Customer Journey 5: Turning Strategy Into Guest-Facing Moments

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.

Chapter 5 of this 6-part CoralTree Customer Journey series gets into the guest-facing side: how the strategy shows up in communication and touchpoints across the stay. A strong customer journey does not come from slogans. It comes from leadership decisions, team training, and operational discipline - and now you can see it in the guest-facing moments. I talk with Angela Berkey, VP of Customer Engagement at CoralTree Hospitality, about using guest preferences, local context, and property-level ideas to shape pre-arrival messages, arrivals, in-stay surprises, and post-stay rebooking moments. Here is what we cover: ·        How they use guest preferences to shape communication before arrival ·        Arrival moments like a personalized welcome beverage ·        In-stay surprises and delights that feel intentional ·        Departure touchpoints that support loyalty and return visits ·        Post-stay messages tied to what the guest actually did (like spa visits) ·        Why the experience still changes by property and destination If you are jumping in here, watch Chapters 1-4 first - this guest-facing work comes from the strategy and workshop process. Next week (final chapter): property-level execution with a GM making it real on the ground. Want to follow the full series and catch any chapters 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.

Graduate has lived inside Hilton for a year and a half now, and the brand is growing without losing the personality that made it work in the first place. For #NoVacancyNews, I talked with Parker Henderson, the brand head for Graduate, at the Hunter Conference about what Hilton distribution changes, what owners should know, and how Graduate makes development easier with plug-and-play F&B concepts. 🏨 Parker says the 35 Graduate hotels thrive inside Hilton while keeping the brand's "unapologetically unique" DNA 🎓 He calls out Hilton Honors demand, especially on redemption stays during football weekends and graduation move-ins 📈 He shares the development picture: signed deals plus about 60 opportunities in different stages ☕ He breaks down Poindexter, the barista-led café concept (breakfast only or all-day), with recipes, menus, and bar program tools 🍻 He introduces two more owner-ready concepts: Double Major (social bar-led dining) and Debate Club (more refined) 🧭 He ties the whole brand back to walkable university markets with built-in annual demand rhythms Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Graduate has lived inside Hilton for a year and a half now, and the brand is growing without losing the personality that made it work in the first place. For #NoVacancyNews, I talked with Parker Henderson, the brand head for Graduate, at the Hunter Conference about what Hilton distribution changes, what owners should know, and how Graduate makes development easier with plug-and-play F&B concepts. 🏨 Parker says the 35 Graduate hotels thrive inside Hilton while keeping the brand's "unapologetically unique" DNA 🎓 He calls out Hilton Honors demand, especially on redemption stays during football weekends and graduation move-ins 📈 He shares the development picture: signed deals plus about 60 opportunities in different stages ☕ He breaks down Poindexter, the barista-led café concept (breakfast only or all-day), with recipes, menus, and bar program tools 🍻 He introduces two more owner-ready concepts: Double Major (social bar-led dining) and Debate Club (more refined) 🧭 He ties the whole brand back to walkable university markets with built-in annual demand rhythms Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

While I was at the Hunter Conference, I talked with Greg O'Stean, Chief Development Officer, Hotel Equities about what makes a real owner–operator match—and what operators have to prove in this market. hashtag#NoVacancyNews 🤝 Greg frames his job as matchmaking: align the right owners with the right operator, and only take deals that add real value 🌪️ He calls out the new normal: you can't pull a manual off the shelf and solve today's problems 🧠 He says every hotel rises or falls on property leadership—especially a GM with an entrepreneurial mindset 🛎️ We get into the real definition of empowerment: employees making decisions without fear of getting crushed for it 🍦 He uses the Disney example: solve the guest problem in the moment—don't "ask permission" your way into a bad experience 🏨 He contrasts culture in real life: at this year's host hotel, staff checked in repeatedly on setup, temperature, and tech—basic care that changes everything Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed? Text HOTEL to 66866.

The latest Hotel Business Hot Topics session, "Rethinking Hotel F&B: Smarter Strategies for Profit, Community and Stability," in partnership with Entegra, featured an insightful discussion between moderator Glenn Haussman, founder/host, No Vacancy Live podcast, and a panel of industry leaders on how hotels are controlling costs, optimizing procurement and transforming food and beverage into a core revenue driver while creating experiences that resonate with today's guests and local communities.   You'll hear insights from Glenn Haussman (moderator) alongside leaders from Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Davidson Hospitality Group, GF Hotels & Resorts and our Head of Culinary, Lynn Hay.

Glenn freezes, Suzanne can't hear anyone, and Craig somehow turns Milk Duds into a conspiracy theory. That's a normal Friday. For #NoVacancyNews, Friday Night Audit rolls into Episode 205 with Craig Sullivan, Dr. Producer Suzanne, and guest Stephanie Hills (and yes… even her name comes with a plot twist). 🍸 Stephanie Hills joins us for cocktails and immediately makes everything funnier, including her "keep it confusing" name history 🍹 Suzanne brings the conference chaos from Tampa and runs a live taste test of three student-created cocktails (Certified Lover Girl gets the spotlight) 🍬 Craig interrogates the "30% less fat" Milk Duds claim like he's building a legal case 🧊 Glenn declares himself "fine," sounds sick anyway, and freezes often enough to turn it into a drinking game 🍷 Stephanie tells the ultimate late-night conference story: when you should have left, but didn't—and it ends with tears and red wine 🏆 We push the Pet Peeves Sweet 16 forward, argue about thermostats, shower controls, lamp switches, and all the little hotel annoyances that ruin your day

Thirty years in, PM Hotel Group still thinks like an owner-operator—and that matters right now. While I was at the Hunter Conference, I talked with Paul Sacco of PM Hotel Group about how they protect margin when RevPAR growth slows, costs climb, and rate resistance shows up. #NoVacancyNews 🎉 PM Hotel Group celebrates its 30th anniversary this fall—and Paul talks about evolving from owner-operator to a top 15 third-party operator with a diverse ownership base 📈 Paul focuses on getting more than "fair share" even when markets don't accelerate: commercial tools, RPI gains, and strong revenue discipline 💰 He leans into TRevPAR thinking—total revenue per available customer—and why the guest who spends on-property matters 🧠 He talks intent-based search and how AI changes the way guests describe trips (Gemini, ChatGPT, etc.) 🏨 He says lifestyle and independent hotels show up well in those searches, especially through Modus by PM Hotel Group 🤝 He notes they're a little over a year past the merger with Sightline, and he calls out Kirk Pedersen stepping into the COO role 📌 He tees up smart growth: independently owned, not growing for growth's sake, and looking for the right national deals

For #NoVacancyNews, I caught up with David Wilner, newly appointed Chief Development Officer of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, at the Hunter Conference to talk development reality right now—conversion-heavy conditions, brand value pressure, and why he still won't count new construction out. 👥 David keeps the mission simple: drive the best opportunities and returns for franchisees 🏷️ He talks brand value in a tighter market—owners look harder at what their flag and distribution actually deliver 🔄 He agrees it's a conversion market right now, and he explains why that creates opportunity 🏗️ He refuses to count new construction out: real developers keep developing, and 36 months changes the whole picture 📉 He notes construction pricing has come down from the peak, even if it still sits above pre-pandemic levels 🧠 He makes the point I wish more people lived by: don't let today's environment talk you out of tomorrow's opportunity

Economy and midscale owners don't need shiny objects. They need tech that either drives revenue or cuts costs—period. For hashtag#NoVacancyNews, I caught up with Zack Gharib, President of Red Roof, at Hunter Conference to talk about why he's leaning into tech now while demand softens—and what he thinks starts to turn. 📲 Zack explains the guest experience platform: guests text requests, staff stops playing phone-tag, and hotels fix issues before checkout 🧠 He talks ROI discipline: Red Roof only adopts tech that clearly drives revenue or clearly cuts costs 💳 He says franchisees asked for cheaper payment processing, so Red Roof partnered with FreedomPay at about half the cost—saving hotels hundreds per month 🔗 He ties the tech stack together: PMS-first (HotelKey), then smoother integrations, faster execution, and direct connectivity that removes third-party fees 📈 He talks momentum: Q1 looks strong, March looks outstanding, and he sees the economy segment starting to shift after a long down cycle 🏗️ He adds the development note: new hotel signings ran 35% year-over-year last year 💵 He throws in a consumer indicator: IRS data shows average tax refunds up 14% year-over-year, and he expects more weekend drive trips Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com .

America didn't travel in America the way we expected last summer—because a lot of the spend went overseas. Now the calendar flips, the event slate stacks up, and the question becomes simple: who travels, where do they stay, and what does that do to performance? For hashtag#NoVacancyNews, I talked with Bruce Ford (SVP, Lodging Econometrics) from Atlanta on the eve of the Hunter Conference about what he expects this year—World Cup momentum, America's 250th anniversary, rising costs, and the "down-the-scale" shift that could help midscale and upper-midscale operators. ⚽ Bruce expects U.S. events to keep more travel domestic this year 💸 We talk cost pressure everywhere: gas, airfare/jet fuel, and what that does to trip decisions 🏨 Bruce thinks midscale and upper-midscale could benefit if travelers trade down to make trips work 🧑‍🍳 We hit the service squeeze: shortened restaurant hours, closed sections, and the "we're short staffed" reality 💰 Bruce brings it back to owner math: monetize every square foot and take care of frequent guests and rewards members without nickel-and-diming Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com .