Lodging Leaders

The coronavirus crisis has altered the business models of many hotels. For that reason, the pandemic also is forcing hotel managers to reconsider their competitive sets and how to benchmark their hotel’s business performance. Episode 315 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the genesis of the hotel industry comp set and how the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the strategic business tool.

The U.S. hotel industry has seen rates decline over the past 12 months, but the numbers may not be telling the whole story. Industry rate watchers as well as asset managers Lodging Leaders interviewed say, for the most part, hotel owners and operators are being smart about pricing while other pandemic-related factors are skewing rate metrics.

Episode 314 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores what is truly impacting hotel pricing during the coronavirus crisis.

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 Episode 313 of Lodging Leaders podcast, Vlasic tells the story of his career journey and what it will take to revive the industry post-pandemic.

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.

Episode 312 of Lodging Leader podcast 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.

As hospitals throughout the U.S. turned to hotels to absorb patient overflows caused by the coronavirus pandemic and public agencies contracted with properties to house unsheltered populations, many owners weren’t prepared for the challenges these urgent decisions have created, including property damage, increased costs and eviction bans.

Episode 311 of Lodging Leaders podcast is the final in a two-part series examining the pros and cons of opening hotels to alternative uses amid the coronavirus crisis.

Though the hotel transaction pace has slowed during the coronavirus pandemic, an influx of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal pandemic-relief money boosted by state and local government grants is fueling the sale of lodging assets to affordable-housing developers.

Episode 310 of Lodging Leaders podcast is the first of a two-part series examining what it takes to convert a hotel into long-term housing.

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. 

Although most hotels in the U.S. have remained open since the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, many guests are traveling for the first time in months. Hotel staff are tasked with helping guests navigate a whole new world while easing their fears of contracting COVID-19.

Episode 308 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores how Crestline Hotels & Resorts, winner of J.D. Power’s inaugural Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark report, is keeping customer satisfaction at an all-time high in a challenging business environment.