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LATEST NEWS
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CORONAVIRUS
May 26, 2021323 | Be Quick, Be Nimble: Independent hoteliers tell how they operated amid the pandemic
The coronavirus crisis hit independent hotels just as hard as their branded counterparts but many of the unaffiliated assets were able to quickly shift to survival mode, cut costs and generate revenue by implementing creative business strategies. The transition to a new era of hospitality continues as owners and managers of independent assets develop solutions that will strengthen their businesses now and post-pandemic. What independent operators have learned may be useful for the entire hotel industry as it emerges from the coronavirus crisis and positions for recovery.
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NEXTGEN IN LODGING
May 20, 202103 | Promoting hospitality career to minorities will help industry move forward, say Latino and Caribbean next-gen leaders
Marco Roca Jr. of Miami is vice president of development at Aimbridge Hospitality. He is also co-founder and partner of Revielle Hospitality, a hotel development company, and its subsidiary, Palindrome Hospitality, a hotel consulting firm. Jason Olea is corporate director of information technology at Paligroup Management in Los Angeles, a subsidiary of Palisociety, a boutique read more
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CORONAVIRUS
May 19, 2021322 | Rethinking Recruitment and Recovery: Hotel labor shortage hamstrings industry’s comeback
The labor shortage dominated the talk at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference May 10-12 as panelists and attendees commiserated and shared ideas on how to recruit and retain workers. While some hoteliers blame extended unemployment-benefit programs others say the problem is more complex as the coronavirus pandemic is far from over and recovery is uneven across the lodging industry. In this report, Long Live Lodging explores the labor challenges facing hoteliers and what experts are advising, including totally rethinking traditional employment models now and post-pandemic.
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LODGING LUMINARIES
May 13, 202102 | ‘Own the Upswing’
Daniel Del Olmo has led a storied career in hospitality leadership. Over the past 25 years he’s held roles at Sol Melia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, DineEquity and sbe Lifestyle Hospitality. Today, Del Olmo is president and chief operating officer at Sage Hospitality Group, a third-party manager in Denver, Colorado. He joined the company just read more
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CORONAVIRUS
May 12, 2021321 | Here to Help: Pandemic crisis fuels third-party management growth
Hotel owners and operators who believed they could go it alone before the coronavirus pandemic devastated the hotel industry are having another think and turning to third-party managers to work their way back to profitability in the post-pandemic recovery. Another trend contributing to the growth in third-party managers’ business is more commercial real estate investors armed with cash entering the hotel sector and in need of an experienced operations team. Episode 321 of Lodging Leaders podcast explores the growth of third-party management companies over the past 12 months. This report is part of Lodging Leaders’ coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
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LODGING LEADERS
May 5, 2021320 | Where’s My Stuff?: Breaks in the global supply chain disrupt hotel projects, increase costs
The Ever Given container ship running aground on March 23 in the Suez Canal got worldwide attention, but it is just one of many reasons for the breaks in the global supply chain that are impacting the U.S. hotel industry’s post-pandemic revival plans. Shipping companies in Asia and Europe are contending with a boatload of challenges, including a lack of containers, traffic jams at West Coast ports and increased costs. Long Live Lodging explores what the problems mean to hotel owners and developers eager to refresh their properties and welcome guests back.
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LODGING LUMINARIES
April 29, 202101 | Virgin Hotels: An Example of Where the Industry is Headed
Raul Leal had been in leadership roles in the boutique lodging sector for 15 years when he first met Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, which includes Virgin Hotels. In a conversation with Lodging Luminaries host Jason Freed, Leal shares his first meeting with Branson more than a decade ago when the business magnate read more
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CORONAVIRUS
April 28, 2021319 | TEAMWORK: Joint ventures strengthen hotel companies’ post-pandemic growth plans
The phrase “stronger together” has been used throughout the coronavirus crisis to encourage Americans to join forces to curb the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. The concept also has taken on new meaning in the hotel industry as companies form joint ventures – either by creating new partnerships or redefining what collaboration looks like. Long Live Lodging interviewed leaders at hotel companies that have formed strategic partnerships to survive and thrive through the pandemic recession. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
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NEXTGEN IN LODGING
April 22, 202102 | How Next-Gen meeting planners managed a non-event 2020 and what’s ahead
Hospitality event planners were rocked and shocked in 2020 as they watched the rapid spread of COVID-19 devastate the meetings industry. In Episode 2 of Next Gen in Lodging podcast co-host Omari Head leads a conversation with Mike “Orie” Mosley, a multicultural event planner and DJ, and Airlia Perez, a meeting planner focused on business retention and loyalty. The young professionals tell of their biggest challenges and how they’ve found inspiration to keep moving forward toward business recovery in 2021 and beyond.
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LODGING LEADERS
April 21, 2021318 | Gold Standard: General manager of The Ritz-Carlton St. Louis leads property through more than one challenge
Amanda Joiner has worked for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. for 25 years. Starting in housekeeping, Joiner has been general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis for more than five years. Her career trajectory is not unique, she says, as anyone can adopt The Ritz-Carlton’s tenets of customer service to clear a path to leadership in the hospitality industry.
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CORONAVIRUS
April 14, 2021317 | Together Again: U.S. hotel industry begins to see return of small meetings
Ginny Morrison of Evanston, Illinois, is a 33-year veteran of Spire Hospitality, a hotel management company with a portfolio that spans coast-to-coast. As vice president of sales and marketing, Morrison saw the coronavirus pandemic decimate the meetings business. More than a year later, she’s witnessing a comeback as small-meeting planners are actively booking events for the last half of 2021 and beyond. As public health agencies expand COVID-19 vaccination programs across the U.S. and states ease up on public-gathering restrictions designed to keep the virus at bay, the hotel industry is seeing small meetings begin a comeback. In Episode 317, Long Live Lodging covers the state of the small-meetings sector and how hotels can grab their share of the meetings business during and post-pandemic. This report is part of our ongoing coverage about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the hospitality industry.
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CORONAVIRUS
April 7, 2021316 | Pandemic Trailblazer: Hunter Hotel Investment Conference leads lodging industry’s 2021 event circuit
The Hunter Hotel Investment Conference will be the industry’s first large event to be held during the coronavirus pandemic. The Atlanta event will be a hybrid format of in-person and virtual access, also an industry first. Lee Hunter, chairman of the conference, knows the level of expectation is high among other conference planners as well as industry professionals eager to network after more than a yearlong hiatus. Episode 316 of Lodging Leaders podcast features Hunter as he tells what it takes to re-launch the industry’s conference circuit amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
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LODGING LEADERS
March 31, 2021315 | COVID Comp Sets: The pandemic has dramatically altered hotels’ playing fields
The coronavirus crisis has dramatically altered the traditional competitive set most hotels use to benchmark their business performance. During the pandemic, properties have reduced services; they’ve closed either permanently or temporarily; or they’ve transitioned to alternative uses by contracting out to essential travelers or social agencies in search of housing. Episode 315 explores the genesis of the hotel industry comp set and how the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the strategic business tool. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
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CORONAVIRUS
March 24, 2021314 | No Discounts Available: Smart rate management keeps hotels afloat amid COVID-19 storm
More than 1,760 hotels or 5 percent of U.S. room inventory have permanently or temporarily closed since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic first gripped the country, reports Kalibri Labs. Though last year was the worst on record for hotel business performance, the reason behind the change in the metrics is different than in previous economic crises. The shuttering of hotels as well as government restrictions on travel are skewing national averages in key performance indicators, including average daily rate, experts say. For the most part, hoteliers have been smart about holding rate as much as possible in contrast to the “race to the bottom” seen in past economic crises. Episode 314 explores what is truly impacting hotel rate during the coronavirus pandemic. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
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NEXTGEN IN LODGING
March 18, 202101 | First But Not Last
NextGen in Lodging launches its inaugural program with an episode featuring three self-starters carving unique paths in the hospitality industry. Their ventures encompass hotel investment, management and education. The entrepreneurs tell how they altered business strategy and professional goals amid the coronavirus crisis. NextGen in Lodging co-host Davonne Reaves leads the conversation with Purvi Panwala of Panwala Property Management Corp. and CRC Construction Corp; Andrea Aguilar of Typsy and Preshift; and Kendra Plummer of Elise Capital.
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LODGING LEADERS
March 17, 2021313 | Staging a Comeback: Hospitality leader Ron Vlasic helps industry build post-pandemic revival
Ron Vlasic has held several leadership roles over the course of his 30 years in the hospitality industry. While serving as COO at Hostmark Hospitality Group, the Chicago native has answered the call to help the U.S. travel and tourism industry recover from the devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. For the next two years, he will serve on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which is a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In an interview with Long Live Lodging, Vlasic tells the story of his career journey and what it will take to revive the industry post-pandemic. This feature story introduces our Lodging Luminaries program.