Management companies don't always get top billing in deal conversations… but they should.

At The Lodging Conference, I sat down with Mark Crisci, Principal & Chief Investment Officer at Azul Hospitality, to dig into the real role management companies play in transactions—especially in a slow market.

Here's what stood out: 👉 With deal flow down, management changes are often triggered by lender involvement rather than new owners. 👉 Azul approaches every potential takeover carefully. If the current operator's performing well, they say so. If it's broken, they explain exactly how they'll fix it. 👉 Mark stressed the high stakes of inheriting someone else's problem without a smart strategy. 👉 Selectivity matters more than ever—Azul aligns only with ownership groups that share their philosophy. 👉 And on a personal note, Mark opened up about the two scariest moments of his career: the death of a mentor and leading through early COVID. Both tested him. Both made him stronger.

This conversation is a sharp reminder that operations drive performance, and choosing the right management partner can make or break a deal.

🙏 Thanks to our friends at Unifocus — technology that drives value and makes better workforce management possible. Learn more at Unifocus.com.