CoStar News Hotels

Richard Sandoval, CEO of Spire Hospitality, joins CoStar News Hotels reporter Natalie Harms to discuss his first few months at the helm of the owner-centric hotel management company, including details on Spire's newest portfolio addition — a historic hotel in Alabama — and their approach to introducing artificial intelligence into the company.

Mike Bellisario, senior research analyst and managing director at Baird, joins the podcast to discuss the broad expectations for the upcoming earnings reports for publicly traded hotel brand companies and real estate investment trusts, including what companies are best poised to succeed.

CoStar Group's Didio Pequeno and CoStar News' Ryan Ori join Trevor Simpson on the "CoStar News Hotels" podcast to discuss Chicago's hotel performance this summer and how market is shaping up across the commercial real estate industry in general.

Stephanie Ricca and Natalie Harms report live from The Lodging Conference in Phoenix, Arizona to share their takes from the event.

STR's Jesper Palmqvist once again joins the podcast to take us on a tour around the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting recent performance across that part of the globe.

Marriott International President and CEO Tony Capuano speaks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten about the impact Marriott's acquisiton of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has had on the hotel industry a decade since the deal closed. 

Each year, Hilton announces a new list of travel trends they expect to dominate the year ahead, and each year Jess Petitt, Hilton's  senior vice president of strategy, insights and full service brands Jess Petitt, joins the podcast to dive into what those new trends are and what they mean for hoteliers.

Aimbridge Hospitality Chief Commercial Officer Allison Handy speaks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten about the latest developments within her department, including its new global sales office, as well as the ongoing evolution of commercial strategy and how Aimbridge is adapting to travelers increasingly using AI to plan and even book their trips. 

Automation and artificial intelligence are looking to take a bigger role in hotel sales, particular the group RFP process, and Doug Kennedy, president and co-founder of the Kennedy Training Network, joins the podcast to share why and how hoteliers must keep a human touch in sales.

Jenna Villalobos, senior vice president and chief revenue officer at Outrigger Hospitality Group, joined CoStar News Hotels' Trevor Simpson for an interview at the 2026 Hotel Data Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Sage Hospitality Groups’ Senior Vice President of Sales, Revenue and Distribution Strategy Priya Chandnani joined the podcast during the recent Hotel Data Conference to discuss how commercial strategy teams are adjusting to heavier use of AI, owners' focus on profitability and more.

2026 is the first year for hotel real estate investment trusts in China, and STR's Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast to talk about what that means for their broader hotel industry, along with other news around the Asia Pacific region.

In an interview at the 2026 Hotel Data Conference, Crestline Hotels & Resorts' Executive Vice President of Operations Aaron Olson talks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten about strategies to maintain and grow profit margins, the current labor environment, the company's outlook and more.

Michael Goldrich, founder and chief advisor for Vivander Advisors, joins the podcast (recorded live at the 2026 Hotel Data Conference) to discuss his work in helping the hotel industry get ready for artificial intelligence, which he said is changing the industry faster than other major tech innovations in modern history.

In an interview at the 2026 Hotel Data Conference, Kasa's Kelly McGuire talks to CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten about what guests want from their stays in an aparthotel accommodation, how revenue strategy for an aparthotel unit compares to a traditional hotel room and more.

During an interview with CoStar News' Natalie Harms at the 18th annual Hotel Data Conference, Highgate Hotels Chief Revenue Officer Kerry Mack says that even with domestic hotel demand performing well, the U.S. hospitality industry needs to see a return of international inbound travel. 

In an interview at the 2026 Hotel Data Conference, PM Hotel Group's Erica Lipscomb talks to CoStar News Hotels' Sean McCracken about the demand dynamics at play for Hawaii, budgeting season, guest booking behavior and more.

In an interview at the 2026 Hotel Data Conference with CoStar News Hotels' Sean McCracken, Virgin Hotels' Jeff Borman talks about how the boutique, experience-focused Virgin Limited Edition is outperforming the company's larger hotel portfolio.

Reporter Natalie Harms chats with Chris Hardy, vice president of commercial strategy at Parks Hospitality Group, at the 18th annual Hotel Data Conference to learn more about what the hotel owner and operator is focused on, including targeting shoulder day growth and market dominance. 

CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten and Terence Baker speak with STR's Kelsey Fenerty about the new U.S. hotel industry forecast and other topics from the first day of the 2026 Hotel Data Conference in Nashville. 

There are clear winners and losers across the Asia Pacific region's hotel industry, and  STR's regional vice president in the Asia-Pacific region Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast to dissect just what that means.

In this episode, Gettys Group CEO Ron Swidler speaks with CoStar News Hotels' Sean McCracken about the many down-the-stream effects of keeping tabs on changing consumer behavior, and how artificial intelligence is making that more achievable.

CoStar Group's Jan Freitag and Walker Hotel Collection's Peter Yeung join CoStar News Hotels' Trevor Simpson to discuss results and lessons learned from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Peachtree Group Managing Principal and CEO Greg Friedman joins the "CoStar News Hotels Podcast" to explain the current financing environment for hotels.

Max Spangler, vice president of technology of third-party hotel management company Charlestowne Hotels, joins CoStar News Hotels reporter Natalie Harms to discuss the practical uses of artificial intelligence in the hotel business and the advancement of cybersecurity threats as technology develops at a rapid pace.