Lodging Leaders

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. Resources and Links Paul Breslin with Horwath HTL Mark Woodworth and Robert Mandelbaum with CBRE Hotels Americas Research Susan Barry, founder and CEO of Hive Marketing

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. Resources and Links Kristen Intress, founder and CEO of Fit Farm Andrew Gibson, chair of the Wellness Tourism Association Emlyn Brown, vice president of wellness at Accor Hotels Adam Glickman, founder of Parallax Hospitality

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 read more

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. Resources and Links Knights Inn Corpus Christi at Navigation Boulevard Daly Gray Inc. PR firm Premier Hospitality

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, read more

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. Resources and Links Troca Hotels Stonehedge Hotel & Spa MJ Holdings Inc. Coachillin’ Cana Business Park

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 read more

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. Resources and Links Vanessa Van Edward, Science of People The Lodging Conference

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 read more

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. Resources and Links 4 Key Strategies Women Need To Negotiate A Higher Salary, Kim Elsesser, Forbes, April 24, 2018. Women and Negotiation: Narrowing the Gender Gap in Negotiation, Katie Shonk, Harvard Law School, Program on Negotiation, April 16, 2019. Free report on salary negotiations from Harvard Law School. Women Don’t Ask, by Laura Babcock and Sara Laschever; Publisher: Bantam Sheryl Sandberg’s Best Negotiating Advice for Women, article and video, by Jessica Stillman, Inc., Oct. 24, 2017.

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 read more

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. Resources and Links North Point Hospitality Group Marriott tri-brand website First Hospitality Group Dual Branding: A case study of Wyndham Video: Bill Duncan, Hilton all-suites division, at Chicago opening, Asian Hospitality

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 read more

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. Resources and Links Andy Ingraham on LinkedIn * For information about NABHOOD and its upcoming conference July 24-26 in Miami, click here. * For information about the International Multicultural & Heritage Tourism Network and its summit that immediately follows NABHOOD’s event in Miami, click here. * In addition, the Latino Hotel Association’s convention takes place earlier that week in Miami. For information, click here.

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 read more