STR's Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast for his monthly check in on Asia Pacific hotel performance and news. This month's discussion includes the highs and lows in Thailand, along with the varying trajectories seen in China and Japan.
Jun 30, 2025•22 min•Ep. 148
The Sonesta International Hotels brand family was born from hotel ownership but has gone a years long transformation to be one of the top franchising companies in the hotel industry. Chief Development Officer Brian Quinn joins the podcast to talk about how they're steering that growth while maintaining and owner-first mindset.
Jun 25, 2025•23 min•Ep. 147
Deloitte Transportation, Hospitality and Services Research Manager Maggie Rauch joins the podcast to unpack the company's summer travel trends report. She talks with CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca about how people are spending their summer vacations and how much money they're spending on them.
Jun 18, 2025•32 min•Ep. 146
American Hotel & Lodging Association President and CEO Rosanna Maietta joins the podcast to talk about the top issues for the hotel industry's largest advocacy and lobbying group, including how they're working to get industry priorities in budget legislation currently in front of Congress.
Jun 11, 2025•13 min•Ep. 145
CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca and Sean McCracken share their insights from attending this year's NYU IHIF.
Jun 04, 2025•12 min•Ep. 144
STR's Jesper Palmqvist joined the Hotel News Now podcast to discuss hotel performance in Hong Kong year to date along with other trends in the Asia-Pacific region.
May 28, 2025•19 min•Ep. 143
On the latest episode of the Hotel News Now podcast, CoStar Group's Colin Sherman talks about how the extended-stay sector is performing.
May 21, 2025•16 min•Ep. 142
In this podcast interview, Woodmont Lodging's Michael Blank talks to HNN's Bryan Wroten about 'the little guy' in the hotel industry, hotel owners with small portfolios, and how they're navigating the current environment.
May 14, 2025•23 min•Ep. 141
IHG Hotels and Resorts is on a mission to double its Hotel Indigo portfolio and opening boutique-style, uniquely-designed hotels around the world.
May 07, 2025•24 min•Ep. 140
In this episode, STR's Jesper Palmqvist speaks with CoStar News' Trevor Simpson about the latest hotel performance trends in the Asia-Pacific region.
Apr 30, 2025•20 min•Ep. 139
In this episode, cybersecurity, privacy and hospitality attorney Robert Braun from JMBM talks about an online invasion of privacy lawsuit filed against Accor and how it comes down to the use of tracking pixels on websites.
Apr 23, 2025•26 min•Ep. 138
Mitch Patel, CEO and founder of Vision Hospitality, joins the show to talk about the slew of challenges he's facing as a hotel developer and operator amid uncertain market conditions. He also explains what's happening in leisure travel, including his prediction on how things will shake out.
Apr 16, 2025•33 min•Ep. 137
John Schultzel, chief growth officer for Maine-based Olympia Hospitality, sits down with Hotel News Now's Stephanie Ricca to talk about how stories power independent hotels. He updates listeners on the company's growth strategy in university towns and shares his take on today's travel trends.
Apr 09, 2025•25 min•Ep. 136
HNN's Bryan Wroten and Terence Baker go over the discussions held at the 2025 International Hospitality Investment Forum EMEA in Berlin, noting on the overall optimistic mood as hoteliers figure out strategies for potential global economic disruptions.
Apr 03, 2025•9 min•Ep. 135
STR's Jesper Palmqvist joined the HNN podcast to discuss hotel demand trends in Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.
Mar 27, 2025•19 min•Ep. 134
Hotel News Now's Natalie Harms and Dan Kubacki discuss their takeaways from the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mar 20, 2025•12 min•Ep. 133
Rob Brandenberg, general manager of the 1 Hotel Seattle, joins the HNN podcast to discuss the imminent opening of the 1 Hotel Seattle in April.
Mar 12, 2025•25 min•Ep. 132
In this episode, PM Hotel Group's Joseph Bojanowski and CoStar News' Jonathan Lehrfeld talk about how the latest decisions by the Trump administration on federal agencies is affecting the Washington, D.C. hotel market.
Mar 05, 2025•29 min•Ep. 131
On this week's episode, STR's Jesper Palmqvist discusses Singapore's performance so far in 2025.
Feb 26, 2025•24 min•Ep. 130
In this episode, Mandarin Oriental's Tiffany Cooper talks about how the luxury hotel guests want less opulence and more connections and experiences that are authentic to the locale.
Feb 19, 2025•17 min•Ep. 129
In this episode, STR's Amanda Hite talks about the factors at play in the latest U.S. hotel industry forecast and how hoteliers are managing the stabilizing challenges in front of them.
Feb 12, 2025•17 min•Ep. 128
In this interview at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit, BWH Hotels President and CEO Larry Cuculic talks about the way he's challenged his team to be more effective and efficient to drive revenue to hotel owners, which will in turn help the company achieve it's goal of hitting 5,150 hotels in five years.
Feb 05, 2025•21 min•Ep. 127
HNN's Bryan Wroten and Sean McCracken provide their thoughts and takeaways from the American Lodging Investment Summit 2025 in Los Angeles.
Jan 30, 2025•9 min•Ep. 126
Japan was one of the hottest countries for tourism demand in 2024, and so far into 2025, it seems unlikely that will change. But are there any signs on the horizon of a cool down? STR's Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast for our monthly check in on the Asia Pacific region
Jan 28, 2025•20 min•Ep. 125
In this episode, HNN's Stephanie Ricca, Sean McCracken and Bryan Wroten discuss the predictions the team made back in January 2020 of what the hotel industry would be like in 2025.
Jan 22, 2025•35 min•Ep. 124
In this episode, Karl McElligott, food and beverage director at Olympia Hospitality, talks about the growing popularity — and number of options — of mocktails and other zero-proof drinks that give guests more options when dining or having a night out.
Jan 15, 2025•21 min•Ep. 123
While the availability of financing will be better for hotel investors and developers, borrowers who are willing to get more creative on how they finance deal are most poised for success, according to Peachtree Group's Greg Friedman.
Jan 07, 2025•20 min•Ep. 122
Hotel News Now's Stephanie Ricca invites Hertelier founder Emily Goldfischer to the podcast to discuss travel trend buzzwords taking over social media, and whether or not they have staying power. From me-moons to hurkle-durkling, Ricca and Goldfischer share real data driving these trends, plus plenty of laughs about the absurd words travel marketers dream up. Find more about Goldfischer and Hertelier at www.hertelier.com .
Jan 03, 2025•40 min•Ep. 121
On the latest episode of the Hotel News Now podcast, STR's Jesper Palmqvist said that geopolitical issues don't always show up in hotel performance immediately, and South Korea is likely to continue to see strong travel demand.
Dec 31, 2024•14 min•Ep. 120
The Waldorf Astoria New York has been closed since 2017 to make way for a massive renovation and reimagining of the historic property. Managing Director Luigi Romaniello joins the podcast to talk about how that process has gone and what he believes will get guests most excited after reopening in Spring 2025.
Dec 20, 2024•26 min•Ep. 119