CoStar News Hotels

Just over a year after Bunkhouse Hotels became a part of Hyatt Hotels Corp. through its acquisition of Standard International, CoStar News' Natalie Harms sits down with Lisa Bonifacio is managing director, The Lifestyle Group, Hyatt, to talk about Bunkhouse's newest hotel: Hotel Daphne in Houston.

Hotel companies, and more specifically their commercial strategy teams, will succeed or fail based on the strength of their talent, according to Horwath HTL's Dorothy Dowling. So Dowling and HSMAI President and CEO Brian Hicks join the podcast to discuss the major challenges facing talent development and how leadership and artificial intelligence are both key.

In this interview, PM Hotel Group Chief Growth and Development Officer Paul Sacco said hotel owners are looking for transparency and leadership accessibility in a third-party operator, among other important factors.

Strong demand and cheap debt are a potent combination for both domestic and international investors looking to grow their presence in Japan's hotel industry. This month's check in on the Asia Pacific region is a conversation with STR's Jesper Palmqvist and CBRE's Steve Carroll focusing on that topic, along with the rebound in Hong Kong and Australia's recent cricket success against England.

In this episode of the CoStar News Hotels Podcast, CoStar Analyst Didio Pequeno shares the latest hotel performance climate and downgraded forecast while five hoteliers weigh in on what they are grateful for in a year marked by uncertainty.

Paul Eckert, executive vice president of operations and business intelligence at Davidson Hospitality, which manages 11 properties in its portfolio that are nearly or over a century old, joins the show to share what goes into maintaining a historic hotel portfolio.

Anna Abelson, adjunct instructor at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, joins the podcast to talk about the 2025 U.S. Family Travel Survey, which sees strong intent to travel and spend but some worrying underlying numbers for hoteliers.

In this episode, employee benefits and tax attorney Lorie Maring from Fisher Phillips explains why the new "no tax on tips and overtime" law is a little more complicated than it sounds.

In this episode, STR's Jesper Palmqvist shares his observations from the recent HICAP conference in Singapore about how hotel investors are looking at deal opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ahead of Outbound Hotels expanding to Yosemite and Sedona next year, it has named CoralTree Hospitality as its exclusive operating partner. Matthew Mering, co-founder of Outbound Hotels and executive vice president of hospitality at Waterton, Outbound's parent company, joins the show to discuss the company's mission and growth trajectory.

DeShaun Wise Porter, vice president of strategic pathways and recognition at Hilton, says education and mentorship are key tools for new hotel owners. She joins the podcast this week to talk about Hilton's Unlocking Doors program and the value of expanding the pool of hotel owners.

CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca and Trevor Simpson share the main takeaways from this year's Lodging Conference in Phoenix. Topics include why persistent uncertainty is a real factor and how brave buyers are getting hotel deals jump-started again.

Hilton's newly released 2026 Trends Report describes 2026 as the year of the "Whycation", projecting travelers will focus more on the reasons behind their desire to hit the road. Hilton's Senior Vice President of Strategy, Insights and Full Service Brands Jess Petitt joins the podcast to talk about that and the many other trends that will define the upcoming year.

Hotels reliant on seasonal workers have to regularly content with federal caps on H-2B visas, a problem that is a keen focus for Ashley McNeil, vice president of federal government affairs at the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and chair of the H-2B Workforce Coalition. While she's hopeful for a long-term solution, she notes there are pressing issues across the federal government that coul...

With lighter demand and rising costs, hoteliers have been challenged to maintain profitability. Alicia Carr, Charlestowne Hotels' vice president of finance, joins the podcast to talk about how her company is tackling that challenge and navigating that while starting a new role.

Weather events like typhoons are currently affecting portions of Asia, and STR's Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast to talk about how storm season in the region differs from patterns in regions like the Caribbean — along with other Asia-Pacific hotel trends.

In this episode, Crestline Hotels & Resorts President and CEO James Carroll talks about his company's 25th anniversary, how the company has evolved over the years and shares his insights into what's going on in the industry today.

In recognition of National Housekeeping Week, the podcast focuses on the importance of housekeepers. Davidson Hospitality Group executives Harry Carr and Robert Morse talk about their experience in housekeeping and how it has helped elevate their careers.

In this episode, Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power, shares details on the company's newest report that found guests are satisfied with rooms and service, but are less happy with property maintenance and food and beverage concepts.

In a podcast interview, First Hospitality's Jenna Fishel talks about her company's transition to a commercial strategy model and how it's navigating the current demand environment.

Host's Ritz-Carlton Naples property took nine months to renovate after Hurricane Ian, but when hurricanes Milton and Helene hit, the hotel was able to reopen in just nine days thanks to all its resilience renovations. 

STR's Jesper Palmqvist joins the podcast for our monthly check-in on the Asia Pacific region, diving into what makes that part of the world's two key growth markets - Japan and India - so different despite their similarly strong growth. Across the rest of the region, hoteliers are facing a difficult budget season.

Olaf Belgraver from Booking.com discussed recent consumer travel trends as the global industry continues to grow.

Pyramid Global Hospitality's Senior Vice President of Revenue Management Lori Kiel joined the podcast during the recent Hotel Data Conference in Nashville to talk about the various challenges facing revenue strategy, including long-term headwinds for international travel and how forecasting and budgeting are impacted by a volatile economy.

Sage Hospitality Group's Priya Chandnani joins the podcast live at the Hotel Data Conference in Nashville to talk about how revenue managers are faring in an increasingly difficult environment and how there's still room for innovation.