Lodging Leaders

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.

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. Episode 317 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the state of the small-meetings sector and how hotels should prepare to act quickly to grab their share of business.

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.