In this discussion, O’ Donnell touches on his vision for 2026, how to improve owner bottom line, what role technology and AI play and why Aimbridge is in an ideal position to deliver strong, consistent results across the globe.

HOTELS: You’ ve taken the helm of the select service division. What factors convinced you to move into this role, and what are your top priorities in 2026? O’ Donnell: What drew me to Aimbridge was the vision that our CEO, Craig Smith, laid out for

the company and the tremendous potential that vision represents. When I spoke with Craig about his strategic direction, I knew this was the right opportunity. He has built an exceptional team and everyone here is aligned on our path forward with a clear understanding of what success looks like.

My priorities are straightforward: simplify and execute. As leaders, our job is to remove barriers that prevent our teams from succeeding, whether that’ s streamlining processes, improving communication channels or providing better tools and resources. It’ s our goal to make sure our team members have direction and meaningful growth opportunities. We’ re also committed to strengthening our partnerships with owners. They’ re not just clients; they’ re true partners, and we need to actively listen to and consider their needs while continuing to deliver best-inclass service and results.

HOTELS: Are there particular select service sub-segments and markets you are prioritizing in 2026 and what signals are guiding those choices? O’ Donnell: It’ s fundamentally

a market-driven approach. The industry is projecting moderate growth in 2026, so we’ re focused on capitalizing on the opportunities that exist within each market segment. Where I believe we differentiate ourselves is by building strong relationships with owners. Having personally started my career in sales and marketing with Residence Inn, literally going door-to-door and meeting with potential customers, I understand that hospitality is fundamentally a relationship business. Our biggest opportunity lies in empowering our team members to get out into their markets, build relationships, and demonstrate the tangible value of choosing our hotels.

HOTELS: Scale can be an advantage, but it also raises execution risk. What are the mechanisms that keep operating standards high across a broad portfolio and how do you measure success at the property level? O’ Donnell: We utilize a balanced scorecard approach to measure success consistently across every property. Each hotel is evaluated against the same core metrics: RevPAR performance, guest satisfaction

scores, profitability, team engagement and brand relationship management. This creates transparency and accountability with every team member. The key to managing scale effectively is ensuring everyone understands their role and objectives clearly. We’ re fortunate at Aimbridge to have a high-performing team of regional leaders who are instrumental in achieving this level of clarity and accountability.

HOTELS: Conversely, how does Aimbridge’ s scale benefit owners and help you better serve them? O’ Donnell: Scale provides us with extensive data on brand performance, market trends and operational benchmarks that we leverage to make informed decisions. Beyond data analytics, scale enables us to attract and retain top-tier talent by offering career advancement opportunities. When you have the best people driving operations, you achieve the best results. All of these advantages ultimately benefit our owners through strategic market insights, strong operational results and the peace of mind that comes from partnering with an industry leader.

64 hotelsmag. com Jan / Feb 2026