 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the impact 9/11 had on the U.S. travel sector. We feature hotel industry leaders who were on duty that fateful day and can recall the shock of the attacks, how they cared for frightened guests and how the event changed hotel operations. They also draw parallels to the coronavirus crisis and remind listeners of the resiliency of the nation’s hospitality industry.
With 20,000 hotel owners as members, AAHOA is the largest hotel owners group in the world. But it’s not exercised the power that comes with size. Until now, that is. A new study by Oxford Economics reveals the membership’s combined economic strength, including the fact that members own 60 percent of America’s hotels. AAHOA Chairman Vinay Patel and other AAHOA leaders say the association plans to wield its might in forging a post-pandemic recovery that ensures everyone a more profitable future.
Although hotel franchisees’ discontent with the brands existed before the pandemic, the crisis has heightened owners’ fear and uncertainty of being able to stay in business and take part in the industry’s recovery. Episode 334 of Lodging Leaders podcast takes a look at how hoteliers’ dissatisfaction with franchise agreements is leading them to take drastic steps through the courts as well as turn to state and federal lawmakers for reform.
This week’s episode of Lodging Leaders podcast continues our report on how new and small franchisers may hold the answers to franchisees’ discontent amid the coronavirus crisis as well as the post-pandemic recovery. Episode 333 features leaders at Hospitality International Inc. and FairBridge Hotels International who share how the pandemic forced them back to the drawing board to build stronger and more sustainable businesses for themselves and their franchisees.
Hoteliers are seeking fairer licensing agreements as the coronavirus crisis pulled back the curtain on long-simmering owners’ discontent in franchiser-franchisee relationships. The answer may lie in new and small hotel franchisers determined to build positive business relationships in which owners and franchisers can equally benefit. Episode 332 of Lodging Leaders podcast features leaders at Sonesta International Hotels Corp. and Advantage Hotels Inc., who talk about how to make franchising a win-win for both sides even in the worst of times.
Nicolas Graf, associate dean, clinical professor and chair of New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, will soon unveil the school’s new Hospitality Innovation Hub. Departure from the norms of doing business is key to the post-pandemic survival and success of the hospitality industry, says Graf. Companies that offer flexibility in thought and practice among employees will go a long way in leading the industry’s post-pandemic recovery. Episode 331 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores what it will take for owners, operators and others invested in the industry to attract and retain bright young talent who can help build modern and sustainable hotel business models.
Bijal Patel, 31, is CEO of Coast Redwood Hospitality and the youngest chair of the California Hotel & Lodging Association. He’s made even more history at CHLA by agreeing to serve an unprecedented second term as the lodging industry emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Patel is a third-generation hotelier. Being so steeped in hospitality at such a young age is not new for members of the Indian American hotelier community, but Patel fears the pandemic has drained the industry of emerging talent. Episode 330 of Lodging Leaders podcast spotlights Patel, who represents a leadership demographic that is fighting for the life of the hospitality industry as they watch their peers veer toward other career paths.
Many hotels these days have made room for guests with disabilities. Hotel managers and staff should also know what the Americans With Disabilities Act says about accommodating guests with pets. During the pandemic lockdowns, a lot of people added a pet to their household and now they’re bringing Fido along on vacation. Hotel employees need to know how to cater to both consumers who are pet owners as well as guests who travel with a trained service animal. In Episode 329 of Lodging Leaders podcast we explore how the ADA defines a service animal and how a hotel is legally obligated to serve a guest who comes with a dog or any other animal.
Nearly 8 million Americans plan to travel over the Fourth of July weekend, predicts AAA. Most of them will drive and many of them plan to stay in hotels. What makes a travel consumer choose your hotel? Price can be a factor but so can the story the property tells through its online photos and its real-life curb appeal. First impressions of a hotel set the tone for the guest’s entire stay. Its roadside image is more important than ever as the lodging industry this summer hangs its hopes on a comeback driven by domestic travelers. Episode 328 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the importance of a hotel’s curb appeal as hoteliers think of ways to attract travelers seeking safety and assurance as the nation emerges from the coronavirus pandemic.
Home-sharing or short-term-rental platforms saw business surge during the 2020 pandemic year. The momentum continues this year and into 2021 as many travelers still in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic prefer houses over hotels. In Episode 327, Lodging Leaders podcast explores what’s driving not only the home-sharing sector, but also buoying extended-stay hotels, including branded residential-style accommodations that are a hybrid of hotel and home.
CHMWarnick and Pinnacle Advisory Group in April announced their decision to strategically align their businesses and bring more services and solutions to a hotel industry still in the throes of the coronavirus crisis. While properties in many markets are experiencing a business revival led by leisure travel, many others continue to work their way out of a maze of financial challenges. Episode 326 of Lodging Leaders podcast looks at the partnership and what it signals for the industry as it pushes toward recovery.
Independent boutique hotels recovered business faster than their branded counterparts and managed to increase RevPAR by holding rate even during the darkest days of the coronavirus crisis. Lodging Leaders podcast Episode 325 is the third and final installment in a series on independent hotels doing business amid the pandemic. We feature analysts and the founder of an organization that is the voice for independent owners and operators around the world.
Independent hotels struggled just as much as their franchised cousins when the coronavirus pandemic first struck the U.S. in spring 2020. Hundreds of independent properties temporarily closed amid the downturn in business and government shutdowns. Among those that reopened the soonest were independent hotels that are part of soft-branded collections.
Remington Hotels named Sloan Dean president and CEO just a few months before the coronavirus pandemic struck the U.S. and decimated its hospitality industry. Dean, a self-described millennial, said the lodging sector is taking on a new look as companies restructure their executive and line-level ranks and leisure travelers hit the road. The post-pandemic world requires new ways of doing business, Dean said, noting new labor models and the emergence of a chief commercial role to oversee all aspects of revenue. Episode 3 of Lodging Luminaries features host Jason Freed and Dean in a thought-provoking conversation about what’s ahead for hospitality.
The coronavirus crisis hit independent hotels just as hard as their branded counterparts but many of the unaffiliated assets were able to quickly shift to survival mode, cut costs and generate revenue by implementing creative business strategies.
Independent hoteliers featured in Episode 323 of Lodging Leaders podcast say being unencumbered from brand mandates and rules allow them to make crucial decisions that enable their businesses to survive and in some cases thrive.
The hotel labor shortage dominated the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference last week as panelists and attendees commiserated and shared ideas on how to recruit and retain workers. While hoteliers blame extended unemployment-benefit programs, other experts said the problem is more complex than that. The coronavirus pandemic is far from over and recovery is uneven across the lodging industry. Episode 322 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the labor challenges facing hoteliers and what experts are advising, including totally rethinking traditional employment models now and post-pandemic.
Daniel Del Olmo has led a storied career in hospitality leadership. Today, Del Olmo is president and COO at Sage Hospitality Group, a third-party manager. He joined the company just a couple months before the coronavirus pandemic struck the U.S. and gave the hospitality industry its biggest crisis and comeback challenge ever.
In Episode 2 of Lodging Luminaries, host Jason Freed talks with Del Olmo about what keeps him up at night as Sage Hospitality crafts its recovery strategy in an era of uncertainty. Key ingredients, says Del Olmo, are passion for the industry and care for its people.
Hotel owners and operators who believed they could go it alone before the coronavirus pandemic devastated the hotel industry are having another think and turning to third-party managers to work their way back to profitability in the post-pandemic recovery. Another trend contributing to the growth in third-party managers’ business is more commercial real estate investors armed with cash entering the hotel sector and in need to an experienced operations team.
Episode 321 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the growth of third-party management companies over the past 12 months.
This report is part of Lodging Leaders’ coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
Hotel owners and developers are growing eager to refresh their properties in preparation for a post-pandemic business revival. But capital improvement might be delayed by breaks in the global supply chain. Shipping companies in Asia and Europe are contending with a boatload of challenges, including a lack of containers, traffic jams at West Coast ports and increased costs. Episode 320 of Lodging Leaders podcast features logistics and procurement specialists who relate what the problems mean to the U.S. hotel industry.
Raul Leal had been in leadership roles in the boutique lodging sector for 15 years when he first met Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, which includes Virgin Hotels. In a conversation with Lodging Luminaries host Jason Freed, Leal shares his first meeting with Branson more than a decade ago when the business magnate asked him to manage the hotel brand that was just a molecule of an idea at the time. Leal also talks about the future of hospitality industry, how the coronavirus crisis threatens the survival of branded legacy hotels and why everybody wants to work at Virgin Hotels, even during the coronavirus pandemic.
Long Live Lodging produces Lodging Luminaries in conjunction with Hotel Recovery, a website and daily newsletter providing resources for hoteliers to get back on their feet.
The phrase “stronger together” has been used throughout the coronavirus crisis to encourage businesses and employees to join forces in thought and deed to keep economies afloat. The concept also has taken on new meaning in the hotel industry as companies form joint ventures – either by creating new partnerships or redefining what collaboration looks like.
Episode 319 of Lodging Leaders podcast features hotel companies that have formed strategic partnerships to survive and thrive through the pandemic recession.
Amanda Joiner has worked for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. for 25 years. Starting in housekeeping, Joiner has been general manager of The Ritz-Carlton St. Louis for more than five years. Her career trajectory is not unique, she says, as anyone can apply The Ritz-Carlton’s tenets of customer service to clear a path to leadership in the hospitality industry. Episode 318 of Lodging Leaders podcast spotlights Joiner and her story.
Ginny Morrison of Evanston, Illinois, is a 33-year veteran of Spire Hospitality, a hotel management company with a portfolio that spans coast-to-coast. As vice president of sales and marketing, Morrison saw the coronavirus pandemic decimate the meetings business. More than a year later, she’s witnessing a comeback as small-meeting planners are actively booking events for the last half of 2021 and beyond. As public health agencies expand COVID-19 vaccination programs across the U.S. and states ease up on public-gathering restrictions designed to keep the virus at bay, the hotel industry is seeing small meetings begin a comeback. In Episode 317, Long Live Lodging covers the state of the small-meetings sector and how hotels can grab their share of the meetings business during and post-pandemic. This report is part of our ongoing coverage about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 317 | Together Again: U.S. hotel industry begins to see return of small meetings first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The Hunter Hotel Investment Conference will be the industry’s first large event to be held during the coronavirus pandemic. The Atlanta event will be a hybrid format of in-person and virtual access, also an industry first. Lee Hunter, chairman of the conference, knows the level of expectation is high among other conference planners as well as industry professionals eager to network after more than a yearlong hiatus. Episode 316 of Lodging Leaders podcast features Hunter as he tells what it takes to re-launch the industry’s conference circuit amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The post 316 | Pandemic Trailblazer: Hunter Hotel Investment Conference leads lodging industry’s 2021 event circuit first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus crisis has dramatically altered the traditional competitive set most hotels use to benchmark their business performance. During the pandemic, properties have reduced services; they’ve closed either permanently or temporarily; or they’ve transitioned to alternative uses by contracting out to essential travelers or social agencies in search of housing. Episode 315 explores the genesis of the hotel industry comp set and how the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the strategic business tool. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 315 | COVID Comp Sets: The pandemic has dramatically altered hotels’ playing fields first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
More than 1,760 hotels or 5 percent of U.S. room inventory have permanently or temporarily closed since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic first gripped the country, reports Kalibri Labs. Though last year was the worst on record for hotel business performance, the reason behind the change in the metrics is different than in previous economic crises. The shuttering of hotels as well as government restrictions on travel are skewing national averages in key performance indicators, including average daily rate, experts say. For the most part, hoteliers have been smart about holding rate as much as possible in contrast to the “race to the bottom” seen in past economic crises. Episode 314 explores what is truly impacting hotel rate during the coronavirus pandemic. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 314 | No Discounts Available: Smart rate management keeps hotels afloat amid COVID-19 storm first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
NextGen in Lodging launches its inaugural program with an episode featuring three self-starters carving unique paths in the hospitality industry. Their ventures encompass hotel investment, management and education. The entrepreneurs tell how they altered business strategy and professional goals amid the coronavirus crisis. NextGen in Lodging co-host Davonne Reaves leads the conversation with Purvi Panwala of Panwala Property Management Corp. and CRC Construction Corp; Andrea Aguilar of Typsy and Preshift; and Kendra Plummer of Elise Capital.
The post 01 | First But Not Last first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Ron Vlasic has held several leadership roles over the course of his 30 years in the hospitality industry. While serving as COO at Hostmark Hospitality Group, the Chicago native has answered the call to help the U.S. travel and tourism industry recover from the devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. For the next two years, he will serve on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which is a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In an interview with Long Live Lodging, Vlasic tells the story of his career journey and what it will take to revive the industry post-pandemic. This feature story introduces our Lodging Luminaries program.
The post 313 | Staging a Comeback: Hospitality leader Ron Vlasic helps industry build post-pandemic revival first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Spring breaks will be shortened or reduced as the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact travel and tourism. Many schools and colleges are skipping the annual rite to party. But that doesn’t mean hotels have to give up trying to attract guests this season. Staycations are increasing as people tired of being cooped up seek a respite close to home. In this report, Long Live Lodging explores the origin and evolution of the staycation and how hotels can capitalize on people’s desire to get away from it all, even if it’s just for one or two nights. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 312 | Spring Breaks for Homebodies: Staycations are a growing trend amid the coronavirus pandemic first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
A year ago, Darshan Patel, CEO of Hotel Investment Group in San Diego, California, was one of the first hoteliers in the U.S. to step up and offer properties to overwhelmed hospitals seeking places to care for COVID and non-COVID patients as well as vulnerable populations. As the crisis eases and Hotel Investment Group works to return the hotels to business, Patel is negotiating with local governments to pay for the wear and tear on the properties. Patel is not alone as many hoteliers are unexpectedly dealing with problems that state and local governments’ urgent decisions have created, including property damage, increased costs and eviction bans. This report is the second in a two-part series examining the pros and cons of opening hotels to alternative uses during the pandemic. It is part of Long Live Lodging’s special coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 311 | Shelters From the Norm: Hotels used for hospitals and housing face unexpected problems first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Dhruv Patel, president of Ridgemont Hospitality, in October shared a bittersweet moment with his parents, Pravin and Sima Patel, when the family business sold the first motel that Pravin had built from the ground up more than 30 years ago. But they rest assured knowing it was the right decision because the 22-room property is being converted into affordable housing for military veterans at risk of homelessness. The transaction is among hundreds taking place across the U.S. as state and local governments work with non-profit agencies to create affordable housing solutions for vulnerable populations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Episode 310 Long Live Lodging reports on the financial and legal aspects of what it takes to convert a hotel into long-term housing. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s special coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 310 | Hotels Convert to Housing: Federal COVID-19-relief funds fuel transactions first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Kathleen Bertrand believes Atlanta is a city where dreams can come true. A jazz recording artist, she served at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau for more than 30 years, finding new ways to promote to the world the best things about the city she calls a “melting pot” of races and cultures. In Episode 309 of Lodging Leaders podcast Bertrand gets vocal and tells her story of rising through the ranks as one of the few Black women in leadership in the tourism industry. This session is part of Long Live Lodging’s special report commemorating Black History Month and the hospitality industry’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement.
The post 309 | ‘Stay the Course’: Kathleen Bertrand recalls hospitality career focused on growth through diversity first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Crestline Hotels & Resorts, a third-party management company in Fairfax, Virginia, recently celebrated its first-place position in J.D. Power’s inaugural Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark. Long Live Lodging features Aaron Olson, senior vice president of operations at Crestline, and Andrea Stokes, who led the benchmark study at J.D. Power. They share best practices hotel managers are implementing to keep guest satisfaction at an all-time high, especially in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 308 | From Guests’ Mouths to Managers’ Ears: J.D. Power study reveals what satisfies hotel customers in COVID-19 age first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Noelle Trent is director of interpretation, collections and education at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The museum is in the historic Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. The venue is hosting the Smithsonian Institution’s The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibition, which tells the history of Black travel in mid-20th-century America. In this report, Long Live Lodging explores how African Americans travelers learned to safely navigate the nation’s highways and byways during the age of segregation. We also feature the Lorraine Motel and its enduring significance to racial equality in America.
The post 307 | ‘A National Story’: Black travel in America evolved with the Civil Rights Movement first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Ben Seidel is founder, president and chief executive of Real Hospitality Group, a third-party manager with a portfolio of more than 100 hotels. Like most owners and managers, Seidel and his team view the coronavirus pandemic as the biggest risk facing hotel performance but acknowledge that other threats also loom large. The number and severity of climate-related catastrophes in the U.S. broke a record in 2020. As a result, Seidel has seen property insurance costs dramatically increase for 2021. Long Live Lodging explores how changes in commercial insurance coverage is affecting the hotel industry. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 306 | Calculated Risks: Catastrophic 2020 means higher insurance costs for hotels first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Andrew J. Young Jr. became a civil rights activist 65 years ago, starting as a Baptist minister in Georgia. For more than a decade he traveled alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in pursuit of racial equality in America. Young, 88, has a storied career of public service. He served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a U.S. congressman and mayor of Atlanta. In this special report, Young shares his remembrances of hoteliers and private homeowners showing hospitality to civil rights workers in mid-century America. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s special project commemorating Black History Month and how the hospitality industry impacted the Civil Rights Movement.
The post 305 | ‘Traveling on Hospitality’: Andrew Young remembers life on the road toward civil rights first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
As a former analyst with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fred Washington knows commercial real estate development, if done with the community in mind, can change residents’ quality of life. Washington wants to do the same thing with the six hotels he’s building in Florida. A new hotel investor, Washington recently made history when he signed Choice Hotels International’s first minority-led multi-unit franchise development deal. This report kicks off Long Live Lodging’s special series commemorating Black History Month when we explore the impact the hospitality industry has had on the Civil Rights Movement. This report also is part of our ongoing coverage of the state of diversity, inclusion and equality in hospitality leadership.
The post 304 | ‘This is Huge’: Choice Hotels makes history with Black-owned multi-unit deal first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing hoteliers to deploy new technology to run more cost-efficient businesses and to ensure customers that properties are safe by providing such services as contactless check in and mobile key. Long Live Lodging explores how the COVID-19 outbreak has invigorated hotels’ adoption of tech solutions and looks at what types of products owners and operators are investing in during the coronavirus crisis and for the post-pandemic era. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 303 | Hotel Tech Goes Viral: COVID pandemic forces industry to modernize operations first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Hotel appraisers and brokers expect distressed assets to come to market as the pandemic recession continues into 2021. Analysts say billions of dollars in private equity are waiting in the wings to acquire hotels underperforming as a result of the coronavirus crisis. But pricing will be different than in previous economic downturns. While a transaction may be distressed, it will not necessarily reflect distress pricing,” said Daniel Lesser of LW Hospitality Advisors. Long Live Lodging explores the state of hotel values as well as what may lie ahead with regard to transactions in 2021 as the spread of COVID-19 continues to stifle lodging performance. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 302 | Value Judgment: Hotel asset pricing in COVID-19 age is different from previous recessions first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Global business travel is a $1.4 trillion industry. The Global Business Travel Association calculates the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 resulted in a loss of $113 billion in business travel spend in hotels, airlines and other sectors of the travel industry. But all is not lost. GBTA, industry analysts and travel management companies see some green shoots of hope for 2021 as the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out and corporations put some of their people on the road again. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 301 | The Road Warrior Ahead: Business travel will come back ‘with a vengeance,’ say experts first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Long Live Lodging, an online multimedia news organization that covers the hospitality industry, found itself tossing aside its plans for news coverage late in the first quarter of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. and devastated the hospitality industry. The year turned out to be ground-breaking for Long Live Lodging, which developed the industry’s first live digital conference, and its podcast, Lodging Leaders, which increased its followers through timely, credible and balanced reporting on trends and issues driving the industry during the historic year. The company also won international recognition for its coverage of the COVID-19 crisis and its work as a whole. Long Live Lodging is a startup media company, formed in 2019, with Lodging Leaders, which was founded in 2015. In today’s report, we celebrate the podcast’s 300th episode. Podcast founder and co-host Jon Albano and co-host Judy Maxwell have a free-wheeling conversation in which they review the top podcasts of 2020 (Can anyone say ‘fair franchising’?) and give a brief preview of what the media organization plans for 2021.
The post 300 | 2020 Hindsight: Lodging Leaders reviews hot topics, gives sneak peek of what’s ahead first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The damage wrought on hotel businesses by the coronavirus pandemic is wide and deep. But the longevity of the pandemic is proving to be truly devastating, especially as the U.S. experiences another surge in the infection rate. In the early days of the crisis, owners, operators and asset managers acted quickly to prevent hotels from closing. Some advisers helped owners weigh the pros and cons of remaining open or temporarily closing. As the pandemic continues its assault, hotel operators are figuring out ways to stabilize their businesses while holding out hope the vaccine will trigger the start of a recovery. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 299 | Conserve Cash, Save the Hotel: What asset managers are doing to survive the long COVID winter first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced restaurants to close or scale back in-house dining operations in response to government mandates and residents sheltering in place. The crisis is accelerating the emerging trend of “ghost kitchens,” restaurants that cook up delivery-only menus and depend on third-party delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats to serve their customers. Adding a tech-driven delivery model to any restaurant, whether it’s stand-alone or inside a hotel, could generate new streams of revenue and save businesses and jobs. Long Live Lodging explores the ghost kitchen concept and how meal delivery has permanently changed the hospitality industry. This is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
The post 298 | Ready to Order: Ghost kitchen concepts may save the restaurant industry first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of business. Consumer buying habits are no exception as more sales than ever have shifted online. Omnisend recently charted a dramatic increase in consumers’ response to emails from retailers since the start sheltering in place.
The hospitality industry can take a page from retailers’ email-marketing playbook as hotels and other accommodations brainstorm for creative ways to reach out to a captive audience of travel consumers.
We explore how hotels can use email to connect with both loyal and prospective guests as the lodging industry prepares to emerge from its COVID-19 quarantine. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 297 | Reply All: How hotels can use email to build back business first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
It’s well known extended-stay-hotel and short-term-rental sectors have done better than their transient hotel counterparts during the coronavirus pandemic. Even before the crisis hit, residential-type accommodations were seeing a growth in interest from travelers as well as investors. The COVID-19 outbreak is proving mixed developments of hotel rooms, leased apartments and owned condominiums offer a unique value proposition during and after the pandemic. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 296 | Flexible Business Model: Apartment-hotels are an emerging trend in an industry in crisis first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing the lodging industry to rethink health and wellness. Designers such as Blanche Garcia of B. Garcia Designs see this as an opportunity for hotels to revise their messaging beyond clean and safe by introducing wellness products and programs they can market and attract guests who want to feel good during their stay and return home feeling better than when they left. Those who promote healthy buildings as well as safe travel are exploring how implementing elements of wellness can be a cure for hotel businesses struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 295 | Doing Well: Coronavirus pandemic advances wellness design and programs in hotels first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
She Has a Deal, a program that promotes women as hotel owners, last month minted several new investors through its inaugural pitch competition. Long Live Lodging examines what it took for the three women who comprise the team called Datcher to win the top prize of $50,000 in equity in a fund that would include their $27.4 million project proposed for downtown Detroit. Two additional projects proposed during the competition were selected to benefit from She Has a Deal’s first investment fund. Datcher’s winning formula as well as the other project proposals can be emulated as hotel developers and investors search for ways to fund upcoming projects that reduce investors’ risk while delivering a healthy return as the lodging industry navigates its way through the business downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The post 294 | She is a Hotel Investor: What She Has a Deal can teach every hotel investor first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
General managers of hotels throughout the U.S. are redefining their job descriptions as they make beds, do laundry, vacuum lobbies and patrol parking lots – all jobs once done by employees they’ve had to lay off when the coronavirus pandemic struck in March. GMs also are charged with cutting costs and finding ways to maintain asset values amid a steep downturn in business. A recent study shows that even though hotels are calling some employees back to work, the number of hours GMs are spending at work has not decreased. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 293 | Crisis Managers: Coronavirus challenge redefines GM role first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Hoteliers might think of a travel influencer as a selfie-obsessed millennial looking to wrangle a free night stay in exchange for a positive review. But in the COVID-19 age even influencers would agree: Nobody’s got time for that. Influencers have come of age and are turning out to be digitally savvy sophisticated content creators who can be part of a hotel’s marketing strategy as it works to emerge from the coronavirus crisis with new business on the books. Long Live Lodging peeks into the world of travel influencers and how they generate online content that promotes people, places and things to audiences traditional marketing might never reach. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 292 | People of Persuasion: Travel influencers grow in sophistication and significance in COVID-19 age first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Leaders at AAHOA and the American Hotel & Lodging Association say time is running out for the nation’s 57,000 hotels in need of federal government financial relief as the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. heads into its eighth month. Cecil Staton, president and CEO of AAHOA, and Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA, are tirelessly rallying the industry to implore Congress to act soon before half of the country’s hotels go into foreclosure. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 291 | On The Brink: Hotel associations lobby on Capitol Hill to ward off disaster first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
With hotel occupancies hovering around an average of 50 percent, owners and operators are seeking new ways to generate revenue beyond traditional overnight stays. One solution in the works is day use of hotel rooms. Hotel companies such as Red Roof, Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Hilton are promoting the practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of the curve is HotelsbyDay.com, a day-use booking platform that is marketing hotels as the new office space. Long Live Lodging explores the unconventional use of hotels and how owners and operators can position their properties to attract day users. This is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 290 | DAY-CATIONS: Hotels turn guest rooms into private office spaces first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Reform Lodging is a new organization of hotel owners formed to address problems its members are facing as a result of the downturn in business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. First issue on its list is the size of commissions levied by online travel agencies. Reform Lodging is asking its nearly 2,000 members to remove their rooms from OTA inventory on Friday and Saturday to protest the compensation practice. Long Live Lodging reports on the “Lights Out, OTA!” campaign and explores the financial implications of OTA commissions and franchisers’ reservation fees on owners of branded hotels. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 289 | OTA Protest: Reform Lodging members to blackout rooms first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Two viruses emerged in the U.S. this year – COVID-19 and society’s backlash against racism. The coronavirus pandemic forced hotels to close or drastically cut back on their workforces as occupancy plummeted to unprecedented lows. And America’s streets resounded with the voices of citizens protesting racism as businesses began to respond by promising new and better commitments toward diversity, inclusion and equality in hiring and promotion. In Episode 288 of Lodging Leaders podcast, we explore the issues hotels are facing in bringing back laid-off workers and recruiting new employees in the midst of a health pandemic that seems to have no end and society’s desperate call for Corporate America to get serious about ending systemic racism.
The post 288 | ‘The Big Pause’: Hotels retooling employment policies as business slowly returns first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Extended-stay hotels are weathering the coronavirus crisis better than their transient cousins, according to reports. The Highland Group’s half-year report shows economy and mid-priced extended-stay hotels are faring better than upscale extended-stay accommodations. Second-quarter earnings reports from companies such as Extended Stay America prove the resiliency of the sector, especially when sales teams shift their focus to new prospects such as college students, leisure travelers who value the kitchen and essential workers in it for the long haul. Long Live Lodging examines what gives extended-stay its muscle in a weak economy. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 287 | The Long Haul: Extended-stay hotels show their strength in a crisis first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus pandemic has altered the wants, needs and desires of consumers. Buying habits have changed. The crisis has changed the way consumers value businesses. Hotels have an opportunity to succeed during and after the pandemic by adopting sales and marketing strategies that acknowledge the COVID-19 reality and embrace consumers with the warmth of heartfelt care. Long Live Lodging examines how the traditional sales tactics have been pushed aside as hotels reexamine the ultimate goal of hospitality during an uncertain and frightening time. This report is part of our ongoing coverage on the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 286 | Care Packages: Hotels can attract business with cause marketing first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Almost overnight, the roadside motel is a hot commodity. Travelers are going by car and when they stop they want the safest stay possible. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed health and safety to the top of hotel guests’ most-favored-amenity list and exterior-corridor properties appear to provide more of a risk-free stay than their interior-corridor cousins. Long Live Lodging examines the new shine travelers have put on exterior-corridor motels during the COVID-19 crisis and how brands heavy with motel-style properties are responding to the trend. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.
The post 285 | ‘Allure of the Door’: Exterior-corridor hotels trending in COVID-19 pandemic first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting downturn in the travel industry will make it difficult for investors to find the capital they need to acquire and develop hotels. That means minority investors, in particular Black Americans, might face an uphill climb in qualifying for bank loans unless they can close the ever-widening equity gap. Several read more
The post 284 | Sharing the Wealth: Hotel industry leaders want to bring Black investors into the fold first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
In a recent Zoom conference hosted by the African American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, hospitality entrepreneur Kristin Kitchen talked about her lodging company that showcases Black heritage and supports minority-owned companies. Kitchen is part of a trend toward building hospitality ventures related to Black history and culture, a sub-sector of read more
The post 283 | Seizing the Moment: Black hotel owners and investors see opportunity to prosper first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus crisis has put unprecedented amounts of stress not only on health care systems and economies but on workers’ mental health. That’s the first and bottom line of a recent study by the Society of Human Resource Managers. The professional association surveyed more than a thousand workers in mid-April and found that nearly half read more
The post 282 | ‘People Have Changed’: Hospitality industry deals with workers’ mental health in the age of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
In June, Watermark Lodging Trust, a Chicago REIT, sold its Hutton Hotel in Nashville for $70 million. The price is $7 million less than what the REIT said it paid to acquire and upgrade the hotel seven years ago. A month later, Watermark said it signed a deal in which it sold shares worth $200 read more
The post 281 | Rescue Capital: Hotel financiers seek opportunities to invest in distressed assets first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
As the hospitality industry struggles to mitigate the massive loss of revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of hotel owners are filing lawsuits to force their property insurance providers to cover their financial casualties. Meantime, state and federal lawmakers are considering legislation that would mandate U.S. insurance companies pay for business losses related to read more
The post 280 | Premium Letdown: Hotels challenge property insurers’ refusal to cover COVID-19 revenue loss first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
We’re trying something different today. We’ve teamed up with a group called Next Generation in Lodging, a diverse team of mid-career hospitality professionals who want to have significant input into the future of the hospitality industry. We’ve worked with them to produce and provide a platform for a panel discussion about diversity and inclusion in read more
The post 279 | Inclusion is a Unicorn Part 2: ‘We are actually doing badly’ first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Since the beginning of March, the hotel industry has lost more than $40 billion in room revenue. Hotels continue to lose $400 million every day, according to STR and Tourism Economics. The historic loss of income caused by the coronavirus pandemic is rendering hotel owners unable to pay their property mortgages. While many have worked read more
The post 278 | CMBS Distress: Thousands of hotel owners seek relief from billions of dollars in debt first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
In the introduction of his book, “Hotel, an American History,” A.K. Sandoval-Strausz writes: “The hotel as we know it today did not evolve randomly or naturally, nor did it develop as some sort of automatic response to structural needs. Rather, it was the deliberate creation of an identifiable group of people who lived in a read more
The post 277 | Contagious Ideas: Hospitality brand and design experts search for creative solutions in the age of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Many companies in the hotel industry claim they practice diversity in their hiring practices. When questioned about how many Black people they employ, most companies can back up their hiring outcomes with data. That’s all well and good, but what’s missing in most employment demographics is a measurement of how inclusive the company is not read more
The post 276 | A Measured Response: Hotel industry hires for diversity but fails with inclusion first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Imagine holding a conference on racism, diversity and inclusion in Corporate America and seeing your event invaded by outsiders shouting racial epithets and vulgarities while flying both the Nazi and American flags. Actually, there is no need to imagine it because it happened earlier this month during a digital event organized by the founders of read more
The post 275 | ‘Inclusion is a Myth’: Next Generation in Lodging challenges industry’s status quo on race and diversity first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
In the first quarter of this year, more than 140 new hotels opened in the U.S., reported Lodging Econometrics. In March, the U.S. had 150,000 rooms under construction, said STR. It’s the highest end-of-month total the company has reported. Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights at STR, said he expects hotel construction to read more
The post 274 | Construction in a Pandemic: Hotel builders face unexpected challenges first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The U.S. hospitality industry is slowly getting back to business. Leisure travelers are responsible for occupancy boosts in late May, especially Memorial Day weekend, STR reports. Leisure travelers will continue to drive demand as the coronavirus crisis begins to ease, experts say. Meanwhile, Oxford Tourism Economics reports that business transient and group bookings are not read more
The post 273 | Digital Divides: Technology builds a hybrid of meetings and events in age of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
As the U.S. lodging sector begins to get back to business amid the coronavirus crisis, technology will play a much bigger role in operations than before the outbreak paralyzed the industry. Technological solutions in operations and guest management were emerging in hotels before the COVID-19 pandemic. But experts say the next generation of tech is read more
The post 272 | A New Digital Reality: Hotels turn to technology to redefine guest engagement first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The U.S. hotel industry has begun its comeback as all states are reopening their economies. The numbers show that occupancy is slowly but steadily increasing as hotels get back to business. But, to be sure, it is not business as usual. Relatively few hotels completely closed during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 80 percent remained read more
The post 271 | Clean Breaks: Hotels face new expectations of health and safety in the age of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
With more than half of the states in America reopening their economies, owners and operators of lodging accommodations might be tempted to return to business as usual. That includes sales and marketing strategies that management was deploying before the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the hospitality industry. But hotel marketing experts we interviewed say business will be read more
The post 270 | Critical Messages: Hotel marketing in the wake of COVID-19 first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The COVID-19 crisis is far from over. How long the crisis remains is still an unknown. As many states are taking steps to reopen their marketplaces, government leaders and business owners may want to look to the hotel industry for some best practices. While nearly 20 percent of the nation’s 57,000 hotels have closed, according read more
The post 269 | Rays of Light: Hotels are guiding beacons as states reopen economies first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Suzanne Mellen, senior managing director and practice leader at HVS, has been in the hotel valuation business for 40 years. She’s witnessed a lot of ups and downs. She’s also noticed how investors are eager to talk about their hotel’s market value during the good times but reluctant to face the truth in a downturn. read more
The post 268 | Peaks and Valleys: COVID-19 crisis cuts hotel values and creates opportunity first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
This episode features sound bites from previous podcast reports covering the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the hospitality industry. The voices belong to Lily Mockerman, Dave Shah, Darshan Patel, Andressa Chapman, Jamie Lane and Ron Mitchell. They have all been featured in our special news project that’s focused on the crisis. So far, we’ve read more
The post 267 | Comeback Opportunity: LodgingStream digital conference looks toward a post-COVID-19 future first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
As the recognized COVID-19 infection rate began to gain strength in the U.S. in mid-March, lodging industry analysts said they expected at least half of the nation’s 4 million hotel employees would be laid off. It’s a startling number when you consider that six weeks ago, most hospitality jobs were firmly intact. In fact, in read more
The post 266 | Return Policies: Hotel industry works out rehiring plans first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Earlier this year, a large group of hotel owners began to organize and create a comprehensive push back at the hotel franchising model. Fair Franchising Initiative held its launch conference on March 5, a little more than a week before President Trump declared a national emergency as the new coronavirus pandemic spread to the U.S. read more
The post 265 | Franchising In Deconstruction: COVID-19 crisis amplifies problems in brand licensing first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
As the recognized COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. and the nation’s subsequent shutdown approaches its fifth week, hotels and other small businesses are seeing some relief ahead. Federal financial aid is coming in the form of loans and grants from the Small Business Administration. In the past week, hundreds of thousands hotel owners have filed read more
The post 264 | Seeking Signs of Relief: Hoteliers wade through financial aid programs and proposals first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Last week, Zoom, a video-conferencing program, was prime bait for hackers who infiltrated conversations taking place among people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. As if Zoom bombers weren’t bad enough, a day or two later, the internet-based program crashed because it could not handle the surge of users from businesses, schools and friends read more
The post 263 | Risk Adjustment: Hotel tech platforms face their own COVID-19 crisis first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the global supply chain. With most whole goods and components coming from China, the U.S. hospitality industry began to scramble in January to keep the supplies coming. Manufacturing has resumed in China as the crisis has reportedly eased there, but the outbreak has yet to reach its peak in the read more
The post 262 | Strongest Link: Hotel procurement specialists keep supply chain connected first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The U.S. hotel industry has practically grinded to a halt in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. As Lodging Leaders shared in our previous report, Episode 260, hotel business performance has declined to unprecedented levels. Another area of the industry that the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting is hotel transactions. Properties remain on the market, but read more
The post 261 | Let’s Make a Deal: Coronavirus crisis alters hotel transaction landscape first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Last week, several hospitality-focused analytical companies released data that specifically show how the coronavirus pandemic is decimating the U.S. hotel industry. The picture they paint is grim. And – though experts say they believe the industry will eventually resurge – the months ahead will be hard. In this report we review reports from STR, CBRE read more
The post 260 | Startling Statistics: Industry analysts stunned at depth of downturn first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
While many of the country’s 57,000 hotels have closed during the coronavirus pandemic, owners and operators are spending limited resources and a whole lot of time on retooling their property systems and deep cleaning rooms and public areas. They want to be ready when the nation starts traveling again. And that’s a message that needs read more
The post 259 | Trust Factor: Hotels can channel the right message during the coronavirus crisis first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Dave Shah grew up in his family’s hotel and watched his parents and other hoteliers struggle to stay in business during the Great Recession. He thinks the economic situation for hoteliers during the COVID-19 crisis is growing worse than that time. Shah founded Pineapple Capital Group five years ago to help hotels and other small read more
The post 258 | Cash in a Crisis: SBA launches COVID-19 loan program, but experts urge caution first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
As hotels in the U.S. are forced to dramatically scale back operations or close altogether because of the new coronavirus pandemic, government officials are looking to use the empty rooms to fight the spread of the virus or help patients recover. Meantime, hotel operators are taking a fresh look at cleaning procedures to assure guests read more
The post 257 | Hotels Become Hospitals: Government takeover of lodging leaves big questions for owners first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Cecil Staton has had his hands full to say the least. He has been at the helm of AAHOA, the world’s largest hotel owners association, for just four months. The new coronavirus outbreak and its devastating effect on the travel industry has hotel owners turning to him for solutions. This is the third installment of read more
The post 256 | What’s a Hotelier To Do? AAHOA’s Cecil Staton on the industry’s ‘dark times’ first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Seemingly overnight, the new coronavirus pandemic has dramatically curbed travel in the U.S. Hotels are feeling the pain as occupancies dropped to historic lows, in some cases down by 80 percent. The American Hotel and Lodging Association on Monday reported major hotel managers said they’ve laid off or furloughed one million employees. Long Live Lodging read more
The post 255 | Workforce Woes: Hotels try to avoid layoffs first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The U.S. hotel industry is undergoing an unprecedented experience as the new coronavirus or COVID-19 grows more and more real every day. Long Live Lodging and its Lodging Leaders podcast has decided to put a temporary hold on its usual programing from one report a week and move to providing updates throughout the week with read more
The post 254 | High Cancellations and Low Demand: Hotel pricing in a steep downturn first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Fair franchising. It’s a phrase that’s been used countless times in negotiations with brands, at industry conferences and among associations formed to ensure a balance of power between franchisers and franchisees. As the hotel industry in the U.S. celebrates nearly a decade of growth, leaner times are ahead, say forecasters. Owner operators are cutting as read more
The post 253 | Franchising Report Part 1 – Power Struggle: New hotelier organization lobbies for franchisee protection first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Welcome to the second edition of BulletInn, a news report of Long Live Lodging and its Lodging Leaders podcast. In this episode, we cover three topics: The spread of the new coronavirus and its impact on travel and the legalities around cancelling group meetings in the U.S. Surprises in a report by CBRE Americas Hotels read more
The post 252 | The BulletInn #2: Coronavirus and group business; Sara Blakely of Spanx at Hunter conference; and short-term rental’s surprising shift first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Online travel agencies. Hoteliers love them. Hoteliers hate them. Brand.com, GDS, call centers, travel agents, groups and so on. There are many types of business in every market. In this episode, Lodging Leaders explores how hotel owners and operators can learn to use third-party platforms such as OTAs and when to tap other resources for read more
The post 251 | Channel Mix: Hotels balance costs of guest acquisition, OTAs and overall business opportunities first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Do you love to mingle and meet new people or would you rather sit home and watch paint dry than subject yourself to a crowd of strangers? Today’s hospitality environment practically demands you attend conferences and other people-focused events if you’re going to be successful in business. But how do you: Make events work in read more
The post 250 | Cold Calls or Warm Greetings: How to meet people and build a network first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
At the beginning of the Americas Lodging Investment Summit on Jan. 27th, a panel of women in hospitality leadership advised the audience that, in some cases, it is smart to move down a career rung to be able to make a much bigger climb up in the future. Forward, Women Advancing Hospitality, is a project read more
The post 249 | The BulletInn: ALIS 2020 news updates first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
About 25 years ago, as the number of limited service hotels in the U.S. began to grow, hotel franchisers began to add perceived value to their brands by offering guests a free breakfast. Today, the lines are blurring between limited and full service as hotels add a variety of paid and free food and beverage read more
The post 248 | Recipe for Success: Hotel F&B gets a redo first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Americans for the Arts’ public-opinion survey in 2018 found citizens value the arts and believe it benefits the community and its businesses. In the U.S. hospitality sector, art is becoming more mainstream as hotels integrate different artistic mediums into design and décor as well as guest programs. In this episode of Lodging Leaders, we explore read more
The post 247 | Artistic Moments: Art can paint your hotel’s story first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Hunter Hotel Advisors brokered the sales of more hotels in 2019 than in any year in its history. Sellers and buyers that generated $1.2 billion under Hunter’s guidance were a mixed bag and included institutional firms, private investment groups and hotel companies. Many hotel brokers expect to tally similar results, making 2019 one of the read more
The post 246 | Transitional Transactions: Hotel brokers, investors prepare for a new normal first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
This is the second of a two-part update about people, campaigns and programs that are furthering the mission to promote more women into leadership roles in the hospitality industry. In this episode we touch base with Jagruti Panwala and Rachel Humphrey who are in top leadership roles at AAHOA, the world’s largest hotel owners association read more
The post 245 | Win-Win: Women of AAHOA step up to the leadership plate first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
A new study by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org reveals that over the past five years Corporate America has made some progress in gender diversity, including increasing the number of women in leadership. Although that finding is promising, women remain underrepresented in business leadership across the board and continue to lack access to opportunities available read more
The post 244 | Missing Rungs: A slow climb for women in hospitality leadership first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The annual employee turnover rate in the U.S. hospitality industry is 70 percent. When compared with 10 to 25 percent at other industries, the rate at which people leave hospitality jobs is at a “disastrous level,” said one of the experts we interviewed about recruiting and retaining employees. In this episode of Lodging Leaders, we read more
The post 243 | Don’t Leave Me Now: How to reduce employee turnover first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Coworking is a primary growth driver of the office market, reports JLL. The sector has an annual growth rate of about 24 percent. No segment of the market has demonstrated more overall growth than the coworking industry. JLL’s report is focused on the office sector, but the commercial real estate asset class is crossing over read more
The post 242 | Desk Sets: Hoteliers capitalize on coworking trend first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
In the 19th and early-20th centuries, hotels in America offered more than room and board. They defined a community by attracting crowds to their lobbies and restaurants and establishing themselves as vital centers of civic life, writes A.K. Sandoval-Strausz, author of “Hotel: An American Story.” “Hotels,” writes Sandoval-Strausz, “were points of contact between local communities read more
The post 241 | Let’s Stay Together: New design concepts connect small-group travelers and local communities first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
The holiday season is upon us. For many hotels, regular business tends to drop off this time of year. Seasonality takes different forms and depends on several factors, including your hotel’s target market and its location. In this episode, we find out how hoteliers can leverage the traditional retail sales season as well as the read more
The post 240 | Room at The Inn: How hotels can avoid silent nights this holiday season first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Hotel industry analysts and watchers expect property renovations in the United States to surge over the next two years. They cite several reasons for the outlook, including: The industry has surpassed the peak of its recovery from the Great Recession; A slowdown in revenue growth is predicted for this year and next; The leveling off read more
The post 239 | Good As New: Surge in hotel renovations expected to boost business first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
STR recently reported the hotel construction pipeline for the U.S. was up 5.5 percent in October. It was the lowest year-over-year increase in lodging construction activity in six months. Despite the slowdown, construction companies say they are as busy as ever. However, they do anticipate a leveling off of new builds over the next couple read more
The post 238 | Reaching the Finish Line: Hotel construction companies hurdle project barriers first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
U.S.-China trade war. Design-savvy online furniture retailers. Hurricanes. Marijuana. These things and more are having an impact on hospitality purchasing. And they’re influencing the prices of hotel FF&E and OS&E as well as the cost of construction. In this episode of Lodging Leaders, we talk to specialists in procurement and logistics to find out the read more
The post 237 | Shop ’Til You Drop: Hospitality procurement specialists manage a mixed bag of challenges first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
It’s a given in today’s technological age that you operate a hotel business that depends on technology to process customer credit card purchases and to store personal information about your guests that helps you serve them better. In addition, you probably are aware of cybercrime and that nefarious hackers frequently target payment systems. You’ve done read more
The post 236 | Breach of Trust: Cybercrime a pervasive threat to the hospitality industry first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Taco Bell made headlines when it opened a 70-room pop-up hotel in August in Palm Springs, California. It was a marketing scheme that lasted four days. The day The Bell Hotel began to accept reservations, it sold out in two minutes. The guaranteed novelty of staying in a Taco Bell hotel obviously paid off for read more
The post 235 | Lodging Leaders Spotlight: Yotel a tech-forward brand worth watching first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Though average daily rate in U.S. hotels continues to grow year over year, hotel operators are not so eager to increase room prices these days. STR and Oxford Economics forecast ADR will increase by 1.9 percent this year and 2.2 percent in 2020. While an increase is usually viewed as a positive, the joy is read more
The post 234 | More for the Money: Upselling generates significant revenue gains for hotels first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
It’s often said the U.S. hotel industry is a street-corner business. With that point of view, it may not take much for a hotel operator to panic and set off a price war on your block. The industry fell victim to mindless discounting in the days immediately after 9/11 and during the depth of the read more
The post 233 | How Does Your Hotel Rate? Smart pricing strategies key to winning in a downturn first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
At the peak of a great upward climb from the Great Recession, the U.S. lodging industry is seeing a leveling off in business performance. During the 25th annual Lodging Conference in Phoenix last week, many industry experts talked about a new normal of muted revenue gains and thinner profit margins as expenses continue to grow. read more
The post 232 | Wage Pressures: How to plug cost leaks in your hotel’s labor pool (Labor and Hiring Part 2) first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Is your hotel a fun place to work? Do your employees look forward to spending their day at your hotel? If the answers are no, then your business is in trouble. Do you have difficulty keeping good employees? Do you see staff members whispering in huddled groups? Do you or your supervisors work behind closed read more
The post 231 | Culture Club: Your hotel’s work environment may be bad for business (Labor and Hiring Part 1) first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
More than 20 years ago, a team of hotel industry consultants and asset managers got together to figure out how much hotels in the U.S. spend each year on property improvements and maintenance. The idea was if owners and operators know in advance what it will cost to keep a hotel property up to date read more
The post 230 | Funding CapEx: New report tells what it takes for hotels to stay competitive first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
When Robb Monkman was a college student, he and his roommates were robbed at gunpoint. The home invasion and hostage taking rocked Monkman to his core and determined the course of his career. Monkman is founder and CEO of ReactMobile, which provides electronic security devices, or panic buttons, for businesses, including the hospitality industry. ReactMobile read more
The post 229 | Panic Buttons: Hospitality Workers Sound the Alarm (Hotel Safety Part 2) first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
“Active shooter” is a term used by law enforcement to describe a situation in which a shooting is in progress. The classification calls into action protocols relating to response and reaction – not only by police but also by citizens, says the FBI. In the case of an “active shooter,” everyone’s response and reaction can read more
The post 228 | Run, Hide, Fight: How to prepare for an active shooter (Hotel Safety Part 1) first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
When it launched five years ago, crowdfunding for real estate development was a hot topic, especially among hotel developers seeking new ways to pay for their projects. Though it’s not creating the same level of buzz as it did when it first became a federally sanctioned option in 2014, crowdfunding remains a viable tool in read more
The post 227 | Mass Appeal: Crowdfunding for hotel development mines new sources of cash first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Hotel developers and investors seeking new ideas might do well to remember history. More travelers today want an immersive experience not just in the places they visit but in the hotels in which they stay. And they’re willing to pay more for it. Historic hotels often give guests what they crave – a sense of read more
The post 226 | It’s a Long Story: Historic hotels gain new appreciation among travelers, brands first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. That career adage is about 100 years old, but it still rings true today, especially when it comes to social media. If you’re not tuned into social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, it’s time to reconsider. With more than 3 billion people read more
The post 225 | LinkedIn Means Business: How to use social media to grow first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Most people the world over think of the United States as a multicultural melting pot. We are still quintessentially American, but from north to south and east to west, our cities and outlying communities are dotted with districts defined by residents’ ethnicity and culture. Today, the more developed and culturally defined areas are attracting visitors read more
The post 224 | Mixed Message: Multicultural and heritage tourism is big business first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
“Equal opportunity for people of color in the United States remains an unrealized goal.” That is the opening statement in a recently released study by NAACP. The same opening statement appears in the organization’s 2012 report on diversity in the U.S. hotel industry. The 2019 study titled “Opportunity & Diversity Report Card: The Hotel & read more
The post 223 | Grading Curves: NAACP diversity report card reveals weaknesses in hotel companies first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Independent hotel supply in the U.S. has decreased in the past 10 years, reports STR. The lodging-data company reports independently owned and operated hotels account for less than 40 percent of all hotels. About 1 percent of those close each year. But that trend may take a turn. It appears more and more hoteliers who read more
The post 222 | Flying Solo: What it takes to go from franchised to independent first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Last week, part one of our report on Airbnb looked at the home-sharing giant’s impact on hotel business performance. We reported on a study that shows for every 100 percent increase in Airbnb accommodations in a market, hotel RevPAR declines by an average 3 percent. We also reported a growth in the number of whole read more
The post 221 | Home Sharing’s Heavy Hitters: Airbnb’s genius is branding (Part 2) first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
More than 10 years ago, the short-term home rental industry began to shapeshift with the birth of Airbnb. The technology company has quickly grown from a small peer-to-peer home-sharing platform into a virtual behemoth with more rooms than any hotel company on the planet. Today, Airbnb has more than 4 million listings in nearly 100,000 read more
The post 220 | Disruptive Innovator: Measuring Airbnb’s impact (Part 1) first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
It’s no secret the hospitality industry in America is in dire need of skilled employees. Many hotel owners and operators continually seek ways to attract and keep talent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the hospitality industry has a turnover rate of nearly 75 percent per year, compared to a healthy rate of 10 to read more
The post 219 | Train and Retain: Hospitality apprenticeship fills high-level jobs first appeared on Long Live Lodging.
Who invests money better, men or women?
Fidelity Investments found surprising answers to that question when it surveyed nearly 3,000 people. The group was almost evenly divided between the sexes. Yet only a tenth of women said their investments would outperform men’s.
Meantime, a separate analysis by Fidelity shows women consistently generated larger returns on their investments with the company.
And yet another Fidelity study reveals just a third of women surveyed see themselves as investors and barely one quarter of them say they are comfortable with their knowledge about investing.
Why DO women lack confidence in their ability to make wise investments?
The BIGGEST reason is because women are uninformed, and the reason women are uninformed is because they lack access to opportunities. Specifically, women don’t know how to meet the people and institutions that offer investment options beyond traditional savings methods. That is especially true in commercial real estate investment, and even more real in hotel investment.
In today’s episode, we focus on women steeped in hotel investment and talk about how they are changing the dynamic in favor of female investors. These women are committed to helping women build wealth through hotel ownership.
Featured are Mary Beth Cutshall, who recently founded Amara Capital, a women-only hotel investment platform; Talene Staab, global head of Tru by Hilton and founder of a new women’s advisory council; and Tracy Prigmore, founder of TLTsolutions, which is dedicated to educating women in the basics of real investment and teaching them how to steadily accumulate wealth.
Many hotel-business experts believe an industry downturn is at hand.
Some say it will happen as soon as next year. Others expect business to slow in 2021.
So, is the forecasted slowdown based on fact, an economic algorithm, or is it more of a gut feeling?
In this episode of Lodging Leaders we try to answer this question. We also find out what hotel owners should be doing today to prepare for a slowing of business tomorrow.
We talk to Mark Woodworth and Robert Mandelbaum, analysts with CBRE Hotels Americas Research; Paul Breslin of consulting firm Horwath HTL; and Susan Barry of Hive Marketing, who offers tips on how to get your hotel recession ready.
Wellness … However you define it, we all want it.
The hospitality industry is one of the business sectors where consumers of wellness seek it.
The Global Wellness Institute reports wellness tourism is a $640 billion industry. In North America alone, travelers made 204 million trips and spent $242 billion on wellness in 2017.
In today’s episode, Lodging Leaders explores the business of wellness in hospitality. We talk to Kristen Intress, a hospitality industry leader and founder of Fit Farm in Tennessee. We hear from Adam Glickman who helped InterContinental Hotels Group launch its wellness brand, EVEN Hotels, and now heads his own wellness-consulting venture called Parallax Hospitality. Also featured is Emlyn Brown, vice president of well-being for Accor Hotels, and Andrew Gibson, chairman of the Wellness Tourism Association.
If you think wellness is a high-falutin’, hoity-toity amenity only the rich can afford to seek out and enjoy, think again. Wellness is an emerging sector in hospitality, growing at 6.5 percent a year. The growth is spread across hotels of all price segments and guest demographics.
Wellness-minded travelers seek a path that not only introduces them to healthy concepts and choices, but allows them to return home feeling better than when they left.
If your hotel can live up to that promise, you can build a healthy bottom line.
When a hotel becomes a crime scene, there is little an owner or manager can do to ward off publicity.
But a hotel can recover from a crisis and save its image if it has a plan in place to deal with the aftermath of a high-profile incident.
Hotel crime has escalated around the world, and the U.S. is no exception.
Some U.S. hotels have been indelibly marked by crime. No matter if the hotel redesigns or even closes, the site is known forever for the high-profile incident.
In a few cases, owners have embraced the notoriety and actually made it work for their business.
In this episode we talk to Nancy Patel, who acquired a Texas hotel without knowing its infamy.
We also talk to Chris Daly, a hospitality PR expert who specializes in crisis communication, and with hotelier Imesh Vaidya who has been a spokesman for his city’s lodging community in the aftermath of hotel-related crimes.
Marijuana consumption in America has lost its stigma, and it is on track to become a $23 billion U.S. market over the next couple years.
Hotels in states that have legalized recreational and medicinal marijuana are just beginning to think about how to incorporate the trend into their businesses. The laws can be confusing. Cannabis use is not legal in every state. Each state where it is allowed has its own regulations. And marijuana use and distribution are still outlawed by the federal government.
But the landscape is rapidly evolving on many fronts. And hoteliers and hotel developers in legalized states are figuring out how to navigate and stake a claim in the new frontier of weed.
In this episode, we talk with two hoteliers who are invested in the market. Beej Das of Troca Hotels in Massachusetts has opened a boutique property to users, and Roger Bloss of Alternative Hospitality is developing a portfolio of cannabis friendly hotels – first in California and the next in Nevada.
We also talk with Kenny Dickerson, a builder who owns EcoMaster Corporation and a partner with Bloss in the California project.
For the businessmen, enabling customers to use marijuana is not about getting high, it’s about wellness – for their guests as well as their business’s bottom lines.
Harry Javer is founder of The Lodging Conference, one of the hospitality industry’s must-do events. This year, The Lodging Conference will mark its 25th anniversary.
Lodging Leaders talks with Harry about the genesis of The Lodging Conference, what it offers industry leaders, as well as newcomers to the hotel business, and how attendees can make any conference an experience worth the time and money.
This episode of Lodging Leaders explores why women in business often don’t negotiate and why they don’t win at the negotiating table as often as their male counterparts.
We identify some fundamental stumbling blocks and barriers to women’s ability to get what they want. And we offer experts’ advice on how to craft a negotiation strategy that works.
We talk to Nancy Medoff, a former leader in sales and marketing at Marriott International, and now founder of AthenaWise Strategic Solutions, a sales and marketing consulting firm. She is also on the faculty at the School of Hospitality Administration at Boston University.
We hear from Denise Reyes, a doctoral student at Rice University in Houston, who studies industrial and organizational psychology; and from Taylor Peyton, founder of Valencore Consulting. She is a professor at Boston University’s hospitality school, teaching leadership, organizational behavior and human resources.
Nashville, Tennessee, is home to the country’s first tri-branded Marriott hotel.
Developed by North Point Hospitality Group, the 470-room limited-service property consists of transient brands AC Hotel and SpringHill Suites, and Residence Inn, an extended-stay hotel.
Located in downtown’s SoBro neighborhood where government offices are located, the $140 million complex is also across from Music City Center, a six-year-old facility with more than 2 million square feet of event space. Since it opened, the hotel has been at near capacity every day.
In this episode, you’ll hear from executives and managers at North Point Hospitality and First Hospitality Group of Chicago, which each opened a tri-branded hotel in the past 12 months. They share the state of the tri-brand business so far, including some unforeseen challenges; how convention and tourism officials grasp the multi-flag concept; and how guests react when they realize there are three different hotels under one roof.
African American travel is a $63 billion industry.
That’s how much black leisure travelers generated for the U.S. travel and tourism economy in 2018, reports Mandala Research.
The December report is a follow-up to Mandala Research’s 2010 study on the same topic. The new information shows a $25 billion increase in travel spend by African Americans in the U.S. in less than a decade.
The researcher surveyed 1,700 African Americans and learned the majority travel for cultural enrichment, including heritage tours.
African Americans also frequently travel to attend family reunions in destination markets.
Understanding the dynamic of this travel demographic is key for those whose goal is to recruit more African Americans to invest in the U.S. hospitality industry, a $2.5 trillion sector.
Spotlighting business and career opportunities in the hotel industry is the sole focus of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners Operators and Developers or NABHOOD.
Lodging Leaders talks with Andy Ingraham, founder, president and CEO of NABHOOD about their upcoming conference, as well as the association’s goal to grow the level of investment by African Americans in the hospitality industry.
“These stories can only be told by us.”
Those words are written by Bharat Shah, an American hotelier and an immigrant from India, in his autobiography “America My Destiny.”
Bharat’s son, Mit, is founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, which has $3 billion of private equity invested in hotels throughout the country.
Together, father and son decided to share Bharat Shah’s story with the world. They did that in 2014, in front of a packed auditorium in the Rialto Theater on the campus of Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Since then, The Bharat Shah Leadership Speaker Series has grown into an endeavor that has introduced thousands of aspiring leaders to top executives in the U.S. hospitality industry: Chris Nassetta, Arne Sorenson, Tom Baltimore, Mark Elliott, and Mark Hoplamazian.
Mit shares the beginning of his storytelling journey and what he’s learned about business, leadership and himself while prepping for and conducting the interviews. We also feature segments of the recorded interviews with all of the guests.
Is your hotel’s website accessible to people with disabilities? If you don’t know the answer to that question, you’ll probably end up in court.
In this episode, we examine what’s behind the dramatic spike in website accessibility lawsuits being filed against businesses under the Americans with Disabilities Act. And why commercial enterprises found to be non-compliant are hit with tens of thousands of dollars in penalties. Experts we interviewed for this report say the reality is it’s only a matter of time before you get sued over your hotel website as drive-by litigation takes a back seat to surf-by lawsuits.
The good news is there are steps you can take to make your hotel website accessible to guests with disabilities and not only avoid your day in court but generate new business as well.
Almost two years ago, Trump Hotels introduced Chawla Hotels to the world as the first developers of the company’s new brands Scion and American Idea.
Though Trump Hotels in February announced it was pulling out of development deals in Cleveland and other nearby towns, the Trump effect will be more than a footnote in Mississippi’s history.
This report is an update of sorts as I featured interviews with Eric Danziger and Suresh Chawla in back-to-back episodes released on July 19 and July 26, 2017, just after the June announcement.
The federal government’s efforts to curb family migration to America is a key concern for many foreign-born residents in the U.S. and their children, including the Indian American community, which has used the method over the past 50 years to grow into an economic powerhouse of business owners, including their domination of the hotel industry.
In this episode, Judy Maxwell, co-host of Lodging Leaders, takes a look at immigration trends in the U.S. and proposed changes to federal law that would dramatically alter the way legal immigrants have been able to bring members of their families to America and to build businesses.
Today’s report takes a look at a newcomer to hotel fund raising – the Investing in Opportunity Act, and the capital pools and projects the federal law is generating.
While the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS are still working on the act’s punch list, many hotel developers and private equity groups are moving ahead to capitalize early on projects already breaking ground in designated opportunity zones.
In this episode, we hear from leadership at Peachtree Hotel Group of Atlanta, and a real estate attorney specializing in hotel development and opportunity zones. We also feature recorded interviews of the U.S. senators responsible for introducing the act.
This week, Lodging Leaders focuses on women in hospitality, and the long road ahead for those who want a lead role in the industry.
This week, Lodging Leaders focuses on the scourge of human trafficking and its impact on the U.S. travel industry, including hotels.
You’ll hear from … * Brad Myles, CEO of Polaris, operator of the National Human Trafficking Hotline * Ed Bastion, CEO of Delta Air Lines * Camila Wright Zolfaghari, vice president of policy at the trafficking-prevention group called Street Grace in metro-Atlanta * Megan Lundstrom, a survivor of sex trafficking, and founder of Free Our Girls in Denver, Colorado. * Vipul Dayal, hotelier, and charter member of the San Diego Hotel/Motel Human Trafficking Awareness Partnership Initiative
This week, Lodging Leaders focuses on Mitch Patel and his company, Vision Hospitality Group in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We will hear from Mitch about how he has remade Vision Hospitality Group to capture new segments of travelers and capitalize on new and emerging trends in guests’ needs, wants and expectations. We also hear from others involved in Vision Hospitality Group’s remake.
Judy Maxwell is a veteran news journalist of more than 30 years. She has been a staff writer and editor at newspapers in Pennsylvania and Georgia. Most of her career has been dedicated to covering business news and events. Over the past seven years, Judy has worked with Asian Media Group, publisher of Asian Hospitality, a B2B trade magazine that covers the hotel industry and caters to the Asian American hotel community. Judy was managing editor of AMG’s U.S.-based operations. While there she led the redesign and rebranding of the magazine and its daily news website. She launched a weekly e-newsletter and led the development of Priya, a magazine for entrepreneurial women. She also led special projects, such as leadership roundtables and supplemental reports on investment and development trends in the U.S. hotel industry.
During her career, Judy has won numerous awards for her reporting, including first-place recognition for investigative journalism from the Georgia Press Association; first-place for column writing from the Pennsylvania Publisher’s Association; and first-place for feature writing from the Associated Press Managing Editors.
She earned fellowships from the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism to study the U.S. and global economy, and most recently she received a certificate in multimedia storytelling from Poynter News University and Valdosta State University.
In this episode, Judy and I reveal … * Our vision for the new Lodging Leaders and what our followers can expect in the weeks to come.
Horst Schulze is Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Capella Hotel Group, and Co-founder & Former COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. Schulze is a legendary leader and global titan of business and the author of Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise (Zondervan/HarperCollins). His visionary and disruptive principles have reshaped the concepts of excellence, service, and competitive advantage, transcending divisions of industry across the business landscape.
In 2002, Schulze founded a second company, The Capella Hotel Group, raising the bar set at the Ritz-Carlton even higher to pioneer the first “ultraluxury” guest experience. Schulze is a highly sought after keynote speaker for numerous global businesses and organizations. He and his wife, Sheri, live in Atlanta, Georgia.
In This Episode, Horst reveals … * The history of Ritz Carlton, from the first hotel built in the late nineteenth century, to the formation of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC in 1983. * The powerful vision behind the iconic phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen”, a phrase Horst penned in an essay he wrote as a teenager. * The grander view customer service, whose role it is, and why it determines success. * His new book, Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise.
