William D. Frye, Ph.D., CHE, CHO, CHIA is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator at Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management and a doctoral graduate from the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Recreation Management at The Pennsylvania State University. He teaches classes in hotel and resort management, hospitality and tourism law, and club management, and is the professor in charge of Niagara University’s club management and Disney internship programs. He holds a Master of Hospitality Management degree from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management at the University of Houston.
Dr. Frye has earned the designation of Certified Hospitality Educator from the Education Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. He also serves as the editor of the Electronic Journal of Hospitality Legal, Safety and Security Research. In 2008, he co-authored a textbook, Managing Housekeeping Operations, available from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
With over 30 years management experience, Dr. Frye has been associated with the hospitality industry for the past 24 years, primarily in hotel operations and hospitality education. Previously he was the general manager of a resort lodging property in Taos, New Mexico. He has also been employed previously by the Sonesta Hotel Corporation, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels, and Penn State Hospitality Services.
In 2012, Dr. Frye became only the 10 th recipient to receive the “Raphael Kavanaugh Champion of Education Award” conferred by the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education. In 2015 he was presented the prestigious “Anthony G. Marshall Award” by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. This award recognizes an individual who has made significant long-term contributions to the hospitality industry in educating future leaders.
Lodging Econometrics has tracked the hotel industry since 1998. Its global database includes new-hotel pipelines as well as renovations and brand conversions. Hotel franchisers once eager to launch new brands are focused on converting existing hotels because it’s a faster way to recover revenue lost to the COVID-19 pandemic than through new construction. In Episode 346, Lodging Leaders explores the increasing number of conversions in the U.S. hotel industry and what owners and operators need to consider before repositioning an asset.
In the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., financiers anticipated a swell of distressed hotel businesses. Some raised rescue funds to respond to what they thought was a pending crisis. Though there are financial rescues taking place, the level of such activity is far below what industry advisers and fund managers expected. Commercial real estate investors positioned to act in the early days of the pandemic held off and are now just beginning to unleash their cash hoards totaling billions of dollars. Episode 345 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the state of capital investment in the hotel industry.