How AI Frees Up Hotel GMs and Sales Teams to Execute

The Lantern has been open four weeks, and Grey Raines already talks about it like a platform, not just another hotel. During the Hunter Conference, I talked with Grey Raines, CEO and Managing Partner of Raines Company, about what they're building next, why they've exited some management relationships, and why adaptive reuse keeps showing up in their deals. 🏨 Grey shares why The Lantern is mission-focused and how the partnership with the University of South Carolina shows up early 🏗️ He says the next Lantern is under construction in Rock Hill, South Carolina, with two more behind it 🤝 He explains the management churn: they walked away from relationships that didn't align with their long-term vision 🏢 He talks deal mechanics: emerging markets plus municipalities willing to support the right projects 🏛️ He explains why historic hashtag#taxcredits make certain adaptive reuse projects pencil out 🧱 He frames adaptive reuse as stewardship—reset it now so it lasts another 50–100 years ✈️ He gives a summer travel read: shorter booking windows, more drive-to, and flying still feeling like a hassle Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from hashtag#NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

Justin Jabara, President of Meyer Jabara Hotels, keeps AI simple: give hotel teams time back so leaders spend less time buried in admin and more time actually operating. During the Hunter Conference, we talked about what that looks like in real life, plus why their growth focus shifts away from new builds and toward acquisitions and third-party management. 🤖 Justin frames AI as support, not stress—tools that help people operate better 📋 GM example: cut the report grind so GMs stay on the floor with guests and associates 📞 Sales example: cut prospecting time so sales teams spend more time selling 🏗️ He says new builds feel tough right now, so he leans toward acquisitions 🔄 He talks growth moves: asset sales, acquisitions, and third-party growth, with three properties joining in the next 90 days 📊 He shares one internal signal he likes: he surveyed 120 managers and directors of sales at hotels they manage, and two-thirds said they feel bullish on the year Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from hashtag#NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

Final chapter. In Chapter 6 of this CoralTree Customer Journey series, we take everything from the last five weeks and put it at the property level. Customer journey work only matters when a hotel team can execute it in real time. This chapter shows what that looks like on the ground. I talk with Curtis Bova, General Manager of Hotel Polaris, about how he turns guest journey strategy into real moments on property - from reading context clues at arrival to training teams for perceptive hospitality and building experiences guests can only get there. Here is what we cover: ·        How the team looks for the purpose and intent behind each stay ·        Perceptive hospitality and using context clues at arrival ·        QR-based itineraries built around guest motivations ·        Hotel Polaris-specific moments (paper airplanes, Flights at Five, themed details) ·        Small touches that also create ancillary revenue opportunities ·        Hiring for personality, onboarding, and empowering prepared people ·        Why training + freedom creates better guest moments Missed earlier chapters? Go back to Chapter 1 and watch the full series in order - strategy, people, framework, implementation, touchpoints, then property execution. Want to keep up with series like this and catch any parts you miss? Subscribe to the #NoVacancyNews newsletter by texting HOTEL to 66866. Thanks to Unifocus for supporting this series. Unifocus, technology that drives value. Visit Unifocus.com.

Women enter hospitality at the same rate as men. Then the numbers thin out hard at the top. That gap isn't about "pipeline." It's about progression. Suzanne co-hosts #NoVacancyNews with me, and we talk with Emily Goldfischer of Her Tenure about the leadership study she and her team did with Forbes Travel Guide and what it reveals about what helps women advance—and what still gets in the way. 📊 Emily shares the benchmark: women lead 19% of Forbes Travel Guide partner hotels, and Her Tenure heard from 99 women leaders to dig into what drives advancement 🧭 She frames the core issue clearly: progression problem, not pipeline problem 🕰️ She calls out barriers that still show up: limited flexibility for family life and gendered expectations of leadership 🤝 We get into the stuff people don't say out loud: networking access, mentorship vs sponsorship, and how "off-the-clock" conversations shape opportunity 🎯 Emily pushes practical moves that build careers: stretch roles, lateral moves that broaden capability, and owning your P&L 🏛️ We also talk progress you can actually see—like the shift in gender balance at conferences such as #HunterConference Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

During the Hunter Conference, I talked with Ben Campbell, CEO of Hospitality America, about what he sees right now: demand pockets, the real booking window, and why operators need to get serious about data before AI forces the issue. 📈 Ben says South Florida Q1 is "crushing it" after a flat year ⚽ He expects World Cup momentum, but he keeps the booking window realistic—60–90 days 🌍 He watches international indicators, but he says it's still early 🤝 He says conferences work when you get outside your echo chamber and build strategic partnerships 🤖 He says growth and tech create the opportunity—get arms around data and prepare for AI adoption 🎂 Hospitality America hits 30 years this year Want the weekly newsletter recap of news, videos, and what you might've missed? Text HOTEL to 66866 for #NoVacancyNews.

We lost industry icon Kirk Kinsell this past week, and I wanted to re-share this 2024 conversation because it captures who he was and what he meant to many of us: a generous leader, a calm force in the room, and one of the people who helped shape the way this industry thinks about leadership and relationships. In this episode of Icons and Experts with my co-host Doug Artusio from the Extended Stay Lodging Association. Kirk doesn't do chest-thumping. He does substance. 🤝 Kirk talks about relationships the way the best leaders do: build them, invest in them, keep them for decades 🏨 He calls hospitality a team sport—from the hotel level to corporate to the industry level 👥 He makes "develop your talent" the job, not a slogan 👨‍👩‍👧 He tells the Mike Levin story that says everything about his priorities: family first, integrity always 🎁 He gives one of the most useful leadership lines in the business: "Feedback is a gift," and he explains how to take it without getting defensive 🌎 He reflects on extended stay's early days and how the category grew from white space into a core part of the business 🧭 He closes with advice for younger professionals: widen your view of the industry, try different lanes, and find the work that fits you Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from hashtag#NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

I ran into Wayne West III of Newport Hospitality Group during the Hunter Conference and asked what owners actually want from management right now—and what separates operators who keep getting repeat deals. 🤝 Wayne says trust and alignment with owners drives repeat business, because the first deal teaches both sides how to work together 🏢 Newport runs 37 hotels and keeps key disciplines in-house: accounting, HR, construction services, corporate engineering, commercial strategy, and ops ✈️ Wayne says in-house resources let them move fast—he can put the right person on a plane tomorrow instead of waiting on a third party 👥 He says successful management starts with treating people right—associates, guests, and owners 🧠 He talks coaching and mentoring over "training," plus a mentor program that develops AGMs and executive housekeepers into GMs 🏆 He shares a stat he's proud of: out of roughly 60 leaders coming to their retreat, only four are new faces Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from hashtag#NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

Friend of the show CJ Arlotta returns to do some clever PR tricks to make people think Glenn, Craig and Doctor Producer Suzanne are actually funny over here celebrating Happy Hour to get the weekend started. Plus, Bruce Ford joins for added fun.

While I was at the Hunter Conference, I asked John Schultzel of Olympia Hospitality a simple question: where do you actually find profit when there's no silver bullet—just pressure everywhere? 💰 John starts with payroll, then works every other line item 💳 He calls out the hidden killers: credit card fees, insurance, deductibles, exclusions, coverage limits 💡 He talks energy the unsexy way: walk the building, manage lights, invest in tech only when it pays back 🤖 He sees hashtag#AI and automation shifting work that used to require people—and he expects org charts to shrink as tools improve 👥 He talks seasonal reality: managers work arrivals, directors stay on the floor, teams cross-cover instead of hiding behind titles 🧮 He lives by a simple target: find $300 a day, because $300 a day turns into $1M a year 🛎️ He explains how you drive voluntary spend: pre-arrival communication, in-stay engagement, and front desk education that feels intentional 🤝 He likes incentive alignment—give associates a reason to care about upsell and execution Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from hashtag#NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

Sacramento doesn't have a Golden Gate Bridge. So they built demand with experiences—and then proved it with room nights. For #NoVacancyNews, I talked with Mike Testa (President & CEO, Visit Sacramento) about how Sacramento positioned itself around farm-to-fork and then stacked events that drive real overnight stays from different customer groups. 🍽️ Mike explains why "farm-to-fork" fits Sacramento: food on your plate often gets harvested that morning 📅 He points people to Sacramento 365 as the event hub that supports the brand with a steady calendar 🎸 He breaks down Aftershock: it grew from a one-day event (11,000) to four days (165,000), with 67% coming from outside the region and about $40M in four days 🏊 He talks Ironman and NCAA strategy: targeting women's Sweet 16/Elite Eight to build toward a women's Final Four conversation 🏨 Then he drops the hammer: Sacramento went from about 280,000 annual room nights pre-pandemic to about 409,000 after adding the event portfolio Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.