No Vacancy Live!

No Vacancy Live
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No Vacancy is home to the hospitality industry's top podcasts. We speak to the CEOs, influencers and leaders to go behind the scenes of the hotel and travel business.

  1. 10H AGO

    1019: SBA Loans for Hotel Owners: AAHOA Pushes From $5M To $10M

    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.

    14 min

  2. 1D AGO

    Customer Journey 2: How Empowered Hotel Teams Improve Guest Experience

    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.

    7 min

  3. 2D AGO

    1018: Hoteliers - Don't Get Buried in AI Search — Do This First

    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.

    29 min

  4. 2D AGO

    Global Hotel Pipeline: What Brands See vs What Owners Feel

    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.

    20 min

  5. 4D AGO

    Sunday Flashback: Mitch Patel's 'Vision' on Building a Stronger Culture and Hotel Growth

    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

    11 min
  6. FNA 202: Type 202 Meltdown

    5D AGO

    FNA 202: Type 202 Meltdown

    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.

    1h 21m

  7. FEB 26

    1017: Hotel Pipeline Update - Conversions vs New Construction Across the Americas

    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.

    12 min

  8. FEB 26

    1016: 2026 Hotel Outlook - World Cup Demand, Travel Shifts, and Conversions

    To kick off the week, I wanted a hard look behind the numbers. We hear a lot of takes—so what's real and what's not? I called our buddy Bruce Ford (SVP, Lodging Econometrics) to pressure-test World Cup demand, international travel, and the conversion-brand land grab for the hashtag#NoVacancyNews crowd. Here's what we put numbers on: ⚽ 2026 World Cup: 48 teams across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada 🌍 International plane arrivals are about 6% down 🚗 Canadian trips to the U.S. down about 22–23% 💸 2026 operator reality: work the P&L and monetize every square foot 🤖 Booking changes in 2–3 years, with AI in the mix 🏷️ Brand strategy: more hashtag#hotel conversion deals and more "white space" flags Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

    12 min
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4.8
out of 5
108 Ratings

About

No Vacancy is home to the hospitality industry's top podcasts. We speak to the CEOs, influencers and leaders to go behind the scenes of the hotel and travel business.

Information

  • Creator
    No Vacancy Live
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.7K
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © copyright Rouse Media 2025
  • Show Website
    No Vacancy Live!

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