Sunday Flashback: Inside the Legendary Royal Sonesta New Orleans

Step inside the heart of Bourbon Street with Sonesta International Hotels' Royal Sonesta New Orleans GM David Bilbe on #NoVacancyNews. From historic #neworleans charm to future renovations, this tour gives you a front-row seat to one of the most irreplaceable hotel assets in America. 🔹 Highlights: Growing up with Royal Sonesta — why this hotel holds personal meaning for GM David Bilby Fulfilling a dream: David's journey to leading this iconic property What makes Royal Sonesta's energy and vibe so different from other hotels Celebrating New Orleans traditions with Easter parades and local favorites The unforgettable guest arrival experience — energy that sets the tone instantly Touring the jazz club, oyster bar, and fine dining hotspot, Restaurant Revolution How long-time staff loyalty defines the hotel's guest experience Balancing modern renovations with authentic New Orleans charm Finding calm in the hidden pool courtyard — a true oasis off Bourbon Street Stories of guests who return year after year for Jazz Fest, Mardi Gras, and beyond Special thanks to our advertiser Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com! ✅ Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more incredible behind-the-scenes hospitality stories!

Big show tonight as we kick off the weekend happy hour celebration. We're joined by our friend Paula Carreirao live from Brazil and Glenn, Craig and Doctor Producer Suzanne torture her with an update on the Round of 32 for our Hotel Pet Peeves Face off. vote now:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R26KPKV

Wyndham doesn't treat Latin America like one market. Growth concentrates in specific places, and execution decides who wins. For #NoVacancyNews, I talked with Gustavo Viescas (President, Latin America, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts) at Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in Puerto Rico about where Wyndham sees momentum across Latin America and the Caribbean. 🏷️ He explains how a large brand portfolio matches different market realities 🏝️ He ties Rio Mar to the experience strategy: culture + nature, and why resorts have to feel "of the place" 🏙️ He talks growth across resorts, all-inclusive, and city hotels, including secondary markets 🇩🇴 He calls the Dominican Republic the hottest Wyndham market the last few years and ties it to public/private alignment ✈️ He points to airlift as a growth lever and how expanded connectivity supports demand

AAHOA heads to Philadelphia for #AAHOACON26, and this year's theme stays dead simple: protect and advance profitability. Suzanne Bagnera, PhD, CHA, CED co-hosts #NOVacancyNews with me, and we talk with Laura Lee Blake (President & CEO, AAHOA) about what she wants owners focused on right now—and why this conference keeps growing.  🏛️ Philadelphia ties to the 250th anniversary of the U.S., and Laura Lee ties that to AAHOA members pursuing the American dream 📈 Laura Lee puts the pressure on the table: expenses up 7–10% while revenues stay flat 🎯 AAHOA builds sessions around profitability and "what to do next," not theory  🎓 The collegiate championship returns for year three, with students defending decisions "Shark Tank style" on stage 🎤 Keynote highlight: Paul Brown, co-founder/CEO of Inspire Brands (Arby's, Dunkin', Sonic, etc.) 🏛️ Capitol Hill push: AAHOA backs legislation to raise SBA loan limits from $5M to $10M 🧰 Trade show scale keeps growing: 500+ vendors expected Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

Chapter 2 of this 6-part CoralTree Customer Journey series gets into the part a lot of companies talk about and then struggle to execute: team empowerment. Customer journey work sounds soft until you tie it to labor, service consistency, guest loyalty, and revenue. This chapter gets into the people side that makes the strategy work. I talk with Sean Beucler, SVP of Operations at CoralTree Hospitality, about trust, recognition, decision-making, and how leaders build a culture where teams can act with confidence. Here is what we cover: ·        Why Sean says the biggest focus now is the team, not just the process ·        What real empowerment looks like in hotel operations ·        Why recognition drives repeated behavior ·        How leaders handle mistakes without killing trust ·        How guest experience connects to occupancy, ADR, and owner results ·        Why the best ideas often come from line-level teams Missed Chapter 1? Start there first - it sets up the leadership strategy behind this week's operations conversation. Next week: we move into the standards/framework and the commercial impact. Want to follow the full series and catch any chapters you miss along the way? 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.

Everybody keeps saying "AI" like it's one thing. It isn't. Suzanne co-hosts with me for this one, and we bring in Ira Vouk, someone we constantly see on the conference circuit. Ira teaches, writes, and helps companies make sense of what's coming, so we asked her for actionable insights instead of ponderous theory. I'm sharing it here on #NoVacancyNews because hotels need practical moves, not more theory. We stick to a few things that actually matter: 🤖 AI isn't new — but 2022 changed who can use it and how fast it spreads 🔎 Search and distribution change first, so hotels need to make their own websites readable to machines 🧼 Ira calls out "AI-washing" and pushes a simple filter: where does AI show up, what's the use case, and what ROI do you get Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

Global hotel "conditions" don't hit everyone the same way. The big franchise companies play a global game. Most owners play a street-corner game with one asset and one set of debt terms. That gap matters. I talked with Bruce Ford (SVP, Lodging Econometrics) about the global pipeline and the economic forces shaping what actually gets built, renovated, or converted right now. I'm sharing it under hashtag#NoVacancyNews. 💸 Inflation shows up everywhere: it costs the average American family about $1,000 more this year, and it costs about 25% more to run a hotel now than at the start of the pandemic 🏦 Debt still drives decisions: even when rates move, owners still have to make the math work on acquisitions, renovations, and conversions 🔧 The world leans hard into existing assets: Bruce sees about 2.5x more renovations/conversions globally than rooms under construction for new hotels 🏷️ Brands push harder on PIPs and standards again, and owners push to monetize every revenue dollar per square foot 🏨 We zoom out on what "global" means for the majors: pipeline scale, brand portfolios, and why Hilton/Marriott/IHG think differently than a single-property owner ✨ Then we hit the fun part: what the global pipeline says about luxury, lifestyle, extended stay, dual-branding, and where the big flags grow next Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

From October 2025   Recorded live at the Southern Lodging Summit this past August as part of the keynote luncheon, Mitch Patel, President & CEO of Vision Hospitality Group, sat down with Glenn Haussman to share his journey from a single $3,000 investment to leading one of the most respected hotel companies in the U.S. In this conversation, Mitch explains: Why operational excellence and team culture are the true foundations of success How Vision Hospitality keeps growing even when the market tightens What "building a brick house" really means for long-term profitability How to inspire the next generation to find purpose in #hospitality   🎙️ Sponsored by Actabl — giving hoteliers the tools and data to drive real #profitability. 👉 Learn more at actabl.com

Quite frankly we're scared about this one. Fortunbately the iconic Dorraine Lallani is back to bring class to this mess of a happy hour show. Glenn, Craig and Suzanne are a bit scared for the quick return of Pink Pony Club founder Patty Jefferson because they're worried they don't have what it takes to horse around.

Conversions still beat new construction in a lot of markets right now, so I wanted to get specific on what Bruce Ford sees across the Americas pipeline. I talked with Bruce Ford (SVP, Lodging Econometrics) about where projects are moving, where they're stalling, and what owners/operators/investors should watch in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the U.S. for #NoVacancyNews. Here's what we cover: 🏗️ Canada shows roughly 2x as many renovation/conversion rooms as rooms under construction 🇨🇦 Bruce explains where he still sees room to grow in Canada, especially upper midscale and upscale 🌎 In Latin America, he points to uneven activity, with stronger momentum in Mexico than some other markets 🏝️ We talk Caribbean resort redevelopment, including repositioning and storm-related rebuild activity 🏨 Bruce explains why soft brands matter when owners want local character plus distribution power 🇺🇸 In the U.S., renovations/conversions still run at about 2x rooms under construction 📉 He says the market likely needs another rate cut or two before more projects move into the ground ⚽ We also hit World Cup city activity and why smart developers don't build around one event alone 💬 Bruce asks what topics you want next: cities, regions, new construction, renovations, or broader real estate trends Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.