We have a great one for you all this week. Ha, like we’d tell you if we thought it’d suck. Which, we usually think. Meanwhile PR champ CJ Arlotta returns as does Jason Freed of Otelier to share the Night Auditor of the Year Award!

We're at the Marriott New York JFK Airport with GM Mark Irgang taking a look at the next-generation airport hotel, brought to us by Chartwell Hospitality.

Welcome to the newest episode of Icons and Experts, brought to you twice a month in partnership with the Extended Stay Lodging Association. (www.esla.org) Every other week we highlight either a person who’s had unmistakable impact on the extended stay hotel industry, or we’ll learn from extended stay experts how to maximize opportunity and find success in the extended stay hotel category.  On this episode we feature Jim Anhut. Anhut was focused on extended stay stretching way back to Residence Inn, the Jack DeBoer days. That’s pre-Marriott! He also was instrumental in Summerfield Suites with Jack in the late 1980's and launched MainStay Suites for Choice in the mid 1990's. Then he launched Staybridge Suites for IHG during the late 1990's and was part of the IHG team that led the acquisition of Candlewood Suites in the early 2000's.  Now he’s home again joining the board of directors for WaterWalk Holdings, the final brand Jack created. Today’s show is brought to you by the good folks at https://www.redrooffranchising.com/ and their HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof new build extended stay option. Also, support from Dellisart Hospitality.  Please visit https://www.dellisart.com/

Tatiana Sheveleva, Partner & Co-Founder of Chapi Chapo Design joins to talk about what it takes to found a design firm in recent times and why her and her team have been able to get some of the most prestigious brands in the world to work with them.

It's just a year away!! REAL ID is coming to an airport near you May 7, 2025. Is your license compliant? How do you know if it is, and what can you do about it? Simone Davis is the Director of REAL ID at TSA and shares what we all need to know.

I’m in Orlando hosting some discussions during TPG Hotels & Resorts’ annual conference.  So, I talked to their President and COO Ben Perelmuter and we had a wide-ranging conversation about major industry issues, opportunities, their overarching strategy and what it was like merging with another company back in 2022. Be sure to follow them on LinkedIn!

Choice Hotels International is out to reinvent Park Inn by Radisson as a Premium Value brand, which will sit between economy and midscale and designed to attract younger travelers. Tom Nee, SVP, Foundation Brands shares the details. Exciting to see this brand given the love it needs to thrive.

Bruce Ford of Lodging Econometrics is Master of Construction pipeline data. While I attended Choice Hotels Annual and he attended HD we discussed how industry suppliers could maximize opportunity. Great tips! Tomorrow we’ll take a look from the ownership side.

It’s time to SOAR. Choice Hotels International Hotels has reintroduced it’s hotel ownership opportunities created for underrepresented entrepreneurs. Dubbed SOAR, Supporting Ownership Access & Representation, John Lancaster, VP Emerging Markets Franchise Development, shares how this program is changing lives and communities. #hotels #hotelinvestment.

Conversions are king! That’s especially true with Choice Hotels International, which had 74% of all 2023 deals fit into the conversion category. At Choice’s Annual Conference I caught up with CDO David Pepper to hear about the conversion market and the incredibly strong extended stay segment.

Anna Blue, President of AHLA Foundation, is at AHLA ForWard in Chicago. She shares the importance of this event to the hospitality industry and how it’s empowering women to find success in the hotel business.

The awesome Matt Hostetler, CDO with Red Roof, returns to learn a lesson about returning to FNA. Glenn, Craig and Producer Dave shake their heads in disbelief. Oh yeah, Glenn's in Vegas.... again!

Welcome to our new series, Icons & Experts. This exciting twice a month series is brought you by the Extended Stay Lodging Association and support from Dellisart Hospitality.  Please visit https://www.dellisart.com/ Every other week we’ll highlight either a person who’s had unmistakable impact on the hotel industry, or we’ll learn from extended stay experts how to maximize opportunity and find success in the extended stay hotel category.  Our first episode features the incredible Mike Leven, an icon amongst icons in the hotel business. Leven has had significant impact on the hospitality industry from his early days  Dedicated business leader & visionary philanthropist with a rich 50-year career in the hospitality industry, notably including the successful launch of Holiday Inn Express, serving as President of Days Inn of America, leading the company through a reorganization that resulted in growth from a 225-unit regional chain to one of the largest brands in the world.  He also founded US Franchise Systems, Inc. (USFS), which franchises the Microtel Inns & Suites, Hawthorn Suites, and Best Inns and Best Suites hotel brands. Plus, he was instrumental in creating the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), served as President of Las Vegas Sands Corp. and has been involved in countless charitable efforts.  We hope you enjoy this series!

Over in the UK, Steven Hesketh is known as the Hospitality Hero because he’s empowering people like us to be our Hospitality Hero. Today, we learn about the essential elements needed to rev up your hotel’s business as well as your career while getting a glimpse into the state of the UK hotel business.

Join Glenn, Craig and Producer Dave for some cocktails, a few laughs and whatever's on their minds as we wrap up the week.

noWebb Wilson, CEO and Chief Investment Officer at KWC Management, talks about what it's like to be running a company that holds the legacy of one of the most famous hoteliers there is. How does the history of Kemmons Wilson drive his strategy for future success?

Embassy Suites is celebrating its 40th anniversary, but it's not relying on the past. Undergoing a dynamic transformation Bonnie Campagnuolo, Global Brand Head, Embassy Suites by Hilton, shares hoew the brand continues connecting to owners and customers.

We're at Wynn Studios in Las Vegas with Todd-Avery Lenahan, President and Chief Creative Officer with Wynn Resorts discussing the secrets of building the company's different projects such as the $3.9 billion under construction Wynn Al Marjam in UAE and the potential $12 billion NYC property.

Dan Lesser of LW Hospitality Advisors cuts through the noise and shares the real truths about the state of hosptiality. Plus, San Francisco and NYC are smart investments?

Amaury Piedra, Managing Director of Caribe Royale Orlando shares the secret behind a massive $140 million property reinvention that reinvented an aging hotel into a four-star jewel! FYI, when I visited they had 98% occupancy at rates they’d never get before this project.