No Vacancy Live!

During HITEC in San Antonio yesterdayn, I talked with Robert Matsuoka of Duetto about Duetto Labs and how AI could change the daily work of hotel revenue teams. Revenue managers already spend too much time pulling data from different systems, building reports, checking forecasts, and trying to figure out what needs attention first. Robert's view is that AI should cut through that noise so smart pe...

I'm at HITEC in San Antonio today and tomorrow, and I talked with Stephen Katsirubas, CIO of Pursuit Collection, about AI that's already doing real work for guests and operators. Pursuit has a lot more going on than rooms and room nights. They're dealing with lodging, attractions, retail, boating, gondolas, sky trams, and all the guest questions that come with those experiences. Stephen isn't talk...

I talked with Harry Javer, Founder and Producer of The Lodging Conference, and Dr. Producer Suzanne Bagnera about why this event keeps pulling people back year after year. I've been going for about 25 years. Suzanne's coming for the first time. That gave us two very different ways into the same conversation. The Lodging Conference brings the industry conversations people need right now: finance, c...

On No Vacancy, I talked with Charif Zahrane, Managing Partner at M7 Services, about the hotel technology mess sitting underneath the AI conversation. Everybody wants to talk about AI. Charif wants hotel operators to look at what sits below it first. Data. Infrastructure. Security. System connections. The unsexy stuff that decides whether the shiny new tool actually works or turns into another head...

Today we answer the most important question of all, what Arnie missed. Arnie Garfinkle tosses back some cocktails with Glenn, Craig and Producer Suzanne for this week's Friday Night Audit. Bets are open to how late Arnie shows up for his guest spot.

At last week's NYU IHIF, I talked with David Duncan, President and CEO of First Hospitality, about where hotel investment still works when new construction rarely pencils. That's the part of the market I keep hearing more about: not shiny new projects, but existing hotels where the right capital, brand strategy, operating discipline, or management change can unlock something better. David has a us...

Most hotel AI conversations stay too abstract. Rob Smith , CEO and President of Stonebridge , brought it back to the work operators deal with every day: financials, trip reports, sales data, STR reports, and property-level decisions. I recorded this conversation during last week's NYU IHIF conference, where Rob shared how Stonebridge uses AI inside hotel operations right now. Stonebridge uses Clau...

At last week's NYU IHIF, Glenn Haussman talks with John Schultzel, Chief Growth Officer at Olympia Hospitality, about drive-to demand, shrinking booking windows, rate discipline, destination marketing, and how hotels can stay close to guests without losing the human side of hospitality. Olympia operates across New England, up and down the East Coast, and as far west as Colorado, giving John a clea...

During last week's NYU IHIF, I talked with Ryan Bosch of Arriba Capital because hotel transactions have picked up, but closing deals still takes a lot more creativity than people may realize. Ryan sees a growing performance gap between hotels where owners continually invested in their properties during the last six years and hotels where owners delayed CapEx. Now that gap is showing up in value, r...

During last week's NYU IHIF, I spoke with Ryan Rivett of the Rivett Organization and Brian Quinn, Chief Development Officer at My Place Hotels, because Brian's new role points to something bigger than a personnel move. Brian matters in this story because My Place is moving into its next phase with the Rivett Organization's broader platform behind it: ownership, operations, construction management,...

At Hilton Orlando, Glenn Haussman talks with Shannon Butler, Director of Catering and Events, about how the hotel uses Xpodigital for flexible event branding, real-time updates, and incremental revenue through digital signage. Meeting planners want spaces that feel customized to their programs Digital signage lets Hilton Orlando update schedules, sponsor messages, sizzle reels, and award content i...

Hamilton Princess doesn't compete like a typical resort. The property leans on 140+ years of history , a museum-level art collection , and a luxury guest who keeps traveling even when the economy gets noisy. Glenn Haussman and Dr. Producer Suzanne Bagnera talk with Diarmaid O'Sullivan, Director of Sales & Marketing at Hamilton Princess & Beach Club , about how the hotel differentiates and keeps re...

Wayne Tabor is President and CEO of the Metropolitan Memphis Hotel and Lodging Association and is way too classy to be having happy hour drinks with Glenn, Craig and Suzanne. Yet here we are.

Seventy-three percent of new vacation ownership purchases now come from Gen Z and millennials. That changes the pitch, product strategy, and member experience conversation for every company in vacation ownership. During ARDA Spring Conference, I spoke with Gordon Gurnik, COO of Hilton Grand Vacations, about younger buyers, points-based flexibility, AI, and the experiences HGV builds around ownersh...

Hotel owners staring down PIPs have three choices: spend the money, sell the asset, or rethink management. During NYU IHIF, I spoke with Ben Perelmuter, CEO of Remington Hospitality, and Scott Geres, General Manager of Hotel Edison, from inside the Hotel Edison in Times Square. Ben says hotel deal activity has finally picked up after several slower conference cycles. Owners face brand pressure, ca...

During NYU IHIF, Hilton debuted Undergraduate by Hilton, a brand-new conversion product aimed at university markets where a full Graduate Hotel may not fit. Jenna Hackett, SVP, Global Leader, Lifestyle Brand Management at Hilton, joined me for a conversation about how Undergraduate by Hilton connects with Graduate Hotels while giving owners a more affordable, scalable conversion option. 🎓 Graduat...

At NYU IHIF, I talked with Zack Gharib, President of Red Roof , because the brand made three moves worth watching at the same time: entered Canada , pushed tech growth , and rebuilt the website around AI search . Then the numbers back it up: app performance up 55% , loyalty enrollments up 29% , and 54,000 app downloads across Q1/April/May. 🇨🇦 First Canada deal: Vancouver airport market, 168 rooms,...

7.2 seconds behind the bar can cost about $1.1M a year. That's how Tobin Ellis , a 30-year bar industry veteran , thinks about bar design: eliminate problems before they happen, then let the team sell more with fewer steps. 👀 Quick test: nonstop walking behind the bar kills selling time and guest connection 🍸 Quick test: "order → disappear → return" kills second rounds 📏 Tobin builds "Zero Step...

One frustrating thing about hospitality: guests want to research rooms visually, but most hotel websites don't include video. When hotels force guests to imagine a room, they simply move on. So I talked with Jason Craparo, CEO of hovr, and Ethan Wiseman, VP of Product Management at aven hospitality, about what hotels can do right now to fix that disconnect. 🎥 Audit your site: count how many video...

We're back in the Hotel Pet Peeves bracket… but first, we nearly lose the plot over Glenn's "Haussman Resort Pool Club Smokehouse & Dispensary Brewery" (still a working title). Friday Night Audit brings Craig Sullivan, Dr. Producer Suzanne Bagnera, and our guest Elyse Poland ("Bucket Hat") back for the Infuri-Eight—plus the usual friendly violence. 🍻 Pet Peeves tournament returns 🛠️ Glenn's studi...

During the recently held ARDA Spring Conference, I met Scott Weisz, EVP Strategic Business Operations at Marriott Vacations Worldwide , and we got into loyalty—because it doesn't work the same way in vacation ownership as it does in hotels. We talk about what actually keeps owners coming back: the booking journey, real service on-property, and experiences that match how younger travelers want to t...

Our friend Bruce Ford, SVP at Lodging Econometrics , joined me right after Lodging Econometrics released its Global Hotel Pipeline report —and it comes with a few surprises and some "pay attention to this" moments for owners, operators, brands, and suppliers. We walk through what the report shows across new construction, renovations, and conversions—and how the mix shifts depending on where you lo...

Skytouch ships AI tools. The tools help associates move faster, feel more confident, and stay engaged on shift. Hotels keep more good people, and guests feel the difference. I talked with Charlie Green at Skytouch Technology about what the AI handles now and what the roadmap adds next. 🤖 AI answers front desk questions fast: "How do I change rooms?" "Where do I find X?" 🧠 AI adds context. New as...

I'm at Hyatt Regency Orlando, where I'm with Managing Director Paul Joseph breaking down how the hotel uses Xpodigital to modernize the on-site event experience while adding profitability by selling digital signage as sponsor inventory through revenue share. 🖥️ Hyatt uses digital branding to give sponsors visibility in shared spaces ⏱️ The team pushes late planner changes live fast instead of miss...

Memorial Day weekend means higher bar volume. That's the perfect time to raise drink quality without slowing service. I'm at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino in the Velvet Lounge with mixologist Yelena Anter Cocktail Vision , making her Brain Teaser Margarita and talking through the real takeaway for hotels: build hashtag # cocktails that look premium, taste balanced, and give guests a reason to...