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routine. That shift has raised expectations.
HOTELS: What did you want to build into the stayAPT Suites model from the start? DeLapp: The physical product and the operating model can’ t be designed separately. If you build a beautiful apartmentstyle suite but run it like a traditional hotel, the economics fall apart. If you optimize purely for operating efficiency, the guest experience suffers. We built stayAPT around both at once. The apartmentstyle layout, with a dedicated living room, a full kitchen and a separate bedroom, came directly from what guests said was missing. Operationally, we designed a highly efficient labor model, with an average of just three to seven full-time employees per property. We also kept the construction approach consistent, giving owners greater predictability while delivering a consistent guest experience.
HOTELS: You’ re also an owner of two properties. Why was it important to you to invest personally in the brand? DeLapp: I’ d spent years working with two large independent hotel brands before stayAPT, and that experience showed me exactly where the category had gotten stale. I didn’ t want to build another entry into that sea of sameness. What convinced me to put my own capital behind stayAPT was the prototype
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itself; the apartment-style design was genuinely different from anything else in the space, and the labor model behind it was built to actually work for an owner. As an investor, I’ m asking whether the product and the operating model can hold up over time. stayAPT was the first concept I’ d seen where the answer was yes on both counts.
HOTELS: Has owning stayAPT properties changed the way you think about the business as CEO? DeLapp: Owning keeps me focused. It’ s easy at the corporate level to get pulled into decisions that look good in a boardroom but don’ t hold up at the property. Being an owner strips that away. I see firsthand what guests respond to, what creates friction for a front desk team and what actually drives the numbers an investor cares about.
HOTELS: Extended stay has attracted significant development interest in recent years. What do you think separates concepts that can perform over the long term from those simply responding to current demand? DeLapp: Discipline. It’ s easy to chase extended stay right now because the returns are attractive on paper. The concepts that hold up are the ones built around a clear understanding of who the longstay guest is and what they need on day 30, not just day one. It starts with site selection. We
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The apartment-style layout, with a dedicated living room, a full kitchen and a separate bedroom.
look for markets with durable demand drivers, things like healthcare systems, military and government installations, rather than following the herd into whatever market is trending. Demand cycles come and go. What doesn’ t change is that guests staying for weeks or months need a different experience than a two-night business traveler, and owners need a model built for durability.
HOTELS: As stayAPT enters its next phase of growth, what are you most focused on getting right? DeLapp: Consistency. As we add markets, the priority is making sure every stayAPT Suites property delivers the same experience. That means staying disciplined about the franchisees and markets we bring into the system, not just growing for growth’ s sake. As a newer brand, there is always a learning curve, so we listen
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closely to our owners and investors. Their feedback helps us determine where to invest next, whether that’ s refining the prototype design and amenities or strengthening our training and support tools. Long-term lodging still has significant room to grow, but I’ d rather build something durable one market at a time than chase unit count. If we keep the guest, owner and investor experiences aligned as we scale while continuing to build awareness of the brand, the growth will follow.
Gary DeLapp, President & CEO of stayAPT Suites, founded the brand in 2019.
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Oct / Nov 2026 hotelsmag. com 53 |