Public-private hotel deals don't run on a private equity playbook. Cities use them to create demand and pull outside dollars into the market.

Suzanne Bagnera, PhD, CHA, CED joins me, and we talk with Walter Peseski, Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Garfield Public/Private, about how these projects get financed and why brands matter.

🏛️ Why cities build headquarters hotels and convention-adjacent product
🏨 Why bondholders and ratings agencies push projects toward branded hotels
📈 Abilene example: a DoubleTree plus a demand curveball from the Stargate data center
⏳ The real friction: public timelines, extra stakeholders, and council calendars

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They flipped the first Sonesta hotel in a couple of hours. That's what a real partnership looks like when the operator needs speed and the vendor shows up.

During AAHOACON in Philadelphia, I talked with Patty Jefferson from Visual Matrix and Chris Trick from Sonesta about how they built the relationship, scaled it, and kept it practical for hotel teams.

🤝 They started with trust, then proved execution fast with that first flip
🏨 The rollout now covers 120+ installs across multiple Sonesta brands
🖥️ They cut friction at the desk: move from two screens to one, so staff works faster
🎯 They keep the partnership grounded in outcomes: recognize guests faster and grow loyalty enrollment

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Two hotels on one piece of land, two separate buildings, two separate lobbies—and the demand mix flips in a way you wouldn't expect.

During AAHOACON 2026, No Vacancy is the official podcast, and I caught up with Hanan Anand, a Red Roof owner, on the show floor to talk about his dual-property setup in Cortland, New York, and what actually drives the business.

🏨 Hanan runs Hometowne Studios and Conference Center plus a Red Roof Inn side-by-side in Cortland
🔧 He converted Hometowne Studios via a full gut renovation, then opened a banquet hall about a week ago
🏟️ Sports tourism drives the market, with teams and families using the meeting space
🔄 The mix flips: Red Roof skews more extended stay, while Hometowne Studios skews more transient because of amenities like the pool, gym, and meeting space
🛣️ Location adds demand: right off I-81, between Syracuse and Binghamton, plus business travelers and traveling nurses
🤝 He says Red Roof support feels hands-on—procurement, design/construction, development—people pick up the phone and know you

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Wyndham Rewards pushes beyond hotel nights into experiences, and Michael Shiwdin, Global VP of Loyalty at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, explains why: engagement drives direct bookings, and direct bookings drive owner value.

I talked with Michael at Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in Puerto Rico about how Wyndham Rewards Experiences works and what it means for hotels in the portfolio.

🌿 Members earn points on experiences through Viator, including activities like kayaking
🎟️ Wyndham partners with Ticketmaster and Madison Square Garden for concert opportunities and VIP experiences
📈 Michael says Wyndham saw almost a 5X increase in member engagement after launching Wyndham Rewards Experiences, plus double-digit lifts tied to members booking direct
💰 He frames the owner angle: members book direct at a lower cost channel, then return to the Wyndham portfolio for the next stay

Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

During hashtag#AAHOACON, I talked with James Ferguson🎉, author of Seek the Good and Celebrate., about why he wrote it, what he wants readers to take from it, and how he expects leaders to use it when the day gets messy.

🧠 He turns the message into a habit system—something you run, not something you quote
📖 He connects the book to his cancer journey and how it reshaped his perspective
🎉 The premise stays simple: seek the good, spot solutions faster, and celebrate more people
🏆 He talks significance vs. success and how that shift changes leadership decisions
📅 Release date: May 5
🧰 Get it at confetti-man.com

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Greg Juceam is President and CEO of Extended Stay America as and he's successfully scaling Premier Suites in the middle of one of the hardest building environments we've seen in years.

🏗️ Greg launched Extended Stay America Premier Suites in 2021, and the company invested in the first 15 hotels as proof of concept—then built the franchising system so owners could scale it
📈 Premier Suites now sits north of 50 hotels and keeps climbing, and Greg expects 100 in the next few years
🤝 Greg leans on the owner-operator advantage: Extended Stay America still owns and manages about 70% of the portfolio, so they build first and work out the kinks before they ask franchisees to invest
📊 He ties hashtag#extendedstay momentum to performance: extended stay runs high occupancy with a lean model—his company ran north of 76% while the industry ran about 62%
🧼 He spells out the operating win: fewer turns and fewer cleans when guests stay longer
🧱 He keeps standards pragmatic: build and operate efficiently without over-building beyond what guests pay for
🔧 He keeps the design and construction team active and adjusts the prototype so owners can build for less even with rates staying high

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Suraj Bhakta doesn't sugarcoat the moment. He sees a strong Q1, then watches geopolitics and travel costs squeeze demand again.

No Vacancy is the official podcast of AAHOACON, and I talked with Suraj Bhakta of New Gen Advisory on the show floor about how owners react when the Fed shifts, travel gets expensive, and buyers and sellers hit pause.

📈 Suraj says he saw a strong first quarter, then geopolitical issues started weighing on activity
✈️ He points to Sun Belt impact: less Canadian and overseas traffic in some areas
🏦 He expects a standstill if rates don't fall—sellers don't see replacement deals, and buyers wait
🔄 He calls it a conversion market, with opportunity in economy and midscale as brands roll out new tiers
🧠 He says owners stay resourceful, and tech/AI keeps moving to the front of the conversation

Thanks to Red Roof for letting us shoot this on the show floor.

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Red Roof treats AAHOACON like the Super Bowl, and Matt Hostetler explains why: owners, franchisees, and partners all show up in one place.

No Vacancy is the official podcast of AAHOACON, and I talked with Matt Hostetler, Chief Development Officer at Red Roof, about growth, franchisee support, and how Red Roof helps owners win when the economy tightens.

🚀 Growth strategy for 2026 and why multi-unit owners keep driving momentum
🤝 RIDE program Road to Inclusivity, Diversity, and Entrepreneurship with Lina Patel and She Leads
📲 Tech focus: tools that cut costs or drive revenue, plus an app refresh that delivered a 65% revenue increase year over year
🤖 AI marketing with Zeta Global to convert demand into stays
⏱️ Best AAHOACON detail: Matt tries to time how long it takes to get anywhere… and stops every ten feet to talk to people

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