EDITOR ’ S DIARY
SPINNING gold from straw
The hotel industry has struggled and battled like never before over the past 21 months . But the pandemic has also served to act as a change agent and certainly as an inspiration for those who see disruption as an opportunity . Some of those stories are reflected in this issue of HOTELS .
In this month ’ s Investment section , there are multiple reports about innovation and recognition of opportunity in an evolving marketplace . For example , global investment firm CGI Merchant Group , which in mid-October was rumored to be acquiring the Trump International Hotel in Washington , D . C ., has raised a
Editor In Chief
US $ 650 million fund and launched a brand which focuses on creating positive social impact in their destinations and gives 1 % of all the revenues to the host communities . “ We are focused on the social component with our assets being our superpower within ESG ,” says CGI Co-Founder Raoul Thomas .
We report about PE firm KSL Capital Partners , which extended its reach from its usual luxury positioning by not hesitating to create Mission Hill , which is solely focused on the hot limited-service and extended-stay markets .
Speaking of extended-stay , Sage Hospitality ’ s President and CEO Walter Isenberg took a real estate opportunity and spun it into a lifestyle property in a space known for its vanilla offerings . Early results for Sage ’ s Catbird extended-stay concept look good and now Isenberg sees a chance to grow the brand and eventually attract institutional capital .
Then there is expanding Inspirato , the luxury subscription rental company which launched a new real estate business with the backing of a Thayer Ventures-led SPAC . Recognizing the growth in the vacation home market , it is now helping these home buyers acquire properties and bring them into Inspirato ’ s rental pool program .
In London , veteran hotelier Lionel Benjamin and partner Viv Watts saw an opportunity to lure stretched Travelodge owners by offering a landlord-friendly hybrid lease model , which delivers a combination of guaranteed rent plus additional profit rent . He has been successful with the original portfolio of nine hotels and continues to announce new deals and perhaps lead a revolution in Europe ’ s leased property model .
This month ’ s Special Report from contributor Megan Rowe digs into the emerging hiring and retention challenges , as she talked to HR leaders about some their potential solutions such as flex time , career growth opportunities and whatever else they can do to simply make hotels a better , happier place to work . Of course , culture is part of that equation and it requires strong GMs to not only be great report writers , but also know how to take care of and empower their teams . It has already paid off at owner-operator Aparium Hotels , where members of a food and beverage group hatched a strategy to turn unused guestrooms into pop-up private dining rooms .
Yes , distress creates opportunity , and this month we recognize some of those risk takers and trailblazers who will help lead the lodging industry into its next positive cycle .
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein Editor In Chief
Shamsa Bulbulia Editorial Coordinator
Kathakali Nandi Editorial writer
Ever Villapana Designer
Contributing Writers Jeanette Hurt , Megan Rowe , Juliana Shallcross ,
Alicia Sheber
PUBLISHING Ali Jahangiri CEO
Brian Levine Associate Publisher
Marie Ekberg Padilla Senior Editor
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin President , Broadmoor Sea Island Co ., Colorado Springs , Colorado
Robert Hecker Managing Director , Horwath HTL Asia Pacific , Singapore
Ramsey Mankarious CEO , Cedar Capital Partners , London
Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
Susan Terry Vice President of Culinary and Food and Beverage Operations , Marcus Hotels & Resorts , Milwaukee , Wisconsin
Trevor Ward Managing Director , W Hospitality Group , Lagos , Nigeria
ADVERTISING Caroline de Donnea-Birkel
ADMINISTRATION Kamyar Amiri-Davani Kristi Carlson
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