CoStar News Hotels

The ongoing evolution of commercial strategy with Aimbridge's Allison Handy

Aimbridge Hospitality Chief Commercial Officer Allison Handy speaks with CoStar News Hotels' Bryan Wroten about the latest developments within her department, including i

The importance of keeping humanity in hotel sales in the AI era (with Doug Kennedy)

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 t

Update on Hawaii's recovery from pandemic, wildfires (with Outrigger's Jenna Villalobos)

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 H

Commercial strategy leaders shift to focus on profitability, AI (with Sage's Priya Chandnani)

Sage Hospitality Groups’ Senior Vice President of Sales, Revenue and Distribution Strategy Priya Chandnani joined the podcast during the recent Hotel Data Conference to d

Will hotel REITs move the needle in China? (with Jesper Palmqvist)

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 hote

Ancillary spend, guest satisfaction top priorities at Crestline (with Aaron Olson)

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 Wro

Getting past the barriers of adoption for AI (with Vivander's Michael Goldrich)

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

Kasa's revenue strategy focuses on guest demand for each room type (with Kelly McGuire)

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

The need for the return of international travel (with Highgate's Kerry Mack)

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 domesti

Business travel brings hope to Hawaii, PM Hotel Group's Erica Lipscomb says

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 Hawai

Virgin Hotels' Jeff Borman on leveraging uniqueness

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 Vir

Targeting market leadership and stronger shoulder days (with Parks Hospitality's Chris Hardy)

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 ab

Recapping the first day of the 2026 Hotel Data Conference

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 2

China, Korea show divergent hotel performance across Asia (with STR's Jesper Palmqvist)

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 t

How hotels can prepare for guests of the future (with Gettys Group CEO Ron Swidler)

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 b

Hotel performance recap from the World Cup

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 Wor

The state of hotel financing (with Peachtree Group's Greg Friedman)

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

Escaping hospitality's "AI hype echo chamber"

Max Spangler, vice president of technology of third-party hotel management company Charlestowne Hotels, joins CoStar News Hotels reporter Natalie Harms to discuss the pra

Rockbridge CEO Jimmy Merkel is expanding the investment company in new ways

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 late

Lender confidence returning for Asian hotels (with STR's Jesper Palmqvist)

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