LODGING LEADERS
185 | Hampton by Hilton Enters Middle East Market with Shruti Gandhi Buckley
LODGING LEADERS
Shruti Gandhi Buckley is global head of Hampton by Hilton. In her role, Buckley is responsible for the overall brand strategy, which includes driving brand growth and development, diversifying and increasing revenue and sustaining customer loyalty. With a deep understanding of the hospitality business, Buckley fosters innovation and success for Hampton by Hilton, Hilton’s largest brand, which has more than 2,300 properties globally with 620 on the horizon, marking the largest pipeline in brand history.
In This Episode, Shruti Reveals …
- The vision behind Hilton’s expansion into the Middle East, and why they chose Dubai as the location for the largest property in their portfolio.
- The property itself, and as you heard in the opening soundbite, they paid attention to every detail.
- The market in Dubai, and the kind of travelers they expect this property will attract.
- They have a female GM – Nayla Chowdhury – at the helm of the new Dubai property, and Shruti gives advice to women looking to succeed in the hospitality industry.
- And, we talk about what’s next for Hampton by Hilton.
Resources & Links
Shruti Gandhi Buckley
Hilton
LODGING LEADERS
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346 | Repositioning For Recovery: Hotel conversions to outpace new builds
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.
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345 | ‘Rosy View of Future’: Hotel industry sees unleashing of pent-up investor demand
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.