1012: How Luxury Hotels Remove Friction From the Guest Experience

Luxury doesn't mean more steps. It means fewer problems before guests even notice them. Suzanne "Dr. Producer" Bagnera, PhD, and I spoke with Mourad Essafi, General Manager of Impression Isla Mujeres (a Hyatt all-inclusive), on #NoVacancyNews about what ultra-luxury actually looks like when you stop adding layers and start removing friction. Mourad talks about how his background in sales and operations shapes the way he runs the resort, why the arrival experience starts before guests ever reach the island, and how small operational decisions change how people actually feel about a stay. We also get into what "endless privileges" really means in practice, why convenience often beats opulence, and how guest feedback turns into real changes on property. We cover: 🚤: Why check-in now starts before guests board the catamaran ☕: How one simple coffee change improved guest flow 🛎️: Why luxury often means saving time, not adding steps 🍽️: How experiential dining and hands-on moments build loyalty 🌱: How sustainability and local partnerships shape the guest experience 👥: Why GMs with sales backgrounds see operations differently Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

Most hotels want F&B to drive more revenue. A lot of them still make it harder than it needs to be for guests to actually order. Narda Malakzad and Andrea Laderman, co-founders of Goldi, joined me on #NoVacancyNews to talk about something most hotels underestimate: how dietary needs, allergies, and food preferences quietly kill both guest experience and check size. We talk about what actually happens when guests don't know what they can eat, why people avoid asking questions, and how that friction shows up in lower spend and fewer repeat visits. We also get into how a simple, personalized menu experience changes behavior in the dining room and simplifies things for servers and kitchens at the same time. We cover: 🍽️: Why guests with dietary needs often order less than they want to 📱: How a personalized menu changes what people feel comfortable ordering 👩‍🍳: Why this makes life easier for servers and kitchens, not harder 💳: How clarity leads to higher check sizes and repeat visits 🏨: Why locals and hotel guests both matter to F&B success No sponsorship here. I just like smart ideas that help hotels make more money and make guests feel more comfortable doing it.

This episode of #NoVacancyNews looks at how a hotel management merger came together — the conversations, timing, and decisions that led up to it. I spoke with Len Wolman, Chairman & CEO of Waterford Hotel Group, and Bob Habeeb, Founder & CEO of Maverick Hotels and Restaurants, about how their relationship developed, how long the process took, and what needed to line up before they moved forward. They explain what they focused on early, why they chose not to rush, and how owner needs and operational realities shaped their decision. They walk through the steps as they happened, without wrapping the story in theory or hindsight. We cover: 🤝: How the initial conversations started ⏱️: Why timing mattered 🏨: What they needed to see at the property level 📊: How owner considerations influenced decisions 🔄: What surprised them during the process 📈: Why this structure made sense when it did Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

The gap between luxury hotels and everyone else keeps getting wider — and ignoring it won't make it shrink. Suraj Bhakta, CEO & Chief Legal Officer of NewGen Advisory, and I spoke on #NoVacancyNews about what's driving that divide. More important, we talked through actionable insights owners outside the luxury segment can actually implement. Suraj and I get into why upper upscale and #luxury continue to separate from the pack, how price sensitivity hits other segments harder, and why relying on rate alone only goes so far. We also talk through practical ways owners are looking beyond RevPAR and starting to think about total revenue without taking on massive capital projects. We cover: 🏨: Why luxury continues to outperform other segments 💸: How price sensitivity affects margins outside luxury 📊: Why owners look beyond RevPAR to total revenue 🚲: Experiential #hotel revenue ideas that actually move the needle 🧳: Why extended stay keeps attracting owners and capital 📈: How transaction activity could shape the second half of the year Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

Food and beverage does more than fill seats — it creates memories, reasons to return, and stories guests take home. That's the focus of this episode of #NoVacancyNews, filmed across Resorts World Las Vegas. I'm joined by Josef Wagner, Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage at Resorts World Las Vegas, for a walk-and-talk look at how a modern integrated resort uses F&B to drive engagement beyond gaming. Josef shares how Resorts World approaches pop-ups, immersive lounges, celebrity chef partnerships, and venue flexibility — all with the goal of giving guests something new to experience every visit. From rooftop mixology activations to food hall experimentation and live entertainment integration, this conversation shows how F&B becomes a strategic growth engine, not just an amenity. What stood out to me is how intentionally the team tests ideas before locking them in. Pop-ups act as real-time focus groups, allowing the guest — not a spreadsheet — to decide what stays. We cover: 🍸: Why immersive lounges matter more than ever 🍽️: How pop-ups reduce risk while encouraging innovation 🎶: Using entertainment and dining together to extend guest stays 🏨: Designing F&B for locals, repeat guests, and first-time visitors 📊: Letting guest behavior guide long-term concepts For operators, this episode shows how food and beverage drives differentiation, loyalty, and revenue when experience leads the strategy. Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

Most hotels look good. That's not the problem. The harder part is giving people a reason to stay longer, spend more, and remember why they were there in the first place. In this episode of #NoVacancyNews, I talk with Alexis Readinger, Founder of Preen, about food-and-beverage design and how often hotels get it almost right — and why "almost" usually isn't enough. Alexis and I get into why so many hotel restaurants and bars start to feel interchangeable, how that happens, and what gets lost when design decisions don't start with a clear point of view. We talk about experiential dining, design trends, capital choices, and why solid food alone doesn't save a space that doesn't quite work. This interview was supposed to happen in person at ALIS Design. We ended up doing it remotely, which is pretty on-brand for how plans tend to go.

What hotel owners and investors are doing matters more than what gets said on stage. In this episode of No Vacancy, Glenn Haussman connects with Bruce Ford, SVP at Lodging Econometrics, as he reports from ALIS in Los Angeles. Bruce shares what he's seeing in the data and hearing in off-the-record conversations. The discussion focuses on how owners weigh new development versus conversions, how capital continues to move, and what influences decision-making as the industry looks toward 2026. Topics include: • How owners compare new development, conversions, and recapitalization • Where cost pressure continues to affect returns • How AI conversations sound more practical than speculative • Why certain asset types keep attracting investment • How labor and operating costs affect large hotels • Why portfolio reshaping and consolidation remain on the table Sponsored by Unifocus — technology that drives value. Learn more at Unifocus.com.

This Day 3 ALIS update focuses on what the data shows — not predictions, not sentiment. In this episode of No Vacancy, Glenn Haussman connects remotely with Bruce Ford, SVP at Lodging Econometrics, who is on the ground at ALIS in Los Angeles. Bruce walks through current pipeline data and how it lines up with conversations happening at the conference. The discussion stays focused on pipeline mix, renovation volume, brand activity, and where capital continues to move across markets. Topics include: • How conversions and renovations show up across the pipeline • Where midscale brands appear most frequently in current data • What renovation volume looks like compared to prior cycles • How brand consistency factors into development discussions • How financing conditions shape development decisions • Which markets continue to show momentum Sponsored by Unifocus — technology that drives value. Learn more at Unifocus.com.

Regional casino resorts don't win anymore by adding square footage — they win by designing experiences that keep guests longer and spending more. That's the focus of this episode of #NoVacancyNews. I'm joined by Kelly Devine, Principal and Partner, and Emily Marshall, Principal and Interior Design Leader at HBG Design, and guest host Dr. Suzanne Bagnera to talk about the evolution of regional gaming resorts and what operators should be paying attention to right now. We use Gun Lake Casino Resort in Michigan as the case study, breaking down how design decisions directly affect length of stay, guest behavior, operational efficiency, and profitability. This isn't about pretty spaces for Instagram — it's about building resorts that actually perform. What stood out to me is how intentionally HBG starts with operations first. They design the engine before the body, which explains why these projects drive measurable business results instead of just visual impact. We cover: 🎰: Why regional casinos now compete with Vegas-style destination resorts 🏨: How hotel design influences gaming behavior and length of stay 🧠: Designing rooms guests enjoy — without keeping them away from the casino 🧹: Why housekeeping flow, durability, and turnover time matter more than finishes 🎤: Programming spaces to keep locals and repeat guests coming back 📈: How smart design directly ties to revenue growth For hotels and casino operators, this conversation shows how design becomes a business tool, not a vanity project. Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

Hotel loyalty gets talked about a lot. This conversation focuses on how it actually works. For this #NoVacancyNews, I spoke with Chris Hartley, CEO of Global Hotel Alliance, about what loyalty looks like when you stop chasing vanity metrics and start paying attention to repeat behavior, engagement, and direct bookings. Chris explains how GHA approaches loyalty across a global portfolio of independent brands — where cooperation matters more than competing for attention and where repeat stays tell you far more than raw membership numbers. We recorded this conversation during ALIS in Los Angeles. Chris made the trip in from Dubai. I got snowed in on Long Island, where I'm still slightly bitter days later, watching conference badges from afar and missing hanging with everyone. We cover: 🔁: Why repeat stays matter more than total member counts 📊: How GHA defines "active" loyalty members 🌍: Why international, multi-brand stays outperform single-brand loyalty 💻: Shifting business away from expensive third-party channels 🏨: How independent hotels compete globally without inventing new brands 📈: Why direct bookings and engagement keep accelerating Special thanks to Unifocus — technology that drives value. Check them out at Unifocus.com.