How can investors gain a competitive edge when seeking deals in the hospitality sector? How can hotels use AI to improve the guest experience? And how can hospitality operators use AI to run hotels more efficiently? AFIRE CEO Gunnar Branson explores the topic with the co-founder and managing partner of AWH Partners, Russ Flicker, about how his $2 billion hospitality platform leverages proprietary data and AI to make smarter decisions. When used correctly, Flicker says, AI can help investors to focus on the right deals, optimize operations, and enhance the guest experience. The idea is to turn information into actionable insight and competitive advantage.

LINKS

Visit the AWH Partners website

https://www.awhpartners.com/

To hear the globe’s top experts discuss opportunities in US property markets, register for future AFIRE conferences:

Summer Conference 2026 in Tokyo

https://www.afire.org/events/tokyo26/

KEY MOMENTS

00:00 Introduction

00:57 Russ Flicker on AWH Partners

01:45 AI and data-driven hospitality investing

02:56 Submarket focus vs. traditional comp sets

05:00 Evaluating hotel metrics and amenities

06:33 Balancing gut instinct and data

09:14 Building a data-first culture

12:28 Hospitality market trends

15:05 Transaction constraints and rising costs

16:59 AI for deal focus and operational efficiency

18:22 AI in revenue and guest experience

21:36 Understanding customer behavior

24:40 Privacy, data protection, and AI tools

27:45 Future outlook for hospitality

29:43 Closing remarks