232 | Wage Pressures: How to plug cost leaks in your hotel’s labor pool (Labor and Hiring Part 2)

At the peak of a great upward climb from the Great Recession, the U.S. lodging industry is seeing a leveling off in business performance. During the 25th annual Lodging Conference in Phoenix last week, many industry experts talked about a new normal of muted revenue gains and thinner profit margins as expenses continue to grow. read more

231 | Culture Club: Your hotel’s work environment may be bad for business (Labor and Hiring Part 1)

Is your hotel a fun place to work? Do your employees look forward to spending their day at your hotel? If the answers are no, then your business is in trouble. Do you have difficulty keeping good employees? Do you see staff members whispering in huddled groups? Do you or your supervisors work behind closed read more

228 | Run, Hide, Fight: How to prepare for an active shooter (Hotel Safety Part 1)

“Active shooter” is a term used by law enforcement to describe a situation in which a shooting is in progress. The classification calls into action protocols relating to response and reaction – not only by police but also by citizens, says the FBI. In the case of an “active shooter,” everyone’s response and reaction can read more

222 | Flying Solo: What it takes to go from franchised to independent

Independent hotel supply in the U.S. has decreased in the past 10 years, reports STR. The lodging-data company reports independently owned and operated hotels account for less than 40 percent of all hotels. About 1 percent of those close each year. But that trend may take a turn. It appears more and more hoteliers who read more

217 | Rainy Days Ahead: Hotels advised to prepare for a downturn

Many hotel-business experts believe an industry downturn is at hand. Some say it will happen as soon as next year. Others expect business to slow in 2021. So, is the forecasted slowdown based on fact, an economic algorithm, or is it more of a gut feeling? In this episode of Lodging Leaders we try to read more

February 1st week

Renewed Vision: CEO Mitch Patel, an engineer by degree, becomes a hospitality bridge builder…

Mitch Patel redesigns his company’s future with a new independent luxury hotel, a proprietary brand and a boutique division. He’s a prime example of how the next generation of Asian American hoteliers is scaling their businesses to thrive in the future.

202 | Mitch Patel Redesigns the Future of Vision Hospitality

This week, Lodging Leaders focuses on Mitch Patel and his company, Vision Hospitality Group in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We will hear from Mitch about how he has remade Vision Hospitality Group to capture new segments of travelers and capitalize on new and emerging trends in guests’ needs, wants and expectations. We also hear from others involved read more

200 | Excellence Wins with Horst Schulze

Horst Schulze is Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Capella Hotel Group, and Co-founder & Former COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. Schulze is a legendary leader and global titan of business and the author of Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise (Zondervan/HarperCollins). His visionary and disruptive read more

163 | 14 Ways to Boost Hotel Revenue and Profits with Rob Russell

Robert Russell has been an innovative leader in digital, social and mobile marketing for over 20 years. He has worked with major global brands and smaller companies in almost every aspect of digital marketing and e-commerce, including reservation and transaction software, mobile applications, social media marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing, and website user experience. read more

096 | Manager as Coach with Ron Whitfield

Ron Whitfield is an Executive General Manager with ResortQuest by Wyndham in Destin Florida. He earned his Associate of Arts Degree from the University of West Florida and a Bachelors of Science in Hospitality Administration from Florida State University with an emphasis in Resort and Club Management. Ron has been in the Vacation Rental Industry read more

095 | The Smartest Room with Tarun Patel

Tarun S. Patel is a second generation hotelier and entrepreneur specializing in Hospitality Management and Development, Deal Structure, Finance and Accounting. He’s Principal of Pacific Hospitality Company, and Founder and CFO of Pracrea Inc, a Silicon Valley based startup offering software-as-a-service solutions used by commercial real estate brokers and owners to manage the sale of read more

091 | An Entrepreneurial Mindset with Kerry Ranson

Kerry V. Ranson is Chief Development Officer, Business & Acquisitions, for HP Hotels – a Birmingham, Alabama-based 3rd party management group with a portfolio of over 30 hotels in 12 states comprised of Hilton, Marriott, InterContinental, Choice, and Independent full-service and select-service hotels. Kerry is also the outgoing Chairman of the Board for the IHG read more

041 | Direct Sales, Customer Satisfaction and Employee Retention with Michael Pleninger

Mike is co-Founder and President of Newport Hospitality Group (NHG) – a nationally recognized hotel management company with operations across the eastern United States. Since Mike and long time family friend Bill Carey founded NHG in 1990, they have grown their portfolio to 34 properties under management in 5 states. Last year, Hotel Business ranked NHG #66 read more

035 | The Price, Leverage and Efficiency Formula for Success with Peter Bhai

Piyush “Peter Bhai” Bhaidaswala is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SSN Hotels – a rapidly growing hotel management, development, and investment group in the Northeast. In just over 20 years, they have grown to oversee 14 select service and 3 developing hotels in over five states, representing brands such as Hilton, Marriott, IHG, Choice, read more

034 | Thank, Appreciate and Connect with Your Associates with Walter Isenberg

Walter Isenberg is Co-Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of Sage Hospitality, one of the top hotel investment, management and development companies in the United States for more than 30 years. Based in Denver, Sage Hospitality owns and operates over 75 hotels and 10 restaurants in 23 states, from urban full-service hotels to smaller select-service suburban read more

017 | Iconic Leadership, Innovation by Necessity, the Human Resource, and Mindset with Mike Leven

Michael Allen Leven, also known as Mike, has served the hospitality industry for more than 50 years. Throughout his career, Mike has garnered nearly every award and recognition one can receive in the hotel industry, and he’s recognized by many as an industry icon and an innovative pioneer. In 2014, AH&LA presented Leven with a read more