Hotel companies, and more specifically their commercial strategy teams, will succeed or fail based on the strength of their talent, according to Horwath HTL's Dorothy Dowling. So Dowling and HSMAI President and CEO Brian Hicks join the podcast to discuss the major challenges facing talent development and how leadership and artificial intelligence are both key.
Dec 10, 2025•30 min•Ep. 178
In this interview, PM Hotel Group Chief Growth and Development Officer Paul Sacco said hotel owners are looking for transparency and leadership accessibility in a third-party operator, among other important factors.
Dec 03, 2025•24 min•Ep. 177
Strong demand and cheap debt are a potent combination for both domestic and international investors looking to grow their presence in Japan's hotel industry. This month's check in on the Asia Pacific region is a conversation with STR's Jesper Palmqvist and CBRE's Steve Carroll focusing on that topic, along with the rebound in Hong Kong and Australia's recent cricket success against England.
Nov 26, 2025•33 min•Ep. 176
In this episode of the CoStar News Hotels Podcast, CoStar Analyst Didio Pequeno shares the latest hotel performance climate and downgraded forecast while five hoteliers weigh in on what they are grateful for in a year marked by uncertainty.
Nov 19, 2025•24 min•Ep. 175
Paul Eckert, executive vice president of operations and business intelligence at Davidson Hospitality, which manages 11 properties in its portfolio that are nearly or over a century old, joins the show to share what goes into maintaining a historic hotel portfolio.
Nov 12, 2025•24 min•Ep. 174
Anna Abelson, adjunct instructor at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, joins the podcast to talk about the 2025 U.S. Family Travel Survey, which sees strong intent to travel and spend but some worrying underlying numbers for hoteliers.
Nov 11, 2025•29 min•Ep. 173
In this episode, employee benefits and tax attorney Lorie Maring from Fisher Phillips explains why the new "no tax on tips and overtime" law is a little more complicated than it sounds.
Nov 05, 2025•21 min•Ep. 172
In this episode, STR's Jesper Palmqvist shares his observations from the recent HICAP conference in Singapore about how hotel investors are looking at deal opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Oct 29, 2025•27 min•Ep. 171
Ahead of Outbound Hotels expanding to Yosemite and Sedona next year, it has named CoralTree Hospitality as its exclusive operating partner. Matthew Mering, co-founder of Outbound Hotels and executive vice president of hospitality at Waterton, Outbound's parent company, joins the show to discuss the company's mission and growth trajectory.
Oct 22, 2025•38 min•Ep. 170
DeShaun Wise Porter, vice president of strategic pathways and recognition at Hilton, says education and mentorship are key tools for new hotel owners. She joins the podcast this week to talk about Hilton's Unlocking Doors program and the value of expanding the pool of hotel owners.
Oct 15, 2025•20 min•Ep. 169
CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca and Trevor Simpson share the main takeaways from this year's Lodging Conference in Phoenix. Topics include why persistent uncertainty is a real factor and how brave buyers are getting hotel deals jump-started again.
Oct 09, 2025•8 min•Ep. 168
Hilton's newly released 2026 Trends Report describes 2026 as the year of the "Whycation", projecting travelers will focus more on the reasons behind their desire to hit the road. Hilton's Senior Vice President of Strategy, Insights and Full Service Brands Jess Petitt joins the podcast to talk about that and the many other trends that will define the upcoming year.
Oct 08, 2025•30 min•Ep. 167
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.
Oct 07, 2025•20 min•Ep. 166
With lighter demand and rising costs, hoteliers have been challenged to maintain profitability. Alicia Carr, Charlestowne Hotels' vice president of finance, joins the podcast to talk about how her company is tackling that challenge and navigating that while starting a new role.
Oct 01, 2025•21 min•Ep. 165
Weather events like typhoons are currently affecting portions of Asia, and STR's Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast to talk about how storm season in the region differs from patterns in regions like the Caribbean — along with other Asia-Pacific hotel trends.
Sep 26, 2025•27 min•Ep. 164
In this episode, Crestline Hotels & Resorts President and CEO James Carroll talks about his company's 25th anniversary, how the company has evolved over the years and shares his insights into what's going on in the industry today.
Sep 24, 2025•25 min•Ep. 163
In recognition of National Housekeeping Week, the podcast focuses on the importance of housekeepers. Davidson Hospitality Group executives Harry Carr and Robert Morse talk about their experience in housekeeping and how it has helped elevate their careers.
Sep 17, 2025•29 min•Ep. 162
In this episode, Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power, shares details on the company's newest report that found guests are satisfied with rooms and service, but are less happy with property maintenance and food and beverage concepts.
Sep 10, 2025•31 min•Ep. 161
In a podcast interview, First Hospitality's Jenna Fishel talks about her company's transition to a commercial strategy model and how it's navigating the current demand environment.
Sep 03, 2025•18 min•Ep. 160
Host's Ritz-Carlton Naples property took nine months to renovate after Hurricane Ian, but when hurricanes Milton and Helene hit, the hotel was able to reopen in just nine days thanks to all its resilience renovations.
Aug 27, 2025•26 min•Ep. 159
STR's Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast for our monthly check-in on the Asia Pacific region, diving into what makes that part of the world's two key growth markets - Japan and India - so different despite their similarly strong growth. Across the rest of the region, hoteliers are facing a difficult budget season.
Aug 25, 2025•26 min•Ep. 158
Olaf Belgraver from Booking.com discussed recent consumer travel trends as the global industry continues to grow.
Aug 20, 2025•19 min•Ep. 157
Pyramid Global Hospitality's Senior Vice President of Revenue Management Lori Kiel joined the podcast during the recent Hotel Data Conference in Nashville to talk about the various challenges facing revenue strategy, including long-term headwinds for international travel and how forecasting and budgeting are impacted by a volatile economy.
Aug 18, 2025•22 min•Ep. 156
Sage Hospitality Group's Priya Chandnani joins the podcast live at the Hotel Data Conference in Nashville to talk about how revenue managers are faring in an increasingly difficult environment and how there's still room for innovation.
Aug 13, 2025•26 min•Ep. 155
Bryan Wroten and Trevor Simpson from CoStar News Hotels speak with STR's Hannah Smith about their impressions from the second day of the 2025 Hotel Data Conference.
Aug 08, 2025•12 min•Ep. 154
The CoStar News Hotels team, along with STR's Kelsey Fenerty, talk about their top takeaways from the first day of the 2025 Hotel Data Conference in Nashville, including a revision to the full-year forecast for the U.S. hotel industry.
Aug 08, 2025•13 min•Ep. 153
Growth is finally slowing after a years-long stretch of outsized growth for Japanese hotels, but STR's Jesper Palmqvist notes the country is still enjoying strong performance and remains the success story across the Asia Pacific region.
Jul 30, 2025•20 min•Ep. 152
Benjamin West founder Alan Benjamin joins the podcast to talk about the issues facing procurement for hotel companies, which remains challenging with shifting tariffs impacting the costs of goods.
Jul 23, 2025•25 min•Ep. 151
Mark Skinner, principal with The Highland Group, joins the podcast to dissect supply-demand dynamics for extended stay hotels and why there hasn't been an explosion of new supply despite outsized brand and investor interest.
Jul 16, 2025•22 min•Ep. 150
Jessica Cook, partner at the law firm Fisher Phillips with a specialty in immigration and hospitality employment law, explains what hoteliers need to know about the ongoing ICE raids and arrests and how they should create response plans for their hotel teams.
Jul 09, 2025•23 min•Ep. 149
