“Our job right now as investment advisors is (1) staying in front of our client and (2) making sure that we’re providing as much intel as possible.”
 
Gilda Perez-Alvarado
CEO-Americas, JLL Hotels & Hospitality
From: Hospitality Experts on Industry Recovery Post-COVID

“Hotel owners and operators may help minimize risks arising from COVID-19 if they […] revise their terms and conditions for bookings.”
 
Stacy Bohm, Karen M. Buesing, and Daniel Miktus
Akerman LLP
From: COVID-19 Terms and Conditions for Hotels

“Diversity in leadership has not been a high priority for the hospitality industry. With attention now, however, it can shape the future.”
 
Peggy Berg
President, Castell Project
From: Report on Black Representation in Hospitality Leadership

“Maintaining customers in current times is hard enough; maximizing cybersecurity, although it may sound daunting, is imperative to preserving the image of all hotels.”
 
Prerak Patel
Business Development Associate, ResiliAnt
From: Hotels Face Digital Risks as They Return to Business

“As COVID-19 continues to cause severe drops in demand, U.S. hoteliers need to closely monitor data about the current and incoming supply of soft-branded hotel rooms.”
 
Tingting Duan
Research Analyst, STR’s Research & Development Department
From: Pre-COVID Performance of Soft-Branded Hotels

“Ideas collide and combine in meaningful ways when people with diverse perspectives collaborate.”
 
Ron Swidler
Chief Innovation Officer, The Gettys Group
From: The Gettys Group Relaunches ‘The Hotel of Tomorrow Project’ to Solve Hospitality’s COVID-19 Challenges

“Guests are already wary of being away from home as it is, so going above and beyond could make a significant difference in their experiences.” 
 
Alexis Krisay
Co-Founder and President of Marketing, Serendipit Consulting
From: How Hotels Can Bounce Back by Accommodating the “New Norm”

“Without collaboration, one could make a siloed decision that wouldn’t work for others in our group; with open communication, we all know what’s going on, and no decision is made that we can’t execute.”
 
Kyle Hughey
COO, Charlestowne Hotels
From: Cohesive Collaborators: Charlestowne Hotels’ ‘Quadrant’ Leadership

“Drive-to destinations with access to beaches, mountains, and parks continue to lead the early leisure recovery. With more consistent demand, we’re beginning to see more pricing confidence in those areas as well.”
 
Alison Hoyt
Senior Director of Consulting and Analytics, STR
From: STR: Nationwide Occupancy Surpasses 40 Percent in Second Week of June

“To have real contact tracing is critical. I know the margins on so many hotels are so small, especially for select-service properties, but I think investments in that space now will come back twice-fold.”
 
Yutta Shelton
U.S. Hospitality Sector Leader, Deloitte
From: Three Takeaways From Deloitte’s Research on Summer Travel Spending and Intentions

“Nimbleness and flexibility are critical in times of crisis. By researching tools ahead of time, hoteliers can equip their teams with the right resources to drive business while laying the groundwork for the future.”
 
Pritesh Patel
GM, Hotel Pommier
From: Three Ways Independent Hoteliers Can Survive the Downturn

"We are at a transformative crossroads in the history of modern travel, where the need for economic recovery and social change aligns directly with the core values of sustainable tourism, including a commitment to diversity, equality, and the wellbeing of local communities, environmentally friendly practice, and support for the protection of cultural and natural heritage that are changing the travel and tourism industry for the better."
 
Costas Christ
President of Beyond Green Travel
From: Preferred Hotel Group Acquires Beyond Green Travel to Advance Sustainable Tourism

“Part of leadership is managing through a crisis, and we are certainly living through events unlike anything we have professionally or personally ever experienced.”
 
Jonathan Tisch
Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels & Co., Co-Chairman of the Board of Loews Corporation
From: Hotel Industry Leaders Respond to Nationwide Protests

“Every guest interaction matters. Even calls to cancel reservations are opportunities to build relationships. Travelers will remember who worked with them when canceling their trip. This is also an opportunity to see if groups are willing to shift their reservations to a later date and to inform guests of improvements to the property during low occupancy months.”
 
Pritesh Patel
GM, Hotel Pommier
From: Three Ways Independent Hoteliers Can Survive the Downturn

“How long is the path to recovery? Is it 12 months? Is it 18? Is it 36? I think the most likely scenario [puts] 2023 as the point in time where we at least [get] the RevPAR level back to where we were in 2019.”
 
Mark Woodworth
CEO, RM Woodworth & Associates
From: Six Experts Weigh in on Hotel Industry Recovery

"There will be tough days ahead, so you need to be measured, be that calm in the storm for your team. They need your leadership and your faith in where you’re headed.”
 
Jim Merkel
CEO, Rockbridge
From: Financing Experts on Preparing for a New Normal

“2020 will be the year of the car. Americans have faithfully sheltered in place for the last several months and are ready to now hit the road and confidently stay with hotels they trust implicitly.”
 
Marina MacDonald
Chief Marketing Officer, Red Roof
From: Hotel Brands Launch Campaigns to Encourage Travel

“Whether it’s a luxury, full-service, or limited service hotel brand, the basic roots of this industry lie in making sure you’re showing gratitude toward your staff and staying focused on the guest, offering reassurance that you will take care of them.”
 
Daniel Ovichegan
General Manager, NewcrestImage
From: Former AHLA Apprentice on His GM Perspective Now

“Now could be a good time to review internal operations, looking for efficiency and cost savings. Properties already spend significant money on food—don’t spend more throwing it away.”
 
Matthew S. Hollis
Co-founder and president of Elytus
From: Three Ways to Reduce Hotel Food Waste and Cut Costs

“The flip side of feeling safe is feeling unsafe, and so 55 percent of folks told us that they currently feel unsafe staying [at] a hotel. How hotels reopen, how they make things feel safe, the programs that hotels are running—all that will impact how the public feels about staying at a hotel.”
 
Stephen Rogers
Executive Director of the Deloitte Consumer Industry Center
From: Stephen Rogers on Deloitte’s Global State of the Consumer Tracker Survey

“Our research indicates that leisure travel will lead out recovery in the travel industry. Consumers are already dreaming about their next getaway."
 
Katie Briscoe
President of MMGY Global
From: Program Generates Revenue for Hotels While Gifting Future Vacations to Healthcare Workers

“As we all collectively gather our breaths, it has become clear that it doesn’t benefit anyone to panic and become paralyzed by the situation. Tomorrow is a new day, and we can only control how we get better each day.”
 
Rodrigo Jimenez
CEO of SHR Global
From: Hotels Will Help Spark Economic Recovery

“Hotels face unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak. They have an opportunity to both serve their communities and to help their employees by contracting with medical systems and government entities to provide rooms for patients and populations in need.”
 
Kevin Kelley, Joey Lubinski, and Andrea Austin
Partners with Husch Blackwell LLP
From: Checklist: Converting Hotels for COVID-Related Uses

“Now is the time to reflect, experiment, and try new things. When hoteliers come out of this, there is going to be tremendous innovation. Use this time to prepare for what is coming because there will be an exciting recovery after the storm.”
 
Marco Benvenuti
Co-Founder of Duetto
From: Hotels: Learn from the Past and Prepare for the Future