Sean Downey
La Quinta Makes Bold Plans for 2016
Coming off of a decidedly mixed 2015 that included a 25.6 percent drop in its stock price (year-over-year) and the departure of longtime CEO Wayne Goldberg in September, La Quinta focused on the bright...
The Rising Cost of Money
Troubling events in the global economy—stock market volatility, weak growth in China, and plunging oil prices, among others—coupled with a moderate slowdown in industry growth, have hoteliers more cautious regarding new business opportunities. However,...
Startup Investing Offers More Than Dumb Money
As managing director of Thayer Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on hospitality technology and backed by one of the Thayer Lodging Group funds, Chris Hemmeter has seen hundreds of startups come and go....
Inside Thayer’s Investment Success
Leland Pillsbury is a man in motion. One day he’s flying his jet to State College, Pennsylvania, to give a lecture on embracing disruption at the Penn State School of Hospitality Management, and the...
First Big Break: Lee Pillsbury’s Inside Track to Success
When then-president of Marriott Hotels Fred Malek brought Lee Pillsbury into the senior executive ranks in the early ‘80s, Pillsbury was general manager of the Lincolnshire Hotel in Illinois. “He not only had a...
