No Vacancy Live!

Hotel food & beverage doesn't fail because of trends — it fails when concept, design, and execution never fully line up. On #NoVacancyNews, I'm joined by Ami Alexander , Managing Partner at Barrel Aged Management , to talk about how #hotel #restaurants actually get built, refreshed, and kept relevant over time. Ami's background spans luxury hotels, global restaurant groups, and lifestyle brands, i...

Hotel food & beverage only works when culture, consistency, and leadership line up — and that's exactly what this #NoVacancyNews conversation explores. I'm joined by Greg McGowan , Regional Director of Food & Beverage for Kolter Hospitality and Executive Chef at Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale , recorded on site in South Florida. Greg's path through country clubs, hotels, and leadership rol...

I did this one from the 66th floor Alle Lounge at Resorts World Las Vegas , with Shannon McCallum , VP of Hotel Operations, about how the property continues evolving four-plus years after opening. Resorts World operates more than 3,500 rooms across three brands --   Hilton , Conrad , and Crockfords -- all under one roof. That scale forces real decisions about technology, guest choice, and efficien...

Beverage has moved from a supporting role to a real revenue driver in hotel F&B, and that shift isn't accidental. #NoVacancyNews I'm joined by Adrian Biggs , Director of Advocacy at Bacardi , to talk through what their latest global trends report reveals about how — and when — guests are actually drinking. This isn't guesswork. Bacardi builds this report using global ambassador insight, consumer r...

Because it's  STILL the holidays, I'm rerunning something that still makes me smile — episode one of Friday Night Audit . This show started in 2021 , smack dab in the middle of COVID, when a lot of us in the hotel business felt disconnected, stuck at home, and spending way too much time on video calls. We also missed the best part of conferences: hanging out at the bar afterward, talking shop, tel...

This week, as I look back on podcasts that mattered to me over the last 10 years of No Vacancy and Rouse Media , I'm sharing some episodes that reflect where the industry — and all of us — actually were at the time. This one is difficult, but important. It's one of the first live shows we ever did, recorded just before COVID shut everything down. At that point, we were still learning what this vir...

Everyone talks about FIFA 2026 like it's a guaranteed win for hotels. The reality is more complicated. I connected with Bruce Ford of Lodging Econometrics to look at the actual hotel development, renovation, and conversion activity tied to FIFA host cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — and to answer a question hoteliers ask every time a mega-event comes to town: Should you really build for...

I spoke with Allen Rolleri about his family's experience dealing with multiple myeloma , a rare and incurable form of cancer. The Rock Out Myeloma fundraiser takes place January 15 , raising funds to support families facing the financial realities that come with long-term treatment. On #NoVacancyNews , Allen explains what the diagnosis meant in practical terms, how quickly his family had to learn...

Happy Holidays! In our 2025 sendoff show Glenn, Craig and Dr Producer Suzanne welcome Raj Chudasama and Sara Pinto of M1Intel. They seem nice enough so the crew thought it would be fun to get to know them over some happy hour cocktails and some laughs to kick off the holiday season Friday Night Audit style.

We got something cool for episode 1001! Props to Katie Cline at the Skift Suite Success: Masters of Hospitality podcast for this one. I joined an end-of-year roundtable with some of the most thoughtful voices in hashtag # hospitality media to reflect on what actually mattered in 2025 and what could reshape 2026. Huge thanks to everyone who brought real perspective (and disagreement) to the table:...

Well… this happened. This is episode 1,000 of No Vacancy is live. What started as me, a mic, and no real plan (OK, the original plan was to dominate the universe, but that proved too ambitious) turned into a platform that somehow became part of how this industry talks to itself. This episode purposely short. No guest. No agenda. Just a pause to acknowledge the milestone — and the timing. In 2026,...

Everyone keeps asking the same question: Is hotel development slowing down? The global numbers say something very different — and far more nuanced. I checked in with Bruce Ford of Lodging Econometrics for a worldwide pipeline update that cuts through assumptions and looks at what's really happening across regions, segments, and timelines. On #NoVacancyNews , Bruce explains why room counts remain h...

Luxury no longer means chandeliers and thread count. It means connection, memory, and how guests feel long after checkout . I caught up with Robert Reitknecht at INSPIRE Luxury , hosted by the International Luxury Hotel Association , live from Resorts World Las Vegas . (Important context: this was my 10th day in Vegas , so expectations were appropriately managed.) On #NoVacancyNews , Robert explai...

Some resorts talk about experiences — Westgate builds them at theme-park scale. I visited Westgate Vacation Villas with Jared Saft, Chief Business and Strategy Officer , to explore how this company evolved from 16 original units into a massive, guest-focused resort with 3,000 rooms , a full waterpark, a Chuck E. Cheese–powered arcade, an in-lobby movie theater, and a $120 million reinvestment unde...

Newport Beach looks luxurious from the outside — but its secret sauce is heart, identity, and a fiercely intentional brand strategy. On #NoVacancyNews , I teamed up with my Friday Night Audit partner-in-crime Craig Sullivan to talk with Gary Sherwin, CEO of Visit Newport Beach , about how one of America's most aspirational coastal cities keeps its charm, avoids the "sea of sameness," and delivers...

This week Dan Lesser, Co-Founder, President, & CEO at LW Hospitality Advisors shares some cockatils and laughs with Glenn, Craig and Doctor Prodcuer Suzanne.

Some management companies build hotels. Olympia Hospitality builds identity. I spoke with Sara Masterson (President) and John Schultzel (Chief Growth Officer) about how Olympia blends independent spirit, strong brand partnerships, and mission-driven hospitality across destinations like Nantucket, Boston, Winter Park, the White Mountains, and beyond. On #NoVacancyNews , Sara and John explain how th...

Corporate travel isn't easing back into old habits — it's reinventing itself , and hoteliers who cling to the past will lose business they didn't even know they were missing. I spoke with Lukasz Dabrowski, SVP of Global Supplier Relations at HRS Group , about why 2025 became the turning point for travel procurement and how 2026 will reward hotels that understand converged demand, Level 3 data, and...

Most people know the names Marriott, Hilton, Wilson — but countless African American hoteliers helped build the foundation of American hospitality, and their stories rarely get told. I sat down with Calvin Stovall , author of Hidden Hospitality , to explore the remarkable journey behind his new book and the extraordinary hoteliers he uncovered along the way. Calvin spent decades researching these...

Most hotel companies talk about values. SCP Hotels built their entire model around them. I spoke with Ken Cruse, Co-Founder of Soul Community Planet (SCP Hotels) , about how he's creating hotels that combine purpose, community, environmental responsibility, and real profitability — without relying on the old playbook. On #NoVacancyNews , Ken lays out how vertical integration, premium pricing, gues...

Human trafficking is one of the darkest issues our industry faces — and the people fighting it deserve more attention. I spoke with Noel Thomas, CEO of Darkwatch , about how his company uses AI-driven digital intelligence to help hotels identify trafficking risks, flag organized crime, and support safer environments for guests and staff. Noel shares the personal story that pushed him into this wor...

Running a hotel in 2025 requires sharper strategy, a tighter handle on costs, and leaders who can adapt faster than the market shifts. Few people understand that better than Rob Smith, CEO of Stonebridge Companies, who oversees nearly 200 properties nationwide. On #NoVacancyNews, Rob breaks down how he's thinking about margins, brand contribution, AI, leadership development, and how his newly hire...

The hotel development story in Europe and the Middle East tells a very different story from the U.S. — especially when it comes to luxury, construction timelines, and where brands see real long-term opportunity. I connected with Bruce Ford, SVP at Lodging Econometrics , to break down the latest pipeline numbers across Europe and the Middle East: luxury dominance, delays, conversions, and why so ma...

Every hotel has a few empty rooms each year — but what if those rooms could help someone build a better life ? I spoke with David Bowman , co-founder of the Bowman Post Foundation , about how his organization is transforming unused hotel inventory into scholarships and educational support for hospitality employees. On #NoVacancyNews , David explains how the program works, how hotels can easily par...

Luxury hotels operate under constant pressure to deliver — and the leaders who guide them have to stay ahead of the curve. In this episode, Glenn Haussman and Anthony Melchiorri talk with Cesar Wurm , SVP of Member Strategy and Development at The Leading Hotels of the World , about how top-tier properties adapt, elevate service, and maintain strong partnerships across global markets. Cesar also sh...