Lodging Leaders

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.