Most first-time hotel syndicators are already breaking the rules; they just don't know it yet. If you've ever taken money from friends and family without the right structure, you may have accidentally sold securities. And if you're paying someone just to raise capital? That's another violation waiting to happen.

In this episode, you'll learn exactly how to raise money for hotel deals without putting yourself or your investors at risk.

A securities attorney who's structured hundreds of capital raises and lost $1 million on her own failed fund shares the hard lessons that transformed how she builds partnerships today. Bethany LaFlam now co-owns a boutique resort in Belize and is building a luxury hospitality portfolio, all while helping Main Street operators avoid the costly legal mistakes she's seen kill deals.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The #1 way sponsors accidentally break SEC rules (and how to stay compliant)
• Why 506B vs. 506C matters and how to choose the right structure for your raise
• The capital raiser compensation mistake that can get you investigated
• How to vet partners before you commit (including the exact questions to ask)
• Why "investor perks" like free hotel nights require careful legal structuring
• The mindset trap that kept her broke for years after a failed $50M fund

If you're planning to raise capital for a hotel deal, this episode could save you from a costly legal mistake or worse, an SEC investigation. Don't skip the compliance conversation.

About Bethany

Bethany LaFlam is a seasoned securities attorney, real estate investor, and Managing Partner at Premier Law Group, where she helps syndicators navigate complex SEC regulations to raise capital safely and effectively. With over two decades of legal experience, she champions the "Power of OPE" (Other People’s Everything), a strategic framework designed to help entrepreneurs scale their wealth and businesses without burnout. Bethany is also the author of the bestselling book The Power of OPE and the founder of the Conscious Capital Collective, a community dedicated to intentional wealth creation and luxury hospitality investing.

Connect with Bethany

Connect with Bethany on LinkedIn.

Follow Bethany on Instagram or visit their Website.

Join The Conscious Capital Collective

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Email Us at info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

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Stop treating your front desk like an expense; it's costing you hundreds of thousands in property value. The biggest mistake boutique hotel owners make isn't about the property itself. It's ignoring the untapped revenue sitting right at your check-in counter.

In this episode, you'll discover how to turn your front desk into a profit center that can add 5% to your bottom line and potentially $500,000 to your hotel's valuation.

A hospitality revenue expert who helped pioneer the car rental upsell model and has spent 25+ years turning frontline employees into sales engines joins us to break down the exact system. Joffrey Toffetti's company, Frontline Performance Group, works with properties from 20-room boutiques to major brands, and his approach has transformed front desk agents from minimum-wage employees into top earners making $50K+ through incentives alone.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why the "value mode vs. experience mode" mindset shift changes everything about guest interactions
• The 3-tier incentive structure that motivates front desk staff without blowing your budget
• How late checkout offers alone can generate $40,000+ annually (with almost zero cost)
• The conversion metrics and "URI" formula to track whether your upselling is actually working
• Why keyless entry and kiosks might be sabotaging your guest relationships and revenue
• How to spot upsell opportunities during due diligence before you even buy a property

If you're serious about maximizing hotel profitability, this episode will change how you think about staffing and guest experience. Don't leave five figures on the table every year because your front desk doesn't know how to sell.

About Geoffrey

Geoffrey Toffetti is the CEO of Frontline Performance Group (FPG), where he leverages over three decades of experience to transform hospitality frontline teams into powerful revenue generators. Rising from a resort valet to the C-suite, Geoffrey has guided FPG’s expansion to over 2,500 properties across 100+ countries, helping global brands like Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt unlock over $2.3 billion in incremental revenue. Through FPG’s innovative IN-Gauge SaaS platform and a "service-based sales" philosophy, he empowers hourly staff to elevate the guest experience while driving significant bottom-line profitability without additional capital expenditure.

Connect with Geoffrey

Connect with Geoffrey on LinkedIn or visit their Website.

Learn how to use AI to underwrite faster, streamline operations, automate the busy work, and make better decisions. Start your 7-day free trial of the AI for CRE Collective here.

Connect with Michael on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Email Us at info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

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Why do so many people dream about buying a hotel but never actually close one?

In this episode, Michael sits down with Brian Resendez, CEO of SVN Northwest Hotel Advisors.

Brian has been involved in hundreds of hotel transactions across the Pacific Northwest and brings rare insight into what separates buyers who close deals from buyers who stall out.

You will learn:
• The real reasons most buyers never get their first deal
• How successful investors overcome fear, uncertainty, and inexperience
• Why third-party management opens the door to bigger and better hotels
• What it takes to build the right team before you buy
• Why larger assets often perform better and are easier to operate

If you want a real look into how hotel investing actually works, this episode will give you the perspective and confidence to keep going.

Follow and share the Hotel Investor Playbook so more people can learn how to invest in hospitality assets the right way.

About Brian

Brian Resendez is the Senior Vice President of Hotels at SVN | Bluestone & Hockley, specializing in hospitality brokerage and land acquisition across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. With a diverse background spanning hotel operations for brands like Westin and Doubletree, commercial finance, and real estate, he offers a holistic perspective on complex transactions that goes far beyond typical brokerage. Brian recently closed a record-breaking 26 hotels in a single year, pioneering innovative hotel-to-housing conversions through Project TurnKey and actively advocating for diverse ownership as a Board Member of the Latino Hotel Association. He is dedicated to serving owner-operators in the $2 million to $20 million asset class, focusing on long-term relationships and operational fundamentals over simple transaction volume.

Connect with Brian

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn or by email at brian.resedez@svn.com.

Visit their website: https://www.nwhotelinvestor.com/

Learn how to use AI to underwrite faster, streamline operations, automate the busy work, and make better decisions. Start your 7-day free trial of the AI for CRE Collective here.

Connect with Michael on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Email Us at info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

Visit the Hotel Investor Playbook Instagram

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Boutique hotel investors often lose money in the same place: they renovate what’s visible, and ignore what actually drives guest behavior.

In this episode, we talk about design as a business tool, not a decoration budget. The goal is simple: create a guest experience that feels intentional, sells itself, and supports your NOI, even when you’re operating without brand-level resources.
My guest is Scott LaMont, CEO of EDSA, a globally recognized design and planning firm. Scott and his team work on hospitality projects worldwide, from master planning new destinations to repositioning existing resorts.

You’ll hear:

• How to “program” spaces so they earn money at different times of day
• What to look for during acquisition that signals hidden upside
• Why the lobby is not a pass-through, it’s a profit center
• How local partnerships create authenticity without big construction costs
• The infrastructure investments (water, resiliency) owners regret skipping
• A practical way to use guest reviews as free due diligence

If you’re graduating from Airbnb to your first hotel deal, this episode will help you avoid rookie capex mistakes and make design decisions that actually translate to revenue. Follow and share the Hotel Investor Playbook so more people can learn how to invest in hospitality assets the right way.

About Scott

Scott LaMont is the CEO and Principal of EDSA, a globally recognized planning and landscape architecture firm where he has spent nearly three decades shaping award-winning destinations for brands like Four Seasons and The Ritz-Carlton. An expert in “deconstructed hospitality” and nature-focused design, Scott combines environmental stewardship with pragmatic business planning to drive long-term value and ROI for developers. He leads with a collaborative, human-centered philosophy that integrates emerging technologies like AI to create authentic, immersive guest experiences that connect people with place.

Connect with Scott on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Visit their website: https://www.edsaplan.com

Learn how to use AI to underwrite faster, streamline operations, automate the busy work, and make better decisions. Start your 7-day free trial of the AI for CRE Collective here.

Connect with Michael on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Email Us at info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

Visit the Hotel Investor Playbook Instagram

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Is now a terrible time to buy a hotel, or the best buying window you will get this decade?

In this episode, Michael sits down with Suraj Bhakta, CEO of NewGen Advisory, a national hotel brokerage that has closed deals in 44 states. Suraj explains what he is actually seeing in today’s market, from the SBA shutdown fallout to the quiet distress building under the surface.

In this conversation, you will learn:

• Why are the 2021–2022 performance numbers misleading so many sellers and buyers
• Where distress is most likely to show up first, and how to spot it before the crowd
• How to think about value-add when required upgrades do not pencil on the back end
• Concrete steps buyers should take this week if they want to be ready when deals crack

If you are serious about buying hotels in this environment, this episode will help you see what is really happening behind the scenes and how to move with more confidence.

Follow and share the Hotel Investor Playbook so more people can learn how to invest in hospitality assets the right way.

About Suraj

Suraj Bhakta is the CEO of NewGen Advisory and Chief Legal Counsel for NewGen Worldwide, where he leads a national brokerage team that has executed hospitality transactions across 44 states. Drawing on over two decades of experience as both a commercial real estate attorney and a lifelong hotelier, Suraj has advised on more than $850 million in acquisitions and facilitated nearly $500 million in capital raises. He specializes in guiding investors through the full property lifecycle, offering expert counsel on complex market challenges ranging from financing and Property Improvement Plans (PIPs) to creative adaptive reuse projects.

Connect with Suraj

Email: suraj.bhakta@newgenadv.com

Phone: +1.602.648.2702

Website: https://newgenadv.com/

LinkedIn: Suraj Bhakta

Instagram: @newgenadvisory

Connect with Michael on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Email Us at info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

Visit the Hotel Investor Playbook Instagram

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Click here to start your free 7-day trial of the AI for CRE Collective.

Most boutique hotel investors are running lean. No analyst team. No data department. No six-figure tech budget. Yet the demands of buying and operating hotels keep getting heavier.

In this episode, I sit down with Jake Heller, founder of the AI for CRE Collective, to break down the most effective AI tools that give small operators the firepower of a full investment team without hiring more staff or burning more hours.

We workshop real tools you can start using today to:

• Research any hotel market in minutes
• Underwrite deals 5 to 10 times faster
• Build pro-grade investor decks and OMs
• Create renovation concepts and renderings
• Cut legal costs with AI-assisted contract review
• Streamline asset management and portfolio reporting
• Automate day-to-day admin and communication

1. Claude (Deep Research) – Market feasibility, multi-source synthesis
2. Perplexity (Market Intel) – Accurate analytical research with citations
3. Shortcut AI (Underwriting) – Flexible financial modeling inside Excel
4. Google Gemini (Nano Banana Image & Video Generation) – Property renderings, façade upgrades, interior redesigns, branding, teaser videos
5. Wilson AI (Legal & Due Diligence) – Contract review, redlines, title exceptions
6. Gamma (Decks & OMs) – Investor decks, offering memorandums, pitch materials
7. Wspr Flow (Voice-to-Text & Admin) – Ultra-fast transcription, notes, emails, and communication

Whether you’re trying to scale your hospitality business, underwrite more deals, or operate your hotel with fewer people, these tools will change the way you work.

If you want to buy and operate hotels without a big team or a ton of time, this episode is your new playbook.

Get One Week Free Membership to Jake’s AI for CRE Collective

If you want help implementing everything we discuss in this episode - the prompts, the workflows, the tools, the systems - Jake’s community is the best place to start.

Listeners of The Hotel Investor Playbook can get full access for FREE.

Click here to start your free 7-day trial of the AI for CRE Collective.

About Jake

Jake Heller is a third-generation homebuilder and entrepreneur who co-founded the AI for CRE Collective, a central hub where AI and technology meet real estate. As an expert focused on practical, implementation-oriented solutions in AI in Commercial Real Estate, he built this 400+ member community to provide battle-tested workflows, automation templates, and a database of 300+ vetted AI tools for professionals. Drawing on his experience in development and consulting, including cofounding JDJ Consulting Group, Jake specializes in helping CRE firms and individuals scale and streamline processes to accelerate deal speed across critical tasks such as underwriting and deal analysis.

Connect with Jake

Website: https://a

Connect with Michael on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Email Us at info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

Visit the Hotel Investor Playbook Instagram

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Turning an international hospitality dream into reality sounds exciting, until you’re standing on a swampy patch of land in Belize, wondering how many years it will take to shape it into something guests will love.

That’s where today’s guest, Odis Martin, began. He and his wife spent nearly a decade transforming a remote island into Sindiri on the Reef, a private eco lodge built without outside investors and rebuilt multiple times after hurricanes.

Odis and his wife went from small US multifamily to hand digging a swampy island, navigating Belize regulations, rebuilding after hurricanes, and creating a one of a kind off grid destination.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How a school project turned into a 10-year international hospitality roadmap
• The real cost and complexity of off-grid development on an island
• What actually makes buying in Belize approachable for US investors

This episode gives you a realistic look at what it really takes to turn an overseas hospitality dream into a real, functioning business.

Follow and share the Hotel Investor Playbook so more people can learn how to invest in hospitality assets the right way.

About Odis

Odis Martin is the owner and captain of Cindiri On The Reef, a Garifuna family-owned private island resort located off the coast of Dangriga, Belize. Alongside his wife, Odis transformed their graduate school thesis into a real-world venture, hand-building the resort from raw land with local Maya and Garifuna craftsmanship and a deep commitment to sustainability. Before launching Cindiri, the couple built a 20-door real estate portfolio in California, which helped self-fund the project without outside investors. Today, Cindiri On The Reef stands as a model for off-grid, eco-luxury hospitality offering reef-to-table dining, immersive ocean experiences, and a masterclass in independent, purpose-driven resort development.

Connect with Odis

Website: https://cindiri.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/54356667

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindirionthereef/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindirionthereef

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cindirionthereef

Connect with Michael on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Email Us at info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

Visit the Hotel Investor Playbook Instagram

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Most hotel investors struggle to get brokers to take them seriously. The result is the same handful of buyers getting the first look at every good deal while everyone else fights over leftovers.

In this episode, Michael sits down with Hunter Johnson, President of Investment Sales at US Hotel Advisors, to break down how brokers actually decide who gets deal flow.

Hunter shares what he looks for in a real buyer, what turns him off immediately, and the simple behaviors that make brokers want to send you deals before they ever hit the market.

You’ll learn:

• What separates a “real buyer” from a time-waster
• The signals that instantly increase your credibility
• How to build relationships that get you called first
• Creative ways to structure deals when traditional debt won’t work
• What lenders want to see from first-time hotel buyers
• When SBA loans make sense and when they don’t

If you want more brokers sending you legitimate opportunities, this episode shows you exactly how to get on their radar and stay there.

Follow and share the Hotel Investor Playbook so more people can learn how to invest in hospitality assets the right way.

About Hunter

Hunter Johnson is the President of Investment Sales at US Hotel Advisors, a hospitality investment-banking firm specializing in the sourcing and structuring of debt, equity, and investment-sales transactions for hotel properties across the U.S.. Drawing on a background that includes commercial real estate, lending, finance, and property insurance, Hunter is uniquely positioned to advise clients on complex capital structures and transaction execution. His firm excels at securing non-recourse financing and raising sophisticated mezzanine or preferred equity, often for assets facing challenging circumstances such as low debt yields or rebrandings. Hunter strives to create trusted and lasting industry relationships while utilizing a competitive bid process to advise on the sale of various assets, including boutique properties, to yield above-market sales prices.

Connect with Hunter

https://ushoteladvisors.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-hotel-advisors/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunter-johnson-2778b120/

Connect with Michael on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Email Us at info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

Visit the Hotel Investor Playbook Instagram

Invest with Malama Capital

Submit a deal