CoStar News 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.

Private membership clubs are next for hospitality investment firm Rockbridge, according to CEO and co-founder Jimmy Merkel. Merkel shared details about the company's latest hotel acquisitions in Texas, plus his philosophy about hospitality and why independent luxury lifestyle hotels are exciting for investors. 

STR's Jesper Palmqvist dives into how lender confidence is buoying hotel investment across the Asia-Pacific region, which is seeing record-high development and a wave of refinancing.

CoStar Group's Didio Pequeno joins CoStar News' Trevor Simpson to discuss what hoteliers can expect in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Peregrine Hospitality CEO Greg Kennealey speaks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten about his hotel portfolio's performance, the resiliency of travel and changing guest expectations in luxury experiences.

Dana Jacobsohn, chief development officer, North America luxury brands and global mixed-use speaks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten at the NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum about luxury hotel development and how Marriott meets guests expectations now and prepares for them in the future.

Olympia Hospitality's John Schultzel speaks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten at the 2026 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum about his company's approach to hotel management, applying a boutique strategy to both independent and franchised properties, as well as its focus on hotels in college and university markets.

Greg Doman, chief development officer at Virgin Hotels Collection, joined CoStar News Hotels' Trevor Simpson for an interview at the 2026 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum.

At the NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum, Rebel Hotel Co. President and CEO Brian Sparacino talks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten about his company's new division, Reserve Collection Resorts & Hotels, as well as their growth strategy and how the third-party management space is changing. 

Joseph Bojanowski, president of PM Hotel Group, chatted with CoStar News Hotels' Trevor Simpson about this summer's mega events and the future growth avenues for the third-party hotel operator.

Hyatt Hotels Corp.'s Julienne Smith talks with CoStar News Hotels' Trevor Simpson at the 2026 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum.

Americas CEO of JLL Hotels & Hospitality Kevin Davis talks with CoStar News Hotels' Stephanie Ricca at the NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum about why the first half of 2026 has fostered more hotel transactions. 

Omer Acar, CEO of the Raffles and Fairmont hotel brands at Accor, speaks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten about the luxury hotel space while at the NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum.

STR's Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast for our monthly check-in on hotel industry trends in the Asia-Pacific region.

CoStar News Hotels' Stephanie Ricca, Bryan Wroten and Trevor Simpson share their observations from the NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum as the conference has wrapped up for 2026.

CoStar News Hotels' Stephanie Ricca, Bryan Wroten and Trevor Simpson share their takeaways from the first day of the 2026 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum.

CoStar Group's Didio Pequeno joins the CoStar News Hotels podcast to break down how hotel performance is trending across the 16 World Cup host markets.

Brandon Ehrhardt, vice president of marketing for travel partners and advertisers at Expedia Group, joins the show to share details from Expedia Group's new report that found that North America has $8.1 billion in tourism spend up for grabs this summer. 

Procurement expert Alan Benjamin, founder and president of BenjaminWest, joins the podcast to discuss what hoteliers might expect from the $166 billion in promised tariff refunds and how getting that money back in the pockets of owners will be a complicated process.

In this episode of the CoStar News Hotels podcast, reporter Natalie Harms discusses hotel group demand trends with STR's Hannah Smith, including how smaller markets in the U.S. appear to be coming out on top when it comes to attracting group hotel business.

When Japan lost more than half of its travelers from China, many worried the year's long stretch of strong performance for hotels would end in that country. Instead, it replaced that demand in the aggregate. Listen for that and other highlights from across the Asia Pacific region with STR's Matthew Burke and Jesper Palmqvist.

In this interview from the 2026 IHIF EMEA conference, CoStar News Hotels' Terence Baker speaks with Navneet Bali, founder and CEO of LyvInn Hotels, who explains his goal of gearing his hostel-hotel brand toward the growing number of young, IT-savvy European travelers.

CoStar News Hotel's Sean McCracken speaks with Trinity Investments' Ryan Donn at the 2026 IHIF EMEA conference in Berlin where Donn spoke about the company's newer approach to finding deals and his interest in the demand outlook in Southern Europe in particular. 

Dimitris Manikis, president of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, joins the podcast from the International Hospitality Investment Forum EMEA in Berlin.

In this interview from the 2026 IHIF EMEA conference, CoStar News Hotels' Terence Bakers speaks with Wesam Okasha, managing director of TUI Blue Hotels and head of global development, Asia, Greater China and Europe, Middle East and Africa, about the necessity of security in travel, new projects in the works, the future of the Middle East's hotel industry and more.