Mark Owens leads the hospitality practice group at Colliers International as Vice Chair, working across capital markets, debt advisory, structured finance, and joint venture equity for hotel owners navigating a market where operating performance and financing costs are pulling in opposite directions.

In this episode of Brand Insiders, Mark sits down with Adam Mogelonsky to unpack how the pandemic accelerated demand for experiential and lesser-known destinations, and why brands like Aman have proven the value of building where there is nothing else around. He talks through what RevPAR does and does not capture, how cap rates are behaving amid competing valuation pressures, and what owners need to understand before heading into a refinancing conversation. He also breaks down how ESG considerations, from green bonds to CPACE financing, are shaping real capital decisions rather than just brand positioning.

In this episode

• How Covid broadened institutional demand toward secondary markets with genuine experiential appeal
• Why RevPAR alone misses the resilience and positioning behind a hotel's rate
• What is driving the gap between recovered operating performance and reset capital costs
• Why refinancing today is a feasibility and lender appetite conversation, not just a rate conversation
• How green bonds and CPACE financing are changing the economics of certain hotel deals
• Why Owens sees ESG as fundamentally a capital story, not only a values story

A few lines from Mark

• "We span the gamut."
• "There are a number of markets that may have been thought of as second, third tier, that have unmatched beauty and aren't well known."
• "It is dollars and cents."

Guest: Mark Owens is Vice Chair and Leader of the Hospitality Practice Group at Colliers International, advising hotel owners on capital markets, debt structuring, and operational strategy.

Host: Adam Mogelonsky is a hospitality strategist, author, and partner at Hotel Mogel Consulting, focused on helping hotels build stronger brands and better guest experiences. 

Brand Insiders is a Hospitality Net original. The world of hotel brands is beautifully diverse and constantly evolving — varying by guest profile, scale, region, design, and heritage. Brand Insiders gives a voice to the innovative brands shaping that landscape, exploring what makes each one unique, how their operational playbooks generate returns for owners, and how they are meeting the evolving needs of modern travelers. New episode monthly.

Visit Hospitality Net: www.hospitalitynet.org

Explore the latest Hotel Yearbook: www.hotelyearbook.com

Follow Us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-net/

Yves Naman never set out to work in hospitality. A business school trip from Canada to Mexico left him struck by the country's creativity and its way of hosting, and ten years later that experience became Namron Hospitality, a boutique portfolio built on comfort, locally grounded design, and human connection rather than automation.

In this episode of Brand Insiders, Yves sits down with Adam Mogelonsky to trace Namron's growth from a single hotel in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood to a group nearing twenty properties across Mexico and Miami. He talks about why he rejects tech-driven hyper personalization in favor of listening and initiative, the origin story behind La Valise's bed that rolls onto the terrace, and why he insists on putting budget into the room rather than the lobby. He also gets into building through hurricanes and fire in Tulum, and why Namron has grown entirely debt-free.

In this episode

• Why Naman believes real personalization comes from relationship, not CRM-driven automation
• The story behind a guest's box of preserved green peppers, and what it says about genuine hospitality
• How operational hardship in Tulum, no electricity, water, or sewer, shaped Namron's clustering strategy
• Why the bed that rolls onto the terrace stayed deliberately unmotorized
• What resilience means after rebuilding from hurricanes and a fire across multiple properties
• Why Namron has grown with zero debt by reinvesting profits instead of chasing scale

A few lines from Yves

• "I do not believe that this personalization through technology is a real personalization."
• "The most important in hospitality is to be reliable."
• "We wanted the guests to not pay for the lobby, but pay for the room."

Guest: Yves Naman is the founder of Namron Hospitality, a boutique hotel group with properties across Mexico and Miami, including La Valise, Nest, and Xella. 

Host: Adam Mogelonsky is a hospitality strategist, author, and partner at Hotel Mogel Consulting, focused on helping hotels build stronger brands and better guest experiences. 

Brand Insiders is a Hospitality Net original. The world of hotel brands is beautifully diverse and constantly evolving — varying by guest profile, scale, region, design, and heritage. Brand Insiders gives a voice to the innovative brands shaping that landscape, exploring what makes each one unique, how their operational playbooks generate returns for owners, and how they are meeting the evolving needs of modern travelers. New episode monthly.

Visit Hospitality Net: www.hospitalitynet.org

Explore the latest Hotel Yearbook: www.hotelyearbook.com

Follow Us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-net/

Dean Winter runs Swire Hotels, the Hong Kong hospitality arm of a fifty-year-old property developer built around two brands, Upper House and EAST, and a philosophy he sums up in three words: houses, not hotels.

In this episode of Brand Insiders, Dean sits down with Adam Mogelonsky to explain how that philosophy shapes hiring, design, and service, starting with a decision to hire for attitude over ability and skip the standard fruit bowl in favor of knowing a guest actually likes cherries. He talks through the shift in Chinese domestic travel since Covid, why Swire has no fixed brand standards across its properties, and how EAST earns loyalty through community energy rather than corporate volume. He also lays out the Upper House pipeline through 2029 and where Swire sees its next markets.

In this episode

• Why Dean rejects scripted service in favor of trusting teams to keep things real
• How mainland Chinese demand at Upper House Hong Kong grew from five percent share to doubling yearly by 2015
• What "houses, not hotels" means in daily execution, from personalization to design freedom
• Why Swire's Chengdu restaurant earned a Michelin Green Star through years of sourcing and sustainability practices, not performance for inspectors
• Why EAST treats its 24-hour gyms as essential despite being a pure cost center
• Swire's Upper House pipeline through Shenzhen, Xi'an, and Tokyo, and why the name now extends to residences

A few lines from Dean

• "We embrace the fact that things are going to go wrong. It is really about how you recover and how you keep it real."
• "If we know you like cherries, we put cherries in the room."
• "It actually feels like your own home. It does not feel like a hotel."

Guest: Dean Winter is Managing Director of Swire Hotels, the hospitality subsidiary of Swire Properties, operating the Upper House and EAST brands across Hong Kong, mainland China, and beyond.

Host: Adam Mogelonsky is a hospitality strategist, author, and partner at Hotel Mogel Consulting, focused on helping hotels build stronger brands and better guest experiences.

Brand Insiders is a Hospitality Net original. The world of hotel brands is beautifully diverse and constantly evolving — varying by guest profile, scale, region, design, and heritage. Brand Insiders gives a voice to the innovative brands shaping that landscape, exploring what makes each one unique, how their operational playbooks generate returns for owners, and how they are meeting the evolving needs of modern travelers. New episode monthly.

Visit Hospitality Net: www.hospitalitynet.org

Explore the latest Hotel Yearbook: www.hotelyearbook.com

Follow Us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-net/

Gordon Gurnik runs day-to-day operations at Hilton Grand Vacations as COO, a standalone public company closely affiliated with Hilton Worldwide that now serves over 720,000 members across more than 200 properties, making it the world's largest timeshare company.

In this episode of Brand Insiders, Gordon sits down with Adam Mogelonsky to talk about how Hilton Grand Vacations is moving past accommodations alone, into private concerts, bespoke dinners, and exclusive event access for members. He explains how the pandemic pushed the company toward more drive-to and regional destinations alongside its urban resorts, and how proprietary AI tools and deeper Hilton Honors integration are reshaping vacation planning. He also looks ahead to new properties in Kyoto and Waikiki, and growth opportunities in branded residences and fractional ownership.

In this episode

• How Hilton Grand Vacations operates as a standalone public company while staying closely tied to Hilton Worldwide
• Why the pandemic shifted network expansion toward regional and drive-to destinations
• How proprietary AI tools and Hilton Honors integration are changing the vacation planning experience
• What member engagement looks like beyond the room, from private concerts to bespoke dining
• Why employee investment and reduced turnover are central to maintaining service standards
• Where Hilton Grand Vacations sees the next phase of growth, including branded residences and fractional ownership

Guest: Gordon Gurnik is COO of Hilton Grand Vacations, the world's largest timeshare company, managing over 720,000 members across more than 200 properties worldwide.

Host: Adam Mogelonsky is a hospitality strategist, author, and partner at Hotel Mogel Consulting, focused on helping hotels build stronger brands and better guest experiences.

Brand Insiders is a Hospitality Net original. The world of hotel brands is beautifully diverse and constantly evolving — varying by guest profile, scale, region, design, and heritage. Brand Insiders gives a voice to the innovative brands shaping that landscape, exploring what makes each one unique, how their operational playbooks generate returns for owners, and how they are meeting the evolving needs of modern travelers.

Visit Hospitality Net: www.hospitalitynet.org

Explore the latest Hotel Yearbook: www.hotelyearbook.com

Follow Us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-net/

Chris Norton runs Equinox Hotels as CEO, building the brand's first property in New York around a single conviction: health is the new wealth, and a new generation of travelers wants hotels built for longevity and vitality, not just comfort.

In this episode of Brand Insiders, Chris sits down with Adam Mogelonsky to walk through the science behind Equinox's design choices, from sleep-optimized rooms developed with specialist input to custom HVAC systems engineered to run silently through the night. He talks about how the brand's fitness clubs merge with hospitality to build communities around movement, nutrition, and connection, and why staff wellbeing, down to ergonomic uniforms and smarter workflows, directly shapes the guest experience. He also outlines Equinox's expansion plans across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East.

In this episode

• Why Norton believes health has become the defining marker of modern luxury
• How sleep science shaped everything from mattress selection to HVAC engineering
• What it means to merge the vitality of Equinox fitness clubs with a hospitality model
• How the spa integrates the latest in welltech alongside the in-room sleep experience
• Why staff wellbeing, from uniforms to workflow design, creates a halo effect on guest experience
• Where Equinox Hotels is expanding next across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East

Guest: Christopher Norton is CEO of Equinox Hotels, a brand built on health, wellness, and high-performance living, with its first property open in New York.

Host: Adam Mogelonsky is a hospitality strategist, author, and partner at Hotel Mogel Consulting, focused on helping hotels build stronger brands and better guest experiences.

Brand Insiders is a Hospitality Net original. The world of hotel brands is beautifully diverse and constantly evolving — varying by guest profile, scale, region, design, and heritage. Brand Insiders gives a voice to the innovative brands shaping that landscape, exploring what makes each one unique, how their operational playbooks generate returns for owners, and how they are meeting the evolving needs of modern travelers.

Visit Hospitality Net: www.hospitalitynet.org

Explore the latest Hotel Yearbook: www.hotelyearbook.com

Follow Us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-net/

Ori Kafri represents J.K. Place, a family-founded boutique brand that defines boutique not through design trends but through personal, tailor-made hospitality across three intimate properties in Capri, Rome, and Paris, each averaging around 30 rooms, with Milan next.

In this episode of Brand Insiders, Ori sits down with Adam Mogelonsky to trace J.K. Place back to an eight-room guesthouse in Amsterdam, where a host offering tea and conversation without expectation became the model for everything the brand does today. He talks about why J.K. Place sees itself as the tailor-made suit against larger chains built like fashion houses, why the brand has grown slowly and organically since its first hotel opened in Florence in 2003, and why staying small remains a deliberate choice rather than a limitation. He also explains his ambition for J.K. to become its own category, recognized the way Aman is, rather than filed under boutique.

In this episode

• Why Kafri defines boutique through personal connection rather than design or scale
• The Amsterdam guesthouse story that shaped J.K. Place's philosophy of generosity
• Why a simple gesture like offering coffee on arrival captures the brand's idea of luxury
• How J.K. Place grew from a 20-room Florence townhouse hotel with no prior hotel experience
• Why word of mouth remains the brand's strongest marketing tool
• What it means for Kafri to want J.K. Place to become its own category, like Aman

Guest: Ori Kafri represents J.K. Place, a family-founded boutique hotel brand with properties in Capri, Rome, and Paris, and a new opening planned in Milan.

Host: Adam Mogelonsky is a hospitality strategist, author, and partner at Hotel Mogel Consulting, focused on helping hotels build stronger brands and better guest experiences.

Brand Insiders is a Hospitality Net original. The world of hotel brands is beautifully diverse and constantly evolving — varying by guest profile, scale, region, design, and heritage. Brand Insiders gives a voice to the innovative brands shaping that landscape, exploring what makes each one unique, how their operational playbooks generate returns for owners, and how they are meeting the evolving needs of modern travelers. New episode monthly.

Visit Hospitality Net: www.hospitalitynet.org

Explore the latest Hotel Yearbook: www.hotelyearbook.com

Follow Us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-net/

Niko Karstikko co-founded Bob W after running into the same frustrations most travelers know from short-term rentals: no standardization, no trust, and inconsistent quality from one listing to the next. Founded in 2017-2018, Bob W set out to combine hotel-level consistency with the local, affordable feel of a short stay rental, and has since grown to 19 cities across 11 European countries.

In this episode of Brand Insiders, Niko sits down with Adam Mogelonsky to explain how Bob W built its own technology stack to solve the trust and standardization problems he saw firsthand, from app-enabled self-service amenities to automated guest and operational tools. He talks through how the company serves corporate and need-based travelers with an average stay of four nights, and why sustainability, down to circular economy furniture and apartment-level emissions reporting, is treated as a core brand pillar rather than a marketing layer. He also outlines Bob W's ambitions for further European and eventual global expansion.

In this episode

• How personal frustration with short-term rentals shaped Bob W's founding problem statement
• Why Bob W built its own tech stack instead of relying on existing property management tools
• How the company blends hotel consistency with the local feel of short-stay rentals
• What "most honest player in hospitality" means in terms of sustainability reporting
• Why corporate and need-based travelers make up a key part of Bob W's guest mix
• Where Bob W sees the next phase of growth across Europe and beyond

Guest: Niko Karstikko is Co-Founder and Group CEO of Bob W, a hospitality company operating tech-enabled short-stay apartments across 19 cities in 11 European countries.

Host: Adam Mogelonsky is a hospitality strategist, author, and partner at Hotel Mogel Consulting, focused on helping hotels build stronger brands and better guest experiences.

Brand Insiders is a Hospitality Net original. The world of hotel brands is beautifully diverse and constantly evolving — varying by guest profile, scale, region, design, and heritage. Brand Insiders gives a voice to the innovative brands shaping that landscape, exploring what makes each one unique, how their operational playbooks generate returns for owners, and how they are meeting the evolving needs of modern travelers. New episode monthly.

Visit Hospitality Net: www.hospitalitynet.org

Explore the latest Hotel Yearbook: www.hotelyearbook.com

Follow Us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-net/