Podcasts about lodging association

For most of my career, I've been focused on two things: Operating businesses and Multifamily real estate. The strategy has been pretty simple. Take money generated from higher-risk, active businesses… and move it into more stable, long-term assets like apartment buildings. That shift—from risk to stability—is how I've tried to build durability over time. Now, to be fair, the sharp rise in interest rates a few years ago put a dent in that model. But zooming out, it's still worked well for me overall. So I'm sticking with it. That said, there are other ways to think about real estate. In some cases, the real opportunity is when you combine real estate with an operating business. We've done that before in the Wealth Formula Investor Club with self-storage, and the results were excellent. Storage is operationally simple, relatively boring—and that's exactly why it works. But there's another category that sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. Hotels. They're sexier.They're more volatile.And yes—they're riskier. But the upside can be dramatically higher. One of my closest friends here in Montecito has quietly built a fortune doing boutique hotels over the past few years. He started with a no-frills hotel in Texas serving the oil drilling industry. Over time, he combined his operational experience with his talent as a designer—and eventually created some of the highest-rated boutique hotels in the world. He's absolutely crushing it. Of course, most of us aren't world-class designers or architects. I'm certainly not. Still, his success made me curious. Hotels have been on my radar for a while now—not because I understand the business, but because I don't. When I asked him how he learned the hotel industry, his answer was honest: “I figured it out on the fly—starting with my first acquisition and a great broker.” That's usually how real learning happens. So this week on the Wealth Formula Podcast, I brought on an expert in hospitality investing to educate both of us. We cover the basics: How hotel investing actually worksWhere the real risks are (and where they aren't)How returns differ from multifamilyAnd what someone should understand before ever touching their first hotel deal If you've ever thought about buying or investing in hotels—but didn't know where to start—welcome to the club. You don't have to jump in tomorrow. But you do have to start somewhere. This episode is a good starting point. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/545-should-you-invest-in-hotels/id718416620?i=1000748759003 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Lx5Rp4x704lWRazWLqDOK Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GMFf6-g8w_0 Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at phil@wealthformula.com. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast coming to you from Montecito, California. Before we begin today, I wanna remind you, if you’ve not done so and you are an accredited investor, go to wealthformula.com, sign up for our investor club. Uh, the opportunity there is really to see private deal flow that you wouldn’t otherwise see because it can’t be advertised. And, uh, only available to those people who are deemed accredited. And then what does accredited mean as a reminder? Well, if you’re married, you make $300,000 per year combined for at least two years with a reasonable expectation, continue to do so, or you have a net worth of a million dollars outside of your personal residence. Or if you’re single like me, $200,000 per year or a million dollars net worth. Anyway, that’s probably, uh, most of you. So all you gotta do is go to wealth formula.com, sign up for investor club because hey, who doesn’t wanna be part of a club? And, uh, by the way, it’s a great price. It’s free. So join it. Just get onboarded and all you gotta do is just wait for deal flow. What a deal. Now let’s talk about different kinds of things to invest in. For most of my career, I, I have really focused on two things I’ve focused on. Either operating businesses, uh, in my case, those operating businesses largely have been medical and multifamily real estate. Uh, the strategy itself, theoretically the way I think about it, take money from sort of these active businesses, a higher risk, move them into more stable long-term assets like apartment buildings. Okay? The idea is that’s how you build some durability over time. Now, to be fair, okay, to be fair. Sharp rise in interest rates a few years ago. Put a little bit of a dent in that model. But here’s the thing is that you can’t throw out the, uh, baby with the bath water. ’cause when I zoom out, still worked well for me overall. So I’m sticking with it and, uh, that’s my story. I’m sticking with it. That said, there are always other ways to think about real estate, right? Real estate is not just multifamily. Um, in some cases, the real opportunity is when you combine real estate and operating businesses. So. We’ve actually done that before in our wealth formula investor club. Um, and we’ve done that through self-storage, for example, and the results were really good. Storage is operationally, generally pretty simple. Probably not that simple, but you know, but more so than other things, relatively boring. Boring is good, and that’s exactly why it works. There’s another category that sits at the opposite end of the spectrum of boring, and it’s sexier and it’s more volatile and it’s riskier. And uh, that is the area of hotels, right, like leisure, that kind of thing. But the upside in those things can be dramatically higher. You know, one of my closest friends here. Montecito, I talk about him all the time. He’s a, he is a little bit of an inspiration to me, although I wouldn’t tell that to in space. He’s built a fortune doing boutique hotels over the past few years and the way he started, you know, and I think it was only about a decade ago because he bought like this no frills hotel in Texas that was serving the oil industry. There was a bunch of guys, you know, drilling needed a place to say, and you know, he had this and he actually. I don’t know that I would recommend this, but he, he told me he bought it sight unseen just based on the numbers. Ah, man, I gotta tell you, I don’t think I’m that lucky. If I bought something sight unseen, it would not work great for me, but it did work great for him. But over time, what he did is he, he combined his operational experience with his talent as he’s like a designer, like designs, homes, an architect, uh, of sorts, although more than that. Um, and he, he used to build houses for like famous people in Hollywood. Anyway, he took that skill and so he combined it with hotels and he created some of the highest rated boutique hotels in the world. And he’s absolutely crushing it. Just crushing it. Of course, the reality is that most of us aren’t world-class designers or architects. I’m certainly not. I’m not artistic at all. Still, um, you know, the fact that he’s had so much success in this space and that he loves hotels. What got me curious? So, hotels have been on my radar for a while, not because I understand the business, but actually because I don’t. And when I asked him how he learned, uh, about the hotel industry, he just said, you know, I figured out on the fly and, uh, you know, started with my first acquisition, had a great broker who taught me everything I, you know, needed to know at the beginning and. That’s a great story. I mean, and ideally that’s how things happen. As you can tell, this guy is, uh, seems to just hit on everything. So good for him. So this week on Wealth Formula Podcast, I wanted to get a little bit of a hotel investing 1 0 1. So I brought on an expert in hospitality investing that could educate both you and me. So we’re gonna cover some of the basics, how hotel actually works, you know, what are the risks returns. Like, what should people do if they even consider, you know, buying their first hotel or investing in one? So if you’ve ever thought about investing, uh, in hotels, or maybe that’s the first time you’re hearing about it and you’re curious, uh, welcome to the club and uh, we will have a great interview for you right after these messages. Wealth formula banking is an ingenious concept powered by whole life insurance, but instead of acting just as a safety net, the strategy supercharges your investments. First, you create a personal financial reservoir that grows at a compounding interest rate much higher than any bank savings account. As your money accumulates, you borrow from your own. Bank to invest in other cash flowing investments. Here’s the key. Even though you’ve borrowed money at a simple interest rate, your insurance company keeps paying you compound interest on that money even though you’ve borrowed it. At result, you make money in two places at the same time. That’s why your investments get supercharged. This isn’t a new technique. It’s a refined strategy used by some of the wealthiest families in history, and it uses century old rock solid insurance companies as its backbone. Turbocharge your investments. Visit Wealth formula banking.com. Again, that’s wealth formula banking.com. Welcome back to the show, everyone. Today. My guest on Wealth Farm I podcast is, uh, John O’Neill. He’s a, a professor of hospitality management and director of the Hospitality Real Estate Strategy Group at Pennsylvania State University. Uh, he spent decades studying hotel valuation performance, Cabo flows and economic cycles in in the lodging industry. John, thanks for, uh, joining us. You’re welcome. So, you know, we’re talking offline. You’ve been in the hotel business for a long time. We’re trying to figure out how to frame this thing because you know, I mean there are, I know there are certainly people in. Uh, who in, in my group and my listeners, my community who are in the hotel space, but a lot of ’em aren’t. And you know, they’ve been thinking about, well, you know, we do a lot of apartment buildings, that kind of thing. Um, you know, what else should we be thinking about? And so, you know, when we hear, uh, hotel, um, they’re thinking of hospitality. But from an investor’s perspective, I guess the first question ask is what kind of real estate asset is a hotel? And, and may, may maybe just sort of fundamentally how different it is. From apartments office or retail? Yeah, that’s a great question because hotels are fundamentally different. But what I’ve seen over the past few years as well is hotels have increasingly been considered to be a component of commercial real estate. So we’ve always thought about office and retail and residential and industrial as being components of commercial real estate, but increasingly. Investors are thinking about hotels that way as well, because some of the high risk aspects of hotels have been moderated a little bit. So they are still considered to be a high risk and potentially high reward category, but they’re much more cyclical than those other types of businesses. So if we look at apartment leases, maybe being a year or two. Office leases may be being three to five years and retail leases could be five or 10 years. The leases in hotels are one or two nights, so there’s upside, but there’s risk involved in that as well. So when there’s pressure in a market to increase rates, like here where I am in University Park, Pennsylvania, when we have a home football game. We can see hotels with average daily rates of maybe a hundred to $200 a night charging seven, eight, $900 per night, and filling up on those rates. You can’t do that in an office building or in a retail center. And so there’s great opportunity when demand increases to push up rates and to greatly benefit from that. The flip side of courses on Sunday night when all those guests leave. You might be back to a hundred dollars a night and running 20 or 30% occupancy. Do hotels kind of follow the rest of real estate in terms of market cycles though? Yeah, it depends. I, I would say in many cases they’re actually leaders, which again, double-edged sword there. So for, yeah, when we plummeted in 2020 because of COVID hotels were probably the first category really to see it. Demand dried up overnight, and you go back to September 11th, 2001 on September 12th, 2001, a lot of hotels were empty and that wasn’t the case with office buildings and retail centers. The flip side, of course, is when the economy started improving, hotel operators could start pushing their rates very quickly. And so other categories of commercial real estate didn’t receive those benefits. Yeah, I mean, obviously there’s certainly gonna be. Real estate that’s often used that that’s often using debt and, you know, probably has the same sort of, uh, issues with regard to cap rate compression or decompression based on interest rates as well. Right, right. So, um, where are we? Right? What would you say right now, like, I mean, we know that. Our, we’ve been following very closely on the multifamily side. You know, prices are depressed. I mean, from 2022, we’re looking at probably 30% to 40%. Most, most, uh, large apartment complexes are not moving because people don’t wanna sell into a down market. But when they are, they’re being sold at 30, 40% discounts compared to 2022. Where is the, where is the hotel? Market at right now? It it, it’s challenged because right now we’re seeing discrepancies between where buyers wanna buy and sellers wanna sell. We’ve started to see some movement because some sellers have come down a bit in pricing because of what we’ve seen in 2025, the market really did soften as far as the hotel business is concerned. So in 2025. We really saw no increase in occupancy and in many markets we saw some decreases in occupancy. We are still seeing average daily rates going up a little bit, so yeah. Might be worth maybe a quick step backward that the two key indicators in terms of hotel lodging performance would be occupancy and average daily rate. With occupancy being the extent to which the guest rooms are occupied and average daily rate being the average price somebody is paying. We can talk about the mathematics of those, but, um, just I think conceptually, hopefully that makes sense. But, so, you know, at this point what we’re seeing is average daily rates are still going up a little bit, and the forecasts for 2026 are. Pretty much more of the same, where we’re not expected to see great occupancy increases, but we are anticipating that the average daily rates might go up a little bit. Uh, and, and in fact we might see occupancies decline slightly. And, uh, we might see, uh, average daily rates still possibly going up a little bit. That’s usually an indicator of being late in the cycle, you know, being somewhere near the peak and, and, you know, if the trough was 2020. Which was a pretty deep trough. 2021, we started seeing improvements and we saw great improvements in 22, 23, and 24, and so it’s looking like the end of a cycle. The thing we don’t really know for sure is, is there some reason that we’re going to really go into a substantial down period or are we actually in a situation where we’re going to have another upcycle? Yeah. You know, the other thing I was curious about too, like when you talk about these cycles for hotels, even within hotels, there are certainly, you know, different types of hotels. You know, there’s the boutiquey ones that are pe really pure tourism versus the ones that, okay, well maybe they are, you know, good for football games or. There’s others that are people use for, for, for work frequently, right? They’re, they’re just passing through for, for work trips. Do you, is there, um, is that difficult to extricate those types of different economies running at the same time? It’s not, I, I don’t know that it’s that difficult, you know, just to give you a little bit about my background, I’ve been a professor for some time, but prior to being a professor I worked for. Three of the four major hospitality organizations, namely Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt. Uh, and so going back into the 1980s when I was doing feasibility studies for proposed Marriott hotels, we, in most markets, analyzed three markets segments. And, and you essentially said what they are commercial business, which are your business travelers, leisure business, which are your pleasure travelers, and then groups, which includes conventions and, and those are still the three major market segments in most markets. In, in some markets. For example, if you’re approximate to a major international airport, there’s usually a fourth segment, which is that fourth segment is airline crew business, which is, is very different than the other three because. Whereas the other three go up and down throughout, not just the year, but throughout the week. Airline crew business tends to be stable throughout the year, so it, it, it’s in your hotel 365 nights outta the year. So it’s, it’s a very low risk, but also a very low rated market segment. So it, I don’t know if that’s that complicated, but it just needs to be broken out as you delineated it, which is that there’s. Three or four market segments in any market. And in terms of studying a hotel for development or for investment, it’s necessary to understand not just what’s going on on the supply side, in other words what’s going on in the hotels, but what’s going on in the demand side as well. So give you an example. I recently did a feasibility study in a market, which is a big pharmaceutical market. So I actually spent time with major pharmaceutical people talking about, where are you staying now? Why are you staying there? Are you a member of the Frequent traveler program? How does your business vary throughout the year? What rates are you paying? What facilities and amenities are you seeking? And things like that. So to really understand the demand because that demand segment. So important in that market. So it is ultimately a street corner business and what’s going on in a specific market in terms of the mix of commercial, leisure and group business and possibly other market segments. Really is something that we have to study in depth when we conduct a feasibility study or an appraisal for hotel. I, I don’t know if I mentioned, I’m a licensed real estate appraiser too, and although my licenses allow me to appraise any type of property, I only appraise hotels. Got it. Businesses fundamentally changed pre COVID and post COVID. I would assume that there’s probably less travel. Are you seeing impact? On those types of hotels from that kind of, you know, less travel, more zoom type activity. Yeah. And, and that’s a great, that’s a great follow up because with those market segments, although the segments are the same. The demand from each of those segments really has different, and, and as you said, it really changed substantially in COVID. It, it, it’s fascinating how once we were forced to use Zoom and, and other, you know, Microsoft teams and other technology like that, you know, we, we kind of did a kicking and screaming. But once we figured it out, we realized we didn’t get a lot done. Uh, now I spent last week in Los Angeles at America’s Lodging Investment Summit, and I go to this. Function every year, because I see many of the same people year after year, and the business cards might change, but it’s the same people involved in the hotel business, whether they’re brokers or investors or asset managers or consultants or appraisers. But in between. Each year I do a lot on Zoom with these people and you know, we can keep those relationships going. So it hasn’t eliminated, you know, in my personal case, my need to travel, but it has substantially reduced it. And I think a lot of other business people have seen the same thing. So if we look at the recovery since COVID, it was fascinating because the first market segment that recovered and recovered really strongly was leisure business and people, people see it as their right. To have a vacation and, and people were paying high rates, particularly in, in, in mountain locations and in beach locations. And so those rates came up really quickly. And then the group business followed. If people do wanna go to group functions like I did last week in la what has not recovered to the level of 2019 though is the business travel. Right. Interesting. So I, that’s probably a, uh, you know, and he, I can’t really see a particularly promising future for that Subsect either. Right. I think, in fact, bill Gates said it’s never going to be back to the, you know, he, he’s an investor in Four Seasons hotels, and he said it’ll never be back to the way it was in 2019. I don’t know if he’s right. I mean, because I, I still feel like we get a lot of things done. Face-to-face, person to person that we really can’t do in Zoom. I don’t think Zoom is great for establishing relationships. I, I still think that we need face-to-face, uh, personal contact. But, you know, that might be just my perspective because I’ve been working in hotels since I was a teenager and I’m really far from being a teenager now. And, you know, I, I’ve been indoctrinated in this philosophy of the importance of face-to-face contact. But yeah, you know, that might be generational. You with a younger generation. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, just kind of going back to the difference differences, uh, with compared to other real estate hotels, ultimately the, one of the big differences, they’re operating businesses, right? I mean, they’re not that large. Apartment buildings aren’t, but they’re is I think, a specific sort of operational execution that matters a lot in hotels. So, you know, in invest, when investors are kinda looking at that, I mean, they, they should probably be not looking at it as nearly as passive as other real estate investments. Is that fair? I, I think that’s very fair because I think, you know, it, it shows what’s happened in terms of the market with real estate investment trust. Because I’ve sold my entire position in hotel real estate investment trust and, and as you probably know, if we look at real estate investment trust. Different categories in, in commercial real estate, hotels lag, which is fascinating because everything else we’ve been talking about explains why hotel returns tend to outperform other classes of commercial real estate. More volatility, but higher returns on average. If you can withstand the long period, uh, that you need to be an investor. On real estate investment trust, it’s the opposite. Hotels actually lag and, and I think it really is because of exactly what you’re talking about, which is that they really are like an operating business where there’s also real estate as opposed to a real estate play where it’s almost like there’s an annuity of rent that is very easily projected, uh, in hotels. You know, we, we. Project all the time how they’re going to perform. But you know, you know, I hope my projections are very good, but there’s always things that can COVID. For example, you know, now there’s a virus in, in India that you know might be coming and, you know, we don’t know, will this be substantial or will it be really minor in the Americas? We really don’t know. Uh, that won’t have a big effect on, on other classes of real estate investment trust, but. It could have a big effect in hotels, so, so the unknowns in hotels are very high. And then when you combine that with the fact that they are an operating business, which are very labor intensive and wage rates are going up. So the cost structure and the management of that cost structure becomes. Very important and the expertise of the hotel managers becomes very important. And so, yeah, like you say, other classes of commercial real estate or, or institutional real estate investments have an operational component. It’s much greater when it comes to hotels. So I actually have a friend who’s an, um, owns, uh, a few boutique hotels here in, in California, and he was telling me one of the things that he’s kind of worried about is, um, you know, they, they’re, they have some, um. Some mandates coming up with regard to, you know, minimum wage and, and all these things that, uh, hotel workers have to get, uh, give you just outta curiosity. I mean, most of my audience is not in California. I am, but have you heard about this? Can you tell us a little bit about those pressures? Yeah, I have heard about it. And there’s, there’s forces on the other side as well, namely the American Hotel and Lodging Association, which represents hotel owners, managers, and franchisers. And so they have a voice in these things as well. But the, the, the forest, particularly in places like California and, and in the west coast in general, we’ve seen it in Seattle as well. Um, you know, in, in terms of increasing minimum wages to rates that, that are shocking to me. Um, you know, that’s, that’s a big issue. You know, you don’t see it as much in the middle of the country, but you do see it on the coast and particularly in the, on the West Coast. So, you know, if we’re looking at projections, say into 2026 and, and perhaps beyond, we expect in many cases to be seeing higher growth in wage expenses than we expect to see growth in RevPAR, which is room revenue, preoccupied room, which is just occupancy times average daily rate. So the, the overall revenue is expected, at least in the short term, to grow more slowly. Than expenses and, and wages are really driving a lot of it. And then anything that’s affected by wages, so insurance, for example, property taxes, other expenses are really growing at this stage more than what we’ve seen in terms of revenue growth. So that’s, that’s a challenge right now. The, the question I think really then is how much will AI affect that and to what extent will guests become more comfortable with checking in? On an iPad type of a situation as opposed to seeing a person face to face, and there’s probably generational differences there. What it is forcing hotel operators to do is the same kinds of things that restaurant operators have been forced to do, which is find ways to use technology and actually have the guests face the technology and get the guests comfortable with that. In terms of things like check in and check out, you know, but still in hotels the rooms have to be cleaned and, and although there’s robots that. You know, they’re nowhere near what, where they need to be to actually clean Hotel guestroom jet, at least in any sort of economically viable way. But, you know, the long-term question is to what extent will the industry be adopting AI and other technology in order to address that issue? Because that’s what’s going to happen. It’s, it’s, you know, it’s not just going to be a situation where. The operators will accept paying higher wages and have the same number of employees in each hotel. Right. Um, branding, you know, sort of confusing to a lot of people. Not in the space, but you know, what role do hotel brands actually kind of play in, in protecting revenue and value? Um, and I guess when does a brand help an owner versus become a constraint? Yeah. You know, brands have been very important and, and I, I forget if I mentioned but of the, the big brand companies I’ve worked for three of them and, um. You know, they, they, they typically started as management companies. So originally companies like Hilton and Marriott primarily generated revenue through management fees. And so they own some of the real estate, although they’ve become asset light over the years and own very little, if any, anymore. Uh, but they do still manage hotels. So one thing that the brand companies do have is expertise in terms of management. That’s one of the fees that a branded hotel and a non-branded hotel would have as well, would be a management fee, which is usually expressed as a percentage of revenue. And sometimes there’s an incentive structure in there as well. But then there’s a franchise fee, which is just paying for the brand, and, and that’s usually as a percentage of total revenue, higher than the management fee. But what it does is it, it, it. Puts the property in a global distribution system, so the global distribution systems that brands like Marriott and Hilton and IHG and, and HIA have, uh, they. Generate heads and beds. You know, that’s, that’s the term we always, when I worked at Hyatt and Merritt, we always talked about heads and beds. Every night you’re trying to, trying to get people in the rooms. The brands do a lot to put heads and beds, you know, in a typical hotel with a good brand affiliation. Somewhere between probably a third and two thirds of the occupy rooms actually came in through the brand global distribution system, which historically was a toll free reservation system. And although the, you know, those still exist now, it’s really more of a focus on the online system and, and, and sometimes toll-free reservations and direct reservations. But, but that’s what the brand does. It, it, it ultimately is a generator of. So kind of just focusing on somebody who’s potentially thinking about hotels as an investment. So far, what I gleaned from you, and, and correct me if I’m wrong, is that timing probably isn’t perfect right now. We’re probably, you know, we’re probably in a, you know, a peak and you generally not a great idea to buy in peaks. Um. I personally, from what I understand, would stay outta California. You know, uh, you know, like my friend was saying that it was gonna make it very difficult for a lot of hotels to have their, you know, hotel restaurants even. And so he foresees like a lot of them having to close those down. Um, and then the, the next thing I think is, gosh, you really have to be cognizant of the, of the fact that, you know, work patterns are changing. And so maybe that’s not a good. Way to go, either. What other, what are some other big picture things that you think people ought to be thinking about as they evaluate the space? Yeah. Well, I think there’s a couple of things. One of which is. That is a street corner business. So it really depends on what street corner you’re in. Uh, I’ve done some research just on how hotels perform in university towns versus other locations because, for example, there are brands now called graduate hotels, which eventually was acquired by Hilton, uh, and, uh, scholar Hotels and, and these properties are university town hotels. They’re doing okay. You know, they’re, they’re doing okay. If you look at how universities operate, we’ve seen some Ivy League schools pay 60, $80 million or more just to make sure they keep that billion dollars a year coming in from the federal government that they, they get for research grants and, and we’ve seen, you know, look at what’s going on with NIL now in terms of, of university sports. Universities clearly are willing to. You gen willing to spend a lot of money to keep doing what they do, which is, you know, they, they generate a lot of research and I’m talking about. Big universities now, uh, you know, a lot of research and, and there’s a sporting business aspect to universities as well. So university towns are okay, and, and what I ultimately found in my research is they’re much less cyclical than the average. So, you know, we talk about the risk of hotels as things go up and things go down and things go up and down. That doesn’t happen as much in university towns. You know, big universities don’t close and, and don’t even substantially change their business model. So it really depends on, on where you’re located. And then there’s certain cities as well, you know, people, you know, I, I don’t have to go into detail about my last visit to San Francisco and how weird it was, and I was with students and, and told my female students don’t go out at night alone. I mean, it was, it was, it was really freaky, but. San Francisco now might be a place to invest. Now San Francisco probably has bottomed out. Uh, and the same might be true with New York. So, you know, it really depends on where you’re going. I, I think in general, yeah, you know, there’s, there’s concerns, but even so, you know, I think it’s still might be a good time to invest in. Good quality hotel companies, just, you know, in terms of the stock market and, and equity in, in businesses like Marriott and, and Hilton because their franchise fees and their management fees are a percentage of total revenue. So hotels that are not profitable, that are a member of those brand affiliations are still paying. Into those systems and you know, hopefully the goal is that these properties become profitable, but even while they’re not profitable, they owe franchise fees and in some cases management fees as well. So I think there are a lot of ways to still invest in the hotel business. It’s just what vehicles are being used and where. So, you know, it sounds a little overwhelming, um, for someone who, again, who’s new to the space. Any suggestions on how somebody might just learn more about this ecosystem and, you know, start to go down this path of potentially becoming, you know, a hotel investor? Yeah. Well, first thing is, you know, we talked about ai. AI is pretty good for helping people to learn. So if you wanna learn about the hotel business, you can go and have a really good conversation with chat GPT about what makes it click and where could the opportunities lie today. Uh, you know, I’ve gone over the past year from essentially not using AI at all to using it essentially every day. And so that’s a great way because that’ll access a lot of, there, there’s trade journals, for example, but it’ll access those things. Uh, the conference, like I went to last week, the America’s Lodging Investment Summit, which is in LA every year is a. Is a great place to learn as well. There’s, there’s wonderful sessions and that conference is attended by everybody from Anthony Capano, who’s the CEO of Marriott, down to people involved in real estate and investments in the hotels and, and who essentially make their living. Off of those as brokers, appraisers, consultants, asset managers and things like that. So, so there’s ways online to do it and there’s ways to do it actually by attending conferences as well. Yeah. A good broker as well. Right. I mean, you know, going back to my, my friend who, who’s become a very successful hotelier, the first one he bought, he threw a broker and he said he learned everything about hotels that he knows from that guy. Um. So that’s probably, it probably tells you something as well. Yeah. And, and there are some excellent hotel brokers. There’s some who are national in scope and some who are local in scope. So again, it depends on where you’re thinking you might wanna be investing. Uh, but, but there’s some great local brokers, but then there’s national firms like JLL and CBRE and Hunter, uh, that, you know, they have really good people who are very knowledgeable about the hotel business. Yeah. John, thanks so much for, uh, joining us here on Wealth Formula Podcast and giving us sort of an overview of the, uh, um, hotel, uh, real estate, uh, uh, asset class. You bet you make a lot of money, but are still worried about retirement. Maybe you didn’t start earning until your thirties. Now you’re trying to catch up. Meanwhile, you’ve got a mortgage, a private school to pay for, and you feel like you’re getting further and further behind. Now, good news, if you need to catch up on retirement, check out a program put out by some of the oldest and most prestigious life insurance companies in the world. It’s called Wealth Accelerator, and it can help you amplify your returns quickly, protect your money from creditors, and provide financial protection to your family if something happens to. The concepts here are used by some of the wealthiest families in the world, and there’s no reason why they can’t be used by you. Check it out for yourself by going to wealth formula banking.com. Welcome back to the show everyone. Hope you enjoyed and again, uh, hey hotels. Think about it. I guess. Uh, I continue. I will continue to do so, uh, especially given my buddy’s success in this space. Um. Although, I will tell you, I probably am not a boutique hotel guy. Um, you know, I don’t, I don’t know that I could make it super fancy, you know? And then on the other hand, you hear about these, uh, hotels that are. For the people traveling through and they’re not doing this so great. So maybe wait till that we hit that, um, that trough that he was talking about, he said we’re kind of at a peak right now. Anyway, that’s it for me. Uh, this week on Wealth Formula Podcast. This is Buck Joffrey signing off. If you wanna learn more, you can now get free access to our in-depth personal finance course featuring industry leaders like Tom Wheel Wright and Ken McElroy. Visit well formula roadmap.com.

 Lawmakers are meeting in Salem to discuss and decide the fate of a flurry of bills during Oregon’s short legislative session this year. One of those is a bipartisan bill that would hike the state’s lodging tax at places like campgrounds, hotels and Airbnbs from 1.5% to 2.75%.    The tax increase is expected to raise tens of millions of dollars for wildlife protection, habitat conservation, anti-poaching efforts, combating invasive species and mitigating wildfires. It would also compensate ranchers for cattle killed by wolves.    The bill’s sponsors – Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane) and Rep. Ken Helm (D-Beaverton)  – join us to share why they support it and why they revived it this year after it died in the final days of last year’s session. Jason Brandt, President and CEO of the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, also joins us to share his opposition to the bill.  

Georgia's Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner fines companies for failing to cover mental health on par with other medical issues; a conversation with the new head of the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association; and WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali breaks down 'day one' of the 2026 legislative session.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mitch Patel's story is a masterclass in grit, gratitude, and bridge-building. In this episode recorded in front of a live audience at the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Mitch shares how he built his first hotel at the age of 27 with just $3,000, how Vision Hospitality Group has grown to more than 40 hotels in 8 states, why the Edwin Hotel holds such a special place in his heart, and what it means to serve as this year's Chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Mitch Patel is the Founder & CEO of Vision Hospitality Group. You can connect with him on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/mitch-i-patel-a8aa1213). If you like this episode, we think you'll also like: Mitch Patel's Morning Cup (E06) John Germ's Morning Cup (E35) Matt Hullander's Morning Cup (E68) My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by SpeakEasy Productions.  Subscribe to the weekly newsletter and be the first to know who upcoming guests are: http://eepurl.com/iGJzII

Tune in to the most recent AHLA Check-In episode with President & CEO of the AHLA Foundation, Kevin Carey! As a familiar face on the Suite Spot, Kevin stops in to give us the latest and greatest developments and advocacy work taking place at the American Hotel & Lodging Association.  Be sure to watch now to know what current events are impacting the hospitality industry. Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embee. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree for another AHLA industry check-in this time with a familiar guest, Kevin Carey. Familiar guest, but a little bit different position. We're gonna talk about that in a second. But he is the Chief Operating Officer at AHLA and President and CEO of the AHLA Foundation. Kevin, welcome back to the Suite Spot, Kevin Carey: Ryan, terrific to be with you again. It's Ryan Embree: Great to have you. Like I said, you know, you've been on a couple times we've talked about that, but this time in a new role with AHLA, congratulations, by the way, on that. Can you share with our audience a little bit about the new role, maybe a day to day and what you get the pleasure of doing every single day, as President and CEO of the AHLA foundation? Kevin Carey: Well, I'd be happy to. It's definitely keeping me busy, but it's a good busy, and very much a rewarding, busy as well. And in my new capacity, where I get to lead the foundation, I get to work alongside a dedicated group of colleagues, Jen, Eliza, Kara, and Lindsay, to also a committed group of industry leaders, who were on our board of trustees, and the organization that we help to advance is one that's focused just on that front on advancing the people of the industry, our workforce, so day in, day out, having that teamwork and collaboration, but also working with our industry leaders to put the people forward on the industry front, and to work to support not only our current employees, but also to identify the future workforce is a vital role and very engaging. Ryan Embree: So critical. Right now, you're right, we've had conversations about it. We're gonna touch a little bit on this episode, but, you know, I'd see AHLA foundation all the time, the work, the stories that you guys are putting out there, you travel the country just got back from the lodging conference a couple days ago. But, you know, for those hoteliers who, you know, see the brand, they see some of the stories, you know, can you share maybe some of the origin story of the AHLA foundation and really at the foundation, so to speak of its mission over there? Kevin Carey: I'd be happy to. The foundation has been around for 72 years. It was founded in 1953, as a scholarship fund. And over that tenure year and arc and of its existence has done terrific work. What I've also shared recently as we've been working through a process with our board of trustees as looking at our future direction is that in many respects, this is a young 72-year-old organization. And by that I mean a number of the most prominent and highly visible initiatives that the foundation is involved in right now, whether it's our forward initiative or No Room for Trafficking. These are programs and initiatives that have really been created, launched and grown over about the last three to five years timeframe. So, while we've got a proud, uh, tradition and history, we also have a number of, of very important new initiatives. And the work we're doing to advance the industry's workforce and to ensure the people are front and center is really vital in the current environment. As we think about the industry's future growth prospects. Ryan Embree: Well, it's an incredible legacy. And to be able to, that's what you want out of advocacy and foundational work is you wanna be able to say, we're introducing new initiative strategies,

Hotels reliant on seasonal workers have to regularly content with federal caps on H-2B visas, a problem that is a keen focus for Ashley McNeil, vice president of federal government affairs at the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and chair of the H-2B Workforce Coalition. While she's hopeful for a long-term solution, she notes there are pressing issues across the federal government that could get in the way in the near future.

Season 5, Episode 24 - We're celebrating the heart and soul of hospitality in the Pocono Mountains. Meet Jamie Maher, General Manager of the Gem & Keystone Tavern at the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, and the recipient of the Spirit of Hospitality Award for Manager of the Year from the Northeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association.Jamie isn't just a manager — she's a mentor, a leader, and a beloved presence who makes every guest feel like family. From her dedication to her team to the unforgettable experiences she helps create, Jamie exemplifies what it means to lead with heart.The Poconos is a year-round destination for millions and with 24-hundred square miles of mountains, forests, lakes and rivers with historic downtowns and iconic family resorts, it's the perfect getaway for a weekend or an entire week. You can always find out more on ⁠⁠⁠PoconoMountains.com⁠⁠⁠ or watch ⁠⁠⁠Pocono Television Network⁠⁠⁠ streaming live 24/7.

Second in a series of podcasts recorded at the recent South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association meeting in Hilton Head Island, Collins & Lacy President & CEO, Christian Stegmaier, interviews Paul Garcia, SCRLA Board Member and General Manager of the Dayton House Resort at Myrtle Beach. Mr. Garcia discussed the greatest challenges to his business and the company culture he has developed to make the Dayton House a great place for both workers and their guests.

The busy summer travel season is just about wrapped up, which means the Suite Spot is due for another quarterly check-in with the American Hotel & Lodging Association to get the latest news and developments taking place in the hospitality industry.  AHLA President and CEO Rosanna Maietta joins the Suite Spot to discuss current hotel trends, industry challenges, the importance of mentors and mentees in hospitality, and more. Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, as always, Ryan Embree. So happy that you are listening to us here and ready to bring you another incredible episode with our quarterly check-in with AHLA in a preview of the 2025 Hospitality Show. It's my immense privilege to welcome in our special guest for today's episode, President and CEO, Rosanna Mietta. Rosanna, thank you so much for being with me on the back on the Suite Spot. Rosanna Maietta: Good to see you again, Ryan. Thanks for having us. Ryan Embree: Yeah, we're excited to talk about the Hospitality Show. We're excited to talk about AHLA. What we've been up to last time we were together was at NYU IHIF. Since then, the AHLA and the hospitality industry in general has been super busy, that super travel season, that hoteliers love to see travel all over the across the country. Catch us up on some of the top issues AHLA is focusing on right now and maybe some of the key wins that have happened year to date. Rosanna Maietta: Sure. It's been an incredibly busy summer. There's nothing like a quiet summer anymore. We've had a lot going on both in Washington and around the country. Obviously, the most important thing the administration has been focused on over the last six months of this year was passing the one big beautiful bill, which while it had many, many provisions tucked away in it, the ones that our industry was really focused on were those that impacted our small business community, our franchise community, and our employees. So we were focused on passing provisions like the 100% bonus depreciation and making that permanent, preserving the like kind exchange, deferring capital gains tax on real estate at point of sale. All those changes will help the industry reinvest and grow. But we also helped to promote the no tax on tips, which will support 800,000 employees in the industry who benefit from tips. And so we're working on what that guidance actually looks like once that detail is developed and how, and educating our employers on how they can roll that out to their employees, but also provisions around overtime and child tax credit and family medical leave. So all of those things, were really important to our industry. And so we were really pleased to help get that over the finish line. Outside of Washington, there has been a lot going on, whether it is advancing legislation in markets like Boston or Philadelphia on human trafficking training and prevention, which our industry has been leading on to working in Los Angeles, where we have seen over the last two years very intense work around pushing back against onerous regulations that would essentially increase wages for the industry by 40% overnight. Simply a situation we cannot, we cannot handle because demand is so low in Los Angeles, it's second to only San Francisco. And San Francisco in terms of occupancy, has been starting to see an uptick, whereas Los Angeles has not, it has not come back to pre-COVID levels. So we've been working really aggressively there with the business community to push back on that ordinance that has gone into law, but we are still working with city council to try to make some amendments that would make sure that the travel and hospitality sector is strong, especially in the lead up to some of these bigger events that we're anticipating next year,

Joe Savarise, CEO of Hotel and Lodging Association discusses the problem and what some of the solutions could be. This is just the beginning of the story

Today's episode, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Travis Mckie, former pro basketball player turned champion for independent hotels at AHLA (American Hotel & Lodging Association).Travis shares his fascinating journey from the courts of Wake Forest and international basketball leagues to leading the charge for boutique and independent hoteliers across the country. He opens up about what makes independent hotels so memorable, the shift in guest expectations, and how AHLA is reshaping its approach to support these unique properties.Highlights include:What makes today's travelers choose experience over standardAHLA's new benefits and programs tailored to independent hotelsMemorable stays like the Wigwam in ArizonaHow independent hoteliers can connect with AHLA and get involvedTune in to hear why the future of hospitality is anything but cookie-cutter — and how leaders like Travis are making sure independent hotels have a powerful seat at the table.Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jWqwLlodqTk Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn pageThe Modern Hotelier is produced, edited, and published by Make More MediaLinks:Travis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-mckie-68555b209/AHLA: https://www.ahla.com/For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/191Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-...Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

Episode 699: Summer golf, dining options, a special school for women and more at Treetops Resort (May 10-11, 2025)Behind the Mitten is Michigan's premiere travel radio show and podcast, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025. Co-hosted by Amy Sherman and John Gonzalez, the show has released nearly 700 episodes and been recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters as best weekend speciality show. It airs on 22 radio stations over 15 markets in Michigan. More information on amyandgonzo.com.This weekend they spotlight Treetops Resort in Gaylord, which was recently named Resort of the Year at the Pure Michigan Governor's Conference on Tourism. General Manager Barry Owens speaks on leadership, the emphasis on overall guest experience and introduces two key members of his team who make Treetops Michigan's Most Spectacular Resort.Learn more at treetops.com.Segment 1: GM Barry Owens talks about the start of a busy golf season and creating lasting memories. He also emphasizes some of the priorities that make Treetops successful - attention to detail, which “is crucial in guest services,” as well as learning from mistakes.Segment 2: Treetops Director of Recreation Doug Hoeh stops by the podcast to talk about how driven his team is to maintain all 81 holes on five golf courses, as well as some of the new initiatives like Ladies Golf School that coincides with National Women's Golf Day (June 1). Ladies Golf School is a multi-day experience (June 1-July 9) designed for all levels. Learn more at https://www.treetops.com/summer/golfing/golf-academy/ladies-golf-academy/.Segment 3: We celebrate Michigan's vibrant culinary scene with Brian Smith, the new Food and Beverage Director at Treetops Resort. We discuss the new menu offerings, including award-winning dishes and local partnerships, as well as the upcoming launch of a signature beer, Legendary Tees. Yes, it's our Beer of the Week! Brian adds that the new menu focuses on quick, hearty options for guests, such as bourbon pork belly and tater kegs, which are liked a loaded baked potato in a tater tot. The conversation also highlights the importance of local ingredients and catering to diverse dietary preferences, all while enjoying the beautiful backdrop of Gaylord, Michigan.Segment 4: Barry Owens returns to the show to talk about Treetops' major award as Resort of the Year by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association during the Michigan Governor's Conference on Tourism on Wednesday, April 16 in Novi, Michigan. The annual MRLA Stars of the Industry Awards recognizes outstanding members of all roles within Michigan's hospitality industry who have demonstrated professionalism and creativity while going above and beyond their role to contribute to the positive image of the industry. Owens said he was humbled by the recognition, but added “it was great validation for what we've been doing” and showed the “importance of having passionate staff" when you're in the hospitality industry.Learn more about Treetops at https://www.treetops.com/.

April 16, 2025 ~ The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association emphasizes the critical link between the restaurant and lodging industries and the tourism sector. Justin Winslow, president & CEO of Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, joins Lloyd, Jamie, and Chris Renwick live at the Governor's Conference on Tourism to discuss the ongoing challenges for the restaurant industry.

Terry Hopkins | President & CEO, Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce: Grants Pass native Terry Hopkins has returned to his roots after a diverse hospitality career across five states. With over 25 years of business ownership and management experience in Southern Oregon, Terry recently spent 5 years as a business advocate with the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. Married for 20+ years with two sons, Terry is passionate about community service, having served on numerous Chamber and city committees. He's excited to join the Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce team to advocate for local businesses and enhance community development. thopkins@grantspasschamber.org  |  541-956-4100  

In this episode, Cody sits down with Dina Belon-Sayre, the President of Staypineapple Hotels and fellow Board Member of the Independent Hotel Show Miami, to dive into the future of hospitality, leadership, and industry advocacy.

Tune in to this quarterly episode to hear from Chirag Shah of the American Hotel & Lodging Association to get the state of the hospitality industry. As EVP, Federal and Political Affairs & Counsel, Chirag, gives immense insight into challenges, patterns, and trends impacting the hotel industry and how the AHLA is helping hoteliers overcome the economic environment. Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree. As you can see, we are here with another industry check-in with AHLA. And we have a first time guest with us Chirag Shah, Executive Vice President, Federal and Political Affairs & Council at the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Chirag, thank you so much for joining me on the Suite Spot today. Chirag Shah: Absolutely. Thanks Ryan. Appreciate you having me. Ryan Embree: Well, welcome to the Suite Spot. This is your first time. Before we get rolling, talk about some of the topics that AHLA and issues that AHLA is obviously advocating so ferociously for hotels all around the country. Maybe give us a little bit of background, your journey to AHLA and give our Suite Spot audience, just a brief glimpse of the role that you do there. Chirag Shah: I appreciate it. So I've been in the lodging industry, lobbying on behalf of hotels and hoteliers for about a decade and some change, 12-13 years. And previously my background is actually as a campaign and elections attorney. It's what my training is, and not perhaps a skill that folks are, a ton of folks are always looking for especially when you get relatives that want help getting outta a speeding ticket or something. But I spent time on Capitol Hill, worked on a number of political campaigns, and 2012, 2013 after finishing up my last campaign, got a call from a group. They were looking to open a DC office. And when I was on Capitol Hill, I used to meet with them quite frequently, and it was a group called AAHOA And, uh, they were looking to, to open their DC office. And it was great because I, uh, literally spoke the language that many hoteliers speak and, and figuratively spoke the language, of Washington DC. And so, uh, it, it was a, it was a great fit. And I came in and opened their DC shop and worked there for, for eight years. And, uh, then came over to AHLA and has been fantastic to represent a lot of the same people physically, actually the same people, but also the industry. It's such a wonderful industry where hotels, everybody loves going to hotels. Most public officials don't fully understand what the hotel industry is all about, but they love talking about their travel experiences. And so now at AHLA, I get to oversee the federal affairs shop, the political shop where we meet with members of Congress, have got one of the greatest jobs where we tell the story of the lodging industry to members of Congress, their staff, the presidential administration, every single day. And so getting time to understand what the challenges are that hotel leaders are facing, where the industry is going, what the economic footprint is, that's what we do. And so it's been a lot of fun. Ryan Embree: You know it's funny, Chirag, we have so many industry leaders on this podcast, and we talk to them about their kind of beginnings and they talk about maybe jumping from brand to brand and still having that tight-knit family. Because it all comes back to hospitality. It seems like a very similar path with you and the associations, right, starting with the AAHOA and then transitioning to AHLA. But at the very end of the day, it's all about hospitality and the hotels that you're advocating for from those small, independent hotels all the way up to the major brands. And here we are at the Q1, beginning of, 2025. Great time to reflect on,

February 24, 2025 ~ Justin Winslow, President and CEO at Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association discusses how the new tipped wage and sick leave laws might affect the restaurant industry.

Last month I hosted a cool event (Anthony was a judge) for the Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association during their Tech Conference dubbed the Shark Pool, a hospitality innovation competition. So many great teams but only one could win. Today we have that winner, Rich Sloan of WAVR Technologies, to tell us how atmospheric water harvesting technology could revolutionize places like Las Vegas but transform communities throughout the globe. This is crazy cool!

Last month I hosted a cool event (Anthony was a judge) for the Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association during their Tech Conference dubbed the Shark Pool, a hospitality innovation competition. So many great teams but only one could win. Today we have that winner, Rich Sloan of WAVR Technologies, to tell us how atmospheric water harvesting technology could revolutionize places like Las Vegas but transform communities throughout the globe. This is crazy cool!

We have a conversation with Greg Astley, Director of Government Affairs for the Oregon Restaurant Association, about Oregan Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer and his team's working relationship with the new Cabinet member. What has been her record in Congress? What are her priorities? And what's her relationship with the Teamsters? We'll get the view from back home in Oregon. And then we'll talk about another major employer, Walmart, joining the growing group of companies pivoting on their DEI policies. We'll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Today, we're revisiting a conversation with a guest who has profoundly impacted me and, I believe, represents the true potential of hospitality. Craig Poole, a three-time Hilton Connie Award winner and the American Hotel and Lodging Association's General Manager of the Year, has set an incredible example at the DoubleTree in Reading, Pennsylvania. His hotel excels financially and has redefined what it means to be a community cornerstone.Craig's story offers a powerful reminder of how hospitality can drive transformation—not only for guests but for employees and entire neighborhoods and cities. His work shows us that when we genuinely care for people, we inspire loyalty, change lives, and create long-lasting impacts on communities. Craig hires locally, often bringing in people who others might overlook, including those with past challenges. His approach to “second chance hiring” and deep community engagement has turned his hotel into a place of opportunity and pride for the city.Listen in to hear how Craig has created a culture of selflessness, where “loving people where they're at” goes hand-in-hand with business success. His vision is about more than just a hotel; it's about creating a place where people feel a part of, valued and supported. His words remind us that hospitality is about more than beds and meals—it's about hearts and lives. Craig's journey shows us that when we lead with purpose and stand behind our people, we create waves of positive change that ripple far beyond the walls of our businesses.Also see: Follow Me and I Will Be Behind You (Craig's documentary)Send Josiah a text A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Naomi Cooper, Interim Executive Director of the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association.  In this podcast Naomi talks about her career path that led to her current position, the main goal of the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, the importance of connecting local businesses in an island economy, how the approach of the MHLA has changed through the pandemic and fire recovery, how the MHLA offers scholarship and educational opportunities in local schools, the success of the annual Charity Walk and how that money raised is distributed back into the Maui community, details on the upcoming Rice for the Holidays & Na Kupuna Appreciation events, and how to learn more about the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association online. 

Native Los Angeleno Javier Cano wears many hats, from overseeing 10 hotels in Greater Los Angeles, including LA LIVE's JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton, to being chair of the Los Angeles Tourism Marketing District and on the executive committee of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board as well as the California Hotel & Lodging Association. In addition, he's on the board of directors of the California Travel Association, Hotel Association of Los Angeles and Central City Association, among others. Cano has also been recognized among the 500 most influential people in L.A., GM of the Year for Marriott and GM of the Year for Los Angeles. We also named him a 2024 Meetings Trendsetter. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson somehow got worked into Javier's busy schedule for a podcast interview. Discover the unique perspectives, encyclopedic knowledge and inspirational advice this 45-year Marriott veteran brings to meetings and hospitality, and by all means share it with someone who may be considering a career in this dynamic industry!

An increase in minimum wage and required sick leave is set to take effect in February. MichMash host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Services Zach Gorchow sit down with individuals on either side of the law. Chris White, Michigan director of the Restaurant Opportunities Center, and Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, share their positions on the new law.

An increase in minimum wage and required sick leave is set to take effect in February. MichMash host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Services Zach Gorchow sit down with individuals on either side of the law. Chris White, Michigan director of the Restaurant Opportunities Center, and Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, share their positions on the new law.

Join the Suite Spot in this quarterly series to hear from American Hotel & Lodging Association President & CEO, Kevin Carey, on the state of the hospitality industry and recent developments being made by the AHLA to move the industry forward. Episode Transcript Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio. Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree. As always, thank you for listening. We've got a fantastic episode for you today. Another industry check-in with Kevin Carey, interim president and CEO at the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Kevin, thank you so much for taking the time and joining me today. Kevin Carey : Hi, Ryan. Good day. It's good to see you as well. Ryan Embree: Yeah, we're excited to have you. You know, we're gonna jump right into it. We spoke last in the spring season, right before a busy summer travel season. Listen, the travelers have been busy traveling to hotels. Hotels have been busy hosting, but AHLA has been busy as well, advocating for hoteliers and everything that you guys do for our industry. Let's catch up with some of those big accomplishments and some of the most pressing issues right now. We know we, there's always those issues that rise up. What are some of those that hotels should be most aware of right now? Kevin Carey : Oh as you said, it's been an incredibly busy period of time. Certainly first and foremost for the industry. The support and the service our member companies provide for guests and the environment they create for our associates and workers is certainly first and foremost, our team here, both in AHLA and, uh, the foundation have been incredibly busy as well. Um, over the first half of the year, it's been, uh, a, a peak period of activity at a state and local level with state legislators and legislatures in session, uh, and certainly in Washington here, uh, as, uh, the Congress starts to look towards end of the year in the election. So, we've been advancing our work, uh, at a state level on short-term rental sets of issues in Washington here around the passage in the house, uh, of the Hotel Fees Transparency Act. Um, and, and also work to ensure that we defeated the, the joint employer rule as well. There's just a number of areas that we feel proud about as a team and that are really meaningful on behalf of the industry as well. Ryan Embree: Absolutely. And but there's still with all those wins, and congratulations to your team, there's always work to do as you know, and some of those pressing issues that are at the forefront right now for our hoteliers. What, what are some of those that, again, hoteliers, even though it might be something regional, they still should be aware of because it has, it's gonna have an impact on the entire industry. Kevin Carey : Absolutely. And really to identify two that are certainly getting a lot of our team's attention and the industry attention. So first and foremost, in New York City, a bill was introduced in the city council several weeks ago, approaching about a month ago at this point. And this bill, the so-called Safe Hotels Act, has been positioned by his proponents as a simple licensing bill. And the bill sponsors have represented that hotels are unregulated, and that there's an increase in crime occurring in hotels. This bill would do grave damage, not only to the hotel industry, to travelers, to workers, who represent and are employed by the industry and the city economy and the tourism economy itself. So this is bad for everyone. And we've been very actively involved in New York several times, meeting with members of the city council organi...

Here are 3 big things you need to know—   One — Kamala Harris voiced support for both Israel and the Palestinian people at the Democratic National Convention.  In her nomination acceptance speech, Harris said she will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself.  She said she also supported the Palestinians, and said what has happened in Gaza over the past ten months is devastating.   Two ----  Former President Trump is reacting to Vice President Kamala Harris' speech Thursday at the DNC.  On Truth Social, Trump posted in real-time during the speech, questioning why Harris hadn't already accomplished policies she was promising.  He said she's had three and a half years, and has done nothing but harm.   And number three — The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association is warning one in five restaurants could close due to the Michigan Supreme Court ruling eliminating the tip credit for servers and bartenders and paying them a minimum wage.  They met with lawmakers in Grand Rapids asking them to try to prevent the change from taking effect in February.  

Welcome to the #ShareYourHotness Podcast episode 137! Jeri Mae Rowley, Speaker ~Trainer~ Saddle Maker's Daughter, shares precious life and leadership lessons from her family's world-famous saddle shop.  She has been invited to present keynotes and concurrent sessions in 39 states, Canada, and the US Virgin Islands. Provide leadership, communications, and customer service training for businesses and organizations. Jeri Mae's clientele covers an intriguing variety of industries and organizations: from the Federal Reserve to National Wildlife Preserves; municipalities to multi-media; semiconductor to pet cemeteries; drill bit manufacturing to tropical island resorts. Her resume includes successful experience as a manager, salesperson, state-wide training program administrator, college workforce training director, and college instructor. Jeri Mae has been president of “almost every organization I've belonged to since Lively Livestock 4-H.”  She is a past president of the National Speaker's Association's Mountain West Chapter, serving professional speakers in Idaho, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming.  She has also served as president of her local Chamber of Commerce, Faculty Senate, Convention and Visitor Bureau, Society of Human Resource Managers, and National Speakers Association. She served on the Boards of the National Speakers Association DC Chapter and the DC Metro Association for Talent Development. Jeri Mae taught Small Business Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, and Hospitality Management for sixteen years at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana. She is a Certified Instructor for the Montana Department of Commerce NxLeveL Entrepreneurship Course, Travel Montana Superhost Customer Service Training, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association in Management and Marketing. In addition to her teaching duties at Flathead Valley Community College, she served as the college's Workforce Training Director and Statewide Coordinator for Travel Montana's Superhost Customer Service Seminar program. Jeri Mae has received regional, state, and national recognition for her success as a leader and educator, including Montana's Glacier Country Person of the Year, Montana State SHRM “Above and Beyond Award,” and the prestigious “Visiting Scholar Award” from the National Tourism Foundation. Support The #ShareYourHotness Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-syh-podcast Find out more at https://the-syh-podcast.pinecast.co

Episode Notes Marriott executives are optimistic they'll see growth throughout the year despite emerging headwinds, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill. CEO Anthony Capuano said the company saw strong travel demand during the second quarter. Marriott said it expects its revenue per available room — a key hotel industry metric — to grow between 3% and 4% this year. But that's down slightly from a previous forecast of up to 5%. And O'Neill notes Marriott faces several challenges, such as China's struggling economy and the U.S. presidential election's likely impact on travel patterns in November.  Next, a U.S. Senate committee has advanced a bill that would create a national standard for hotel pricing in the U.S., writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill.  The Hotel Fees Transparency Act would require hotels, short-term rentals and online travel agencies to display the total price of a stay, including all mandatory fees, upfront. The bill now awaits a full Senate vote, which would bring it one step closer to becoming law.  The American Hotels & Lodging Association has come out in support of the bill, which O'Neill notes is a reversal of its long-time stance opposing legislation around so-called junk fees.  Finally, Norwegian Cruise Line executives haven't seen a reduction in guest spending, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.  Spending on Norwegian Cruise ships remained strong in large part due to onboard amenities such as specialty restaurants while pre-cruise bookings for amenities were up 15%. Chief Financial Officer Mark Kempa said the company benefits from having more time to sell products to guests than hotels do, for example.  In addition, guests tend to book cruise trips much further in advance, making it easier for Norwegian Cruise to market onboard activities.  For more travel stories and deep dives into the latest trends, head to skift.com.  Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ X: https://twitter.com/skift Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Looking for the perfect venue for your wedding or event?  Tune in Today at 3:40pm PT, 6:40pm ET for special guest Sonesta General Manager Swietlana Cahill as we discuss Sonesta Redondo Beach & Marina and Sonesta Irvine locations. Moments with Marianne airs in the Southern California area on KMET1490AM & 98.1 FM, an ABC Talk News Radio affiliate! Swietlana Cahill is the General Manager of Sonesta Redondo Beach & Marina and Sonesta Irvine, bringing 30 years of hospitality experience. She has worked with renowned brands like Hilton and Millennium, and boutique properties such as The Peabody Memphis. Her leadership at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Irvine Orange County Airport earned her multiple awards, including "General Manager of the Year." Swietlana has served on executive boards, including the Central City Association of Los Angeles, and holds certifications from the American Hotel and Lodging Association. With a mathematics degree from Moscow State Forest University, she is also a dedicated volunteer for the American Red Cross, Midnight Mission, and Orangewood Children's Foundation. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and traveling.  https://www.sonesta.com/sonesta-hotels-resorts/ca/redondo-beach/sonesta-redondo-beach-marina  https://www.sonesta.com/sonesta-hotels-resorts/ca/irvine/sonesta-irvineWEDDING SPECIAL: Mention Moments with Marianne Radio Show to receive 15% off your wedding package at Sonesta Redondo Beach & Marina if you book before February, 2025! HOLIDAY EVENTS: Holiday Event Weeknight Promo at Sonesta Redondo Beach & Marina, Book your event Sunday thru Thursday and receive a 15% discount when you mention Moments with Marianne Radio Show!

In this episode of the Sustainable Hospitality Podcast, host Amy Wald interviews Jen Collins, co-founder and president Female founded, Procure Impact. You will hear about Jen's journey from basketball player to hospitality finance and social impact. We will introduce you to the groundbreaking company Procure Impact's whose innovative model connects social enterprises with the hospitality industry.Jen explains how Procure Impact serves as a bridge between high-quality, scale-ready social enterprises and corporate buyers, offering a tangible way for hotels to achieve social impact goals through procurement. Our discussion covers various impact communities they work with, including trafficking survivors, veterans, and adults with disabilities.Learn about the "Dignity of Work" campaign in partnership with the American Hotel and Lodging Association, aiming to create 100,000 shift hours for underestimated populations. Jen also discusses partnerships with major hotel brands and the importance of impact tracking in the hospitality industry.Dive into this episode to learn how hotels can easily incorporate social impact into their operations, from VIP guest amenities to art curation, while maintaining product quality and enhancing guest experiences. Jen's passion for creating meaningful change through business practices shines through, making this a must-listen for anyone interested in sustainable hospitality solutions. Key Takeaways: ●      Aiming at 100,000 shift hours of work through the hospitality industry●      How Procure Impact bridges the gap between social enterprises and corporate buyers, particularly in the hospitality industry. ●      How The company offers a marketplace of products made by individuals who've experienced barriers to work, including trafficking survivors, veterans, and adults with disabilities. ●        Hotels can easily incorporate social impact into their operations by purchasing items they already need, such as coffee, amenities, and art. ●      Procure Impact provides impact tracking, allowing hotels to measure their social impact in terms of shift hours created. ●      The "Dignity of Work" campaign, launched with AHLA, aims to create 100,000 shift hours of work through the hospitality industry. ●      Major hotel brands and management companies are embracing this model, including Sage Hospitality, Davidson, and Four Seasons. ●      This approach can increase revenues by appealing to socially conscious guests and decrease expenses by improving employee loyalty and inspiration. ●      Procure Impact offers customization options, allowing hotels to brand products and create unique guest experiences. ●      The model aligns with the hospitality industry's values of creating spaces of belonging and providing opportunities for growth. ●      This initiative allows hotels to fulfill their ESG commitments, particularly in the often `   challenging area of social impact. Show Notes: www.procureimpact.usBook:  Tattoos on the Heart  Newsletter: https://www.greenluxeinc.com/newsletter Hashtags:  Separate with commas  #SocialEnterprise #HospitalityImpact #MidLifeSherpa #HumanTrafficking #MakingSpaceForOpportunity #SurpriseandDelight #GuestSatisfaction #ESG 

With 16,000+ Dining establishments and 1,400+ lodging facilities, hear how Michigan's hospitality businesses contribute over $28 billion to the state's economy while supporting 650,000 jobs.Join us as we discuss Michigan's hospitality industry with Justin Winslow and Emily Daunt of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association (MRLA) and hear how the MRLA provides essential services to its members. The Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA) was originally founded in 1921 to serve, enhance and nurture the growth and development of Michigan's food service industry. In 2018, the MRA expanded its reach to become the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association to advance the entire hospitality industry. 

Segment 1: Michael Jacobson, President and CEO, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, to talk about the health of the Chicago area hotel industry. With NASCAR, Lollapalooza and the Democratic Convention (plus conventions!) coming to town, can we expect hotel occupancy be near capacity for the summer? Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John to talk […]

We're joined by Justin Winslow, the President & CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, who will discuss his organization's successful legal battle before the state supreme court to remove a pending ballot measure to increase the minimum wage and eliminate the tip credit. But the issue is far from over and we talk about what's coming next. And California is at it again - this time creating a Fast Act for Janitorial Workers. We'll talk about the SEIU's continued focus on sectoral bargaining and what that could mean down the road for other industry players. We'll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association supports hospitality providers in so many ways from education to policy work. In this episode, Kevin Carey, AHLA's interim president & CEO, joins us to talk about two core areas they're focused on now:Green Key Global: sustainability certification to help hoteliers cater to the quickly growing number of travelers (and businesses) that prioritize thisThe Hospitality Show: to connect industry participants and help everyone do well togetherAlso, be sure to check out new research they've commissioned about travel trends for this summer.Thoughts, questions, suggestions? Send me a text messageThis episode is brought to you with support from Sojern. I teamed up with Sojern to study how hoteliers use data to drive revenue and build stronger guest relationships. You can see what we found in this research report: How Hotel Brands Are Using First-Party Data to Drive Revenue & Build Stronger Relationships. Want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day? Subscribe here for free.Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.Music by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Interim President & CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Kevin Carey, joins the Suite Spot in the very first episode of Check-In with Kevin Carey! Get the latest news, updates, and information on the hotel industry in this series, and find out what efforts the AHLA is getting involved in to impact hoteliers and hospitality at scale. From policy legislation to industry events and the rebranding of the Hospitality Show, this episode is full of content! Episode Transcript Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio. Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check-in, and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree, with a very special episode today. We have a first-time guest, but I'm sure, widely recognized by the entire industry, Kevin Carey, interim president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Kevin, thank you so much for joining me on the Suite Spot. Kevin Carey : Good morning. Happy to be with you. Ryan Embree: We're gonna cover a lot today, Kevin, so let's jump into it. Speaking of being busy, we are about to enter a busy summer travel season. I'm sure all the hoteliers listening to this podcast, wherever they're watching or listening from, are excited about that or reaching the halfway point of the year, which is crazy to say. I was there to witness live your keynote at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference back in March in Atlanta. You shared some really great accomplishments so far, year to date that AHLA has been able to achieve. Could you share with our audience a little bit about some of the efforts and wins so far in 2024? Kevin Carey : Well, I'd be happy to and, I think your assessment is, is right on the mark. Uh, it has been a busy first four months of the year. Certainly, you hear that through, uh, we're in earning seasons now. You're hearing a lot of our member companies report out. Uh, so you'll hear some of the things happening across their scope of their operations in our environment representing the industry. It has been a very significant and busy first four months of the year, whether that's here in Washington, working with the Congress and the administration in so many state capitals, with the legislatures in session, and really across the scope of our activities whether that's, uh, the support we provide to our members through our many committees or events or, or the great work our foundation is, is doing a few key accomplishments. I point to one of real significance was the defeat of the, the joint employer rule. And that was significant, not only with action that the House took but the Senate as well as a favorable court ruling, in the Eastern District Court in Texas, blocking the implementation of that rule, because that posed some real challenges for the industry, and in particular the franchise operating model, and would've created complexities and uncertainty there in this environment. We also, a month ago, announced the rollout of our collaboration with the Hotel Association of Canada and our launch, uh, of the Green Key Global Initiative. And then finally, uh, we rebranded our, our very successful regional set of events as the Hospitality show supporting, uh, our trade show and conference, uh, which will take place in San Antonio this year, October 28th to the 30th. Uh, and we've got a number of those events planned over the coming weeks, uh, alongside the seven that we've held thus far this year. So it's been busy, as you said. Ryan Embree: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Super busy. And we're gonna talk about some of those things that you mentioned. I wanna go back to Green Key Global rather. Uh, we just celebrated Earth Day.

Chip Rogers, former CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, discusses his new role with Ervin Graves and with Job Creators Network.  He talks about the importance of state policies in creating a business-friendly environment. He emphasizes the need for leaders who focus on creating opportunities for small businesses and the negative impact of divisive politics. Rogers also highlights the role of technology and the gig economy in the growth of small businesses. He urges small business owners to get involved in advocating for policies that support their success. Main Street Matters is part of the Salem Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Wednesday & Friday. For more info check out JobCreatorsNetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren McCann, founder and CEO of Procure Impact, joined Forbes Chief Impact Officer Seth Cohen in the Forbes studio to discuss the role that socially responsible procurement can knock down barriers for marginalized product designers and manufacturers. Lauren also discussed Procure Impact's new campaign in partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association. The “Dignity of Work Pledge” aims to provide 100,000 paid employment hours for overlooked populations via the use of Procure Impact's B2B marketplace platform.Stay ConnectedForbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.comForbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbesForbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbesForbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbesMore From Forbes: http://forbes.comForbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former CEO and President of the AHLA, Chip Rogers, joins the Suite Spot to discuss the state of the industry and how hoteliers can make 2024 a successful year. This episode is filled with expert advice, industry insights, and trending topics so tune in to get the 411 on what developments are going to impact your hotel business! Episode Transcript Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio. Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check-in and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Suite Spot. This is your host, as always, Ryan Embree, welcome and we've got a great guest, a guest that needs little to no introduction. He's checked in with us several times on the Suite Spot. Chip Rogers, President & CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Chip, thank you so much for being on Suite Spot. Chip Rogers: Yeah, always glad to be with you, Ryan. Thanks for having me. Ryan Embree: Yeah, and last time we were together Chip, was before the new year, so Happy New Year by the way. Very, very busy time for hoteliers. They're getting their budgets together, they're looking at data projections, all that good stuff. I wanna give a little bit of insight to our audience on maybe the planning process from the AHLA team. You guys have, have started off just really, really quickly. Lots of events. Obviously, every issue is important, but how do you kind of prioritize that, put your calendar in place, you know, around this time of year? Chip Rogers: Yeah, the biggest priority for us is always advocacy. I mean that's the core of what we do at AHLA is we're the voice of the hotel industry to make sure that policymakers are doing things that help the hotel industry not hurt the industry. And so this is a critical time of year for us because while we do a lot in Washington D.C., that just kind of keeps churning at a, at a steady pace again and again and again. It's the state and local level that is hyperactive at this very moment because most state legislatures go into session at the beginning of the year, and then most of them are done with session by early spring. And so this is really prime time for us when working on state and local legislation. And again, this year we've got a whole host of issues that we're dealing with at the state level. I'm in Atlanta, Georgia right now, probably two blocks from the capitol. We had a really big event here yesterday, about 300 hotels for our Georgia Hotel conference that we share with the Georgia Hotel Lodging Association. We had the Attorney General, we had one of the key members of the Georgia Senate join us. And we talked a lot about the policies that are impacting people. And we do these type of events really all around the country. We have 20 of these on the road events this year. And so yesterday was the second one we had. The first one was in Honolulu last week, which was wonderful, but we've got 18 more to go. And then of course we have our really big show, the Hospitality Show, which will be happening October 28th through the 30th in San Antonio, Texas. Ryan Embree: I'm sure it's so important, Chip to kind of hear, you know, get feet on the ground and talk to hoteliers face-to-face about some of these pressing issues in our industry. You get a unique perspective there. One of the things that AHLA just released recently, which should be good and and exciting news for everyone, is 72% of American travelers are likely to increase or at least maintain their level of hotel stays in 2024. So excellent news there, right? But there's always those looming, some inflation, economic uncertainty, obviously we got an election year. What can hoteliers do to make sure when they look back at the end of this yea...

Justin Winslow, president & CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association. $50 million request for Pure Michigan by New Hospitality & Tourism Alliance

Diane Woodburn speaks with Dena Roady, Area Vice President of Hyatt Hotels Hawaii & General Manager of Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort.  In this episode Dena talks about her path with Hyatt that has spanned 13 properties over 28 years, what an Area Vice President does, how Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort is viewed as one of the flagship properties of the Andaz portfolio, what it has been like ascending in the industry as a female, how decisions were made immediately after the August fires for the Hyatt and Andaz properties to provide housing and support to the Maui community, the current balancing act for the hospitality industry as a whole to both continue to provide resources to the Maui community while also working to support tourism revenue, how visitors to Maui can get involved and help the local community, her outlook for 2024 in the industry, how groups like the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association help industry leaders support each other and learn what others may need, and her advice to anyone looking to start a career or work their way up in hospitality.  

The Business of Meetings – Episode 202 – Voice of the Innocents: Lori Cohen's Battle Against Child and Human Trafficking We are honored today to speak with a remarkable individual at the forefront of a child-protection organization.  Lori Cohen is the CEO of PACT (Protect All Children from Trafficking), the leading policy organization in the nation on child sex trafficking. She has been instrumental in driving change and safeguarding the most vulnerable within our society.  PACT shines as a beacon of hope for combating one of the gravest challenges we face today. Join us to gain a deeper understanding of the essential work that PACT is doing. Lori's Journey Lori's journey into combating human trafficking began unexpectedly during her legal career. Initially focused on public interest work and supporting domestic violence victims, she found herself immersed in an entirely different arena when she began working with immigrant women facing abuse. Their harrowing stories of coercion and exploitation led her to discover that her clients were victims of human trafficking, a reality they often did not even recognize for themselves. That led Lori to delve into the complexities of trafficking and question the failure of the system to identify those cases. Fueled by a deep sense of responsibility, she transitioned from legal advocacy to comprehensive support, creating programs that addressed the needs of trafficking victims beyond legal assistance. Her passion for this cause was ignited by the tangible suffering of individuals seeking help in her office, compelling her to advocate tirelessly for those who could not escape their traumatic pasts. Joining ECPAT USA and the Evolution to PACT While representing her clients, Lori turned to ECPAT USA for information about trafficking. ECPAT USA has high-quality materials that helped her understand the complexities of trafficking. Years later, when the founder of ECPAT USA retired, Lori felt indebted to the organization and saw an opportunity to contribute her first-hand knowledge to their cause. The name change from ECPAT USA to PACT (Protect All Children from Trafficking) reflects their evolving mission and dedication to preventing exploitation. Raising Awareness in the US  Lori explains that trafficking is not just an overseas issue, as it is also prevalent in the United States. She acknowledges that it can be uncomfortable to discuss the topic but stresses the importance of businesses embracing education and training to create safer environments. Taking Action and Free Online Training Lori encourages listeners to take advantage of free online training offered by PACT, developed in collaboration with the American Hotel and Lodging Association and Marriott. The training, which aims to educate hotel staff on identifying and preventing trafficking, emphasizes that recognizing red flags and reporting suspicious activities can make a significant impact in protecting vulnerable individuals.  Challenges of Intervention  Untrained civilians should avoid intervening in trafficking situations as they could face the risk of armed traffickers and the unknown presence of others. Lori explains that victims must choose the right time to escape, so she cautions untrained individuals to avoid jeopardizing their safety.  Training and Data Tracking  The training program incorporates anti-cheat measures and pre/post-training surveys to ensure effectiveness. Data tracking on the website includes information on user logins and completion rates.  Practical Signs of Trafficking Lori highlights the importance of dispelling myths surrounding trafficking. Instead, the focus should be on practical signs, like cash payments, lack of luggage, or inappropriate clothing, to identify potential trafficking situations. She also suggests using hotel video cameras to monitor suspicious activity discreetly. Testimonials and Awareness  It is often challenging to obtain testimonials from organizations that have successfully identified and intervened in trafficking cases. Brands are reluctant to disclose such incidents because they fear getting singled out. However, efforts are underway to find creative ways to encourage organizations to come forward.  Human Trafficking Heatmap and Polaris  A national anti-trafficking organization called Polaris created a heatmap on which Florida has been a hotspot for sex and labor human trafficking. Lori emphasizes the importance of raising awareness of the prevalence of trafficking within the United States, involving both international and domestic victims. Positive Developments Lori feels hopeful about the growing partnerships between private sectors and anti-trafficking organizations and is optimistic about the legislative progress in criminalizing sex tourism.  Bio: Name: Lori L. Cohen Title: Chief Executive Officer, Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT) Lori Cohen has been serving as CEO of PACT since November 2019. PACT is the leading policy organization on child sex trafficking in the nation, and a member of the ECPAT International network, active in over 100 countries and dedicated to the prevention of child sex trafficking and exploitation.    PACT's mission is to protect every child's right to grow up free from sexual exploitation and trafficking through education, outreach, and private-sector engagement. PACT's work in travel and tourism is renowned and features free, online training to identify and safely report trafficking that has been completed by over 1 million members of the hospitality industry.   Before joining PACT, Ms. Cohen founded a program at a leading domestic violence services organization to offer legal representation and holistic care to thousands of victims of human trafficking and related forms of gender-based violence. Drawing upon her experience in obtaining comprehensive care for her clients and observing ways in which their voices can be engaged to inform effective interventions, Ms. Cohen centers the survivor experience in PACT's work. She has garnered international recognition for her work with child and adult clients. Ms. Cohen is a frequent speaker on trafficking-related matters in the United States and abroad and has served on the University of Michigan Law School and Yale University faculty. She is a graduate of Yale Law School. Connect with Eric Rozenberg LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Website Connect with Lori Cohen LinkedIn PACT ECPAT Training for professionals in the hospitality and travel industry The Toll-Free National Human Trafficking Hotline Number is 888-373-7888

Craig Poole is the President of Reading Hospitality, which owns and operates the DoubleTree Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania. He's a three-time Hilton Connie Award winner and was recognized as General Manager of the Year by the American Hotel and Lodging Association. In today's episode, you'll learn how he uses hospitality to create new beginnings for people.Follow Craig on LinkedInListen to our other episodes with CraigWatch the documentary: Follow Me, and I Will Be Behind YouWhat did you think about this episode? Join the Hospitality Daily community on LinkedIn and share your thoughts. If you care about hospitality, check out the Masters of Moments podcast where Jake Wurzak interviews top leaders in hospitality. His conversations with Bashar Wali and Matt Marquis are a great place to start, but also check out his solo episodes such as how he underwrites investment deals and a deep dive into GP fees you know about. Music by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode of Good Morning Hospitality with Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk, we are excited to have William "Chip" Rogers, President & CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, as our special guest. Chip will share his thoughts on the current state of the hotel/hospitality industry and discuss some of the latest legislation in LA and NJ. Additionally, he will be talking about the federal joint employer rule. Don't miss this informative episode, where we will delve into some of the most pressing issues facing the hospitality industry today. Tune in and join the conversation! Follow Steve Turk on LinkedIn Follow Sarah Dandashy on LinkedIn Check out Good Morning Hospitality livestreams Hospitality Hotline is open to everyone by using this link!

It's time to catch up on the state of the hotel industry with special guest Chip Rogers, President and CEO of the AHLA!  Ryan and Chip have important conversations around some of the most pressing and relevant current events happening in hospitality and give hoteliers key insights into how staying in touch with these developments directly affects your businesses and travelers.  Tune in now to discover how staffing, work flexibility, new trends, and hotel technology keep evolving and how you can stay one step ahead of the curve. Episode Transcript Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio.   Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree. Thank you so much for joining, watching us. If you're watching us from our YouTube channel or joining us from any of the streaming platforms that you're listening to, if you did find us, you know, we've got a great guest today, someone that really doesn't need any introduction. Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Chip, thank you so much for, being on the Suite Spot with me today. Chip Rogers: Hey, Ryan, it's so good to be with you. Thank you for having me. Ryan Embree: Really technically not your first time on the Suite Spot. Last time we were together, Chip, we were in Las Vegas on a busy trade show floor after a very successful hospitality show. About six months removed from that now, what type of feedback are you getting about that event and maybe give us some insights into what you're looking for from the next one in October in San Antonio? Chip Rogers: Well, first feedback was the opening party, seems to have taken on historic status. As folks who have been, at that property know that the nightclub TAO and we packed it out, there was a line that lasted, some estimates over two hours long to get into it. And so you, you almost created that, fear of missing out. But people absolutely loved the opening party. And from there it went to, an incredible lineup of keynote speakers. And what we tried to do is make sure that we are entertaining you, informing you yes, hitting on those things that are unique to the hotel industry, but also remembering that everyone's a person, they have outside interests too, and, and could we get speakers that are funny, inspiring, educational. And I, and I think we hit all that. In fact, the most popular speaker that we had, Admiral McCraven, it was interesting. I was at an event literally last night and it was a political event and people were talking about, oh, you know, these two candidates that this seemed to be the two candidates running for president. And someone said, if there's a third party candidate, why don't we just get Admiral McCraven? And I'm like, that would be great, because now I know the guy and if he became president, that would be kind of cool. But it's that type of level of speaker that we had that I think really set us apart from many of the other shows that you go to. And so from the trade show floor, that was just amazing. We sold it out in year one to the speakers. And again, starting with that incredible opening party, it, it was quite an event. And, you know, Las Vegas always has something special for everybody. We're gonna try to redo that again in San Antonio. San Antonio, a very unique place. One of the most visited cities in the United States for people that are going on a leisure trip. And so we wanna make sure we're capturing that, that you're coming to the event, you're going to have fun, you're going to be entertained, you're gonna learn something,

Today's podcast guest is Chip Rogers, president & CEO of American Hotel & Lodging Association. He holds one of the most influential roles in all of hospitality. We discuss: -Reading the newspaper as a young child, looking for the box scores, but inadvertently becoming educated on the world -His love for broadcasting and communications -The importance of coaching and using athletics for business lessons -Serving the public to serving an industry -Building teams through empowerment and encouragement Chip Rogers joined the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) as President and CEO in January 2019. AHLA is America's only national association dedicated to serving the interests of the entire hotel and lodging industry. In his role as President & CEO, Chip has led the AHLA team and the lodging industry to achieve tangible results for AHLA members. Subsequently, he has received numerous awards and has been recognized as one of the 25 most influential by Business Travel News, as one of the most influential people in Washington D.C. by Washingtonian magazine, Top 50 Most Influential Leaders in Hospitality, USA, and Global by Hospitality Index, a Freedom Award recipient from ECPAT-USA and three times as a top lobbyist by the Hill newspaper. Under Chip's leadership, AHLA was named as “100 Associations That Will Save the World” by ASAE, was honored with the White House “Presidential Award for its Pledge to America's Workers” and was recognized with the PR Week Purpose Awards 2020. In addition to leading AHLA, Chip is a member of the board of directors for the United States Travel Association, Community Leaders of America, and the California Hotel & Lodging Association. Prior to joining the hospitality industry, Chip served in the Georgia General Assembly. He was elected to office six times and was unanimously elected twice to serve as Senate majority leader. more about AHLA can be found at: https://ahla.com

Our guest on this week's episode is a wealth of knowledge on all facets of the hotel and hospitality industry. He's a leader who knows how to turn a hotel into something that is truly a destination. Joining the show this week is General Manager at the upcoming Regent Santa Monica Beach, Younes Atallah!Younes sits down with Dan Ryan to discuss his time in the industry, and the role of the General Manager. Younes shares his management strategies, the importance of exceptional programming, and why collaboration is a crucial skill for any member of your team.Takeaways:  Hospitality is an inherent concept of treating others with warmth and care, extending from our homes to the hotel industry. It comes from the heart and is about treating people as you would treat them in your house.  Continuous improvement is essential in any talent, whether it's sports, music, or acting.In the hospitality industry, teamwork and constant challenge are essential for improving the skills and talents of staff. Relationships and being a skilled generalist are crucial in the dynamic world of hotel management. The ability to manage teams, juggle priorities, and reintroduce brands requires constant dedication and expertise. Providing exceptional programming is crucial for hotels to exceed guest expectations and create memorable experiences. Comfortable accommodations are expected by guests, but it's the added features and activities that truly make a hotel stand out. Regularly engaging with people and observing their behavior by walking around is a valuable management practice. It offers opportunities to understand their desires and motivations, leading to impactful insights and positive outcomes. The pandemic has made it increasingly difficult to find good people and talent, especially in industries like hospitality. Management teams should look to foster internal talent, and help employees grow in ways that excites them. Growing up in a family that owned a travel agency, Younes experienced hospitality from an early age. The experience led to a deep connection with the hotel industry and a career pathway shaped by a memorable vacation. Quote of the Show:“There's very, very few, if any, positions in a hotel where individual contributors actually exist.” - Younes AtallahLinks: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yatallah/  Website: https://regentsantamonicabeach.com/  Shout Outs: 00:52 - California Hotel and Lodging Association: https://calodging.com/  01:25 - Beverly Wilshire: https://www.fourseasons.com/beverlywilshire/  01:57 - Regent Shanghai: https://www.ihg.com/regent/hotels/us/en/shanghai/shasd/hoteldetail  02:02 - IHG: https://www.ihgplc.com/en  11:40 - Six Senses: https://www.sixsenses.com/en  11:44 - Intercontinental: https://www.ihgplc.com/en/our-brands/intercontinental  11:46 - Kimpton Hotels: https://www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/hotels/us/en/reservation  11:48 - Vignette Hotels: https://www.ihg.com/vignettecollection/hotels/us/en/reservation  12:53 - Carlton Cannes: https://carltoncannes.com/en/  13:00 - Cannes Film Festival: https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/ 38:06 - Regent Hong Kong: https://hongkong.regenthotels.com/  38:12 - Regent Phu Quoc: https://phuquoc.regenthotels.com/  43:22 - Minnesota Vikings: https://www.vikings.com/  43:45 - Four Seasons DC: https://www.fourseasons.com/washington/  43:51 - Mark Bromley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbromley/  43:57 - Stan Bromley 44:32 - Four Seasons San Francisco: https://www.fourseasons.com/sanfrancisco/  Ways to Tune In:  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419