Ed Brock is an award-winning journalist who has worked for various U.S. newspapers and magazines, including with American City & County magazine, a national publication based in Atlanta focused on city and county government issues. He is currently assistant editor at Asian Hospitality magazine, the top U.S. publication for Asian American hoteliers. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Ed began his career in journalism in the early 1990s as a reporter for a chain of weekly newspapers in Baldwin County, Alabama. After a stint teaching English in Japan, Ed returned to the U.S. and moved to the Atlanta area where he returned to journalism, coming to work at Asian Hospitality in 2016.
REPLETE WITH CAR racing motifs reflecting its theme “Accelerate,” BWH Hotels held its annual convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Nearly 3,000 BWH Hotels members, operators and partners from around the world attended the event that featured a welcome reception in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum.
BWH Hotels President and CEO Larry Cuculic followed the racing theme in his opening address to the crowd.
“Winning every day, leveling up every day's wins, create that year's championship,” Cuculic said. “That's how it happens in racing. Wins create championships, and then championships create legacies, lasting legacies for you, your teams and your family.”
During the convention, Cuculic and other executives addressed the company’s growth domestically and internationally, its performance in the extended-stay and luxury sectors as well as new technologies. Attendees also heard about BWH Hotels’ marketing efforts and reports from board members including Raj Patel, also CEO of Apsilon Hotels in Atlanta.
Raj Patel, also CEO of Apsilon Hotels in Atlanta and BWH Hotels board member told attendees they are “united by our passion.”
“As I look out in this audience, I can't help but feel now that we are all together in the convention, our family, my father, moved to America and started all over again from the ground up so his kids would have a better life, and through hard work, it all came out,” Patel said. “I know many of you share the similar story, but regardless of where you come from, where your hotel is located, or what type of hotel you have, we are all united by our passion.”
Growth at home and abroad
Cuculic said the “Accelerate” theme expresses the company’s energy and momentum.
“Our company is a powerful, global network of hotels for every type of traveler. This year, we reached $8.5 billion in international hotel revenue and signed nearly 300 new properties, including our first-ever beautiful glamping resort, the Zion Wildflower Resort at Zion National Park,” Cuculic said. “Our hotel teams are the heart of our business, and we are grateful our global community could come together this week to help shape the future and success of BWH Hotels.”
This year, BWH Hotels, which already has more than 4,300 hotels in 100 countries and territories worldwide signed nearly 300 properties, reinforcing its position as the second-largest soft branding company in the world. It saw increases in both leisure and business room nights throughout 2024 and reached a milestone of $1 billion in sales revenue for the first time.
Growth continues in India
BWH Hotels’ international subsidiary WorldHotels added several new properties in 2024, said Ron Pohl, WorldHotels president and BWH Hotels president of international operations. In India, Pohl said, BWH Hotels’ master licensee for the country Sorrel Hospitality, has opened 32 hotels over the past eight years and has another 24 in the pipeline.
WorldHotels President Ron Pohl said India is BWH Hotels’ “next horizon.”
“I'm working very closely with the Sorrel team and your board of directors to determine how we can expedite our growth in India, maybe with the help of some of the folks in this room,” Pohl said. “India is the next horizon for BWH Hotels.”
Pohl said WorldHotels, Sorrel and the BWH Hotels board of directors are working “to determine how we can excel growth in India, which may include additional member and brand support.”
Luxury and extended stay
Growth is the key to everything, said Brad LeBlanc, BWH Hotels’ senior vice president and chief development officer.
“It is the key to your personal life, your professional life, and your hotels,” LeBlanc said. “I can say emphatically that growth is the key to BWH's future, hands down. The best way I can help you is to grow this company, because at the end of the day, we know size and scale matter.”
Much of the company’s growth comes from the extended-stay segment. BWH Hotels’ extended-stay brands include @HOME by Best Western that currently has properties under construction in Miami, Atlanta and Orlando as well as 20 states and territories in its pipeline.
Brad LeBlanc, BWH Hotels’ senior vice president and chief development officer, said the company is seeing much growth in the extended-stay sector and that its upscale Aiden brand is the key to opening new markets.
“I'll say it again, extended-stay rules the pipeline with 33 percent of the pipeline, that's just an incredible fact,” LeBlanc said. “Here's what I believe. I believe that we're on the cusp of an expansion that we haven't seen in a long time. I believe the suppressed supply growth with aging inventory, I believe with a growing moving shift in population base, we are on the cusp of something huge in this industry.”
LeBlanc also highlighted the company’s upscale Aiden brand as another source of growth. With nearly 130 properties open and in the pipeline, the brand opened new properties globally, including its first New York City hotel with Aiden Long Island City and new properties in Poland, Mexico and Guyana.
“At the end of the day, Aiden will be an absolute huge winner for this organization,” LeBlanc said. “Aiden allows us, in a very, very fun way to penetrate much needed urban and dense suburban markets. We have a solution. It's new, it's fresh. It's really hard to get approved, but you'll get there.”
By “hard to get approved,” LeBlanc specified that every Aiden must be in an upscale market.
“That means it has an upscale comp set that doesn't have creative food and beverage and that doesn't have a boutique operator around it,” he said.
Like birds in the wilderness
LeBlanc also spoke on BWH Hotels entry into the $12.4 billion glamping industry with the Zion Wildflower Resort. The move follows Hilton’s AutoCamp Hyatt Hotels Corp.’s Under Canvas.
“The hospitality industry continues to evolve and we're evolving right along with it,” LeBlanc said. “Last year in this country, glamping revenues totaled $500 million. Glamping revenues annually were $12.4 billion, moving to $40 billion by 2034.It's a segment hoteliers are stepping into.”
Reopening for a new season next March 1, three-year-old Zion Wildflower is part of the BW Premier Collection by Best Western.
“You wake up in nature, in a beautiful tent of some sort, with all the modern conveniences surrounding you, wake up in the fresh air, but not on the ground,” LeBlanc said. “You walk outside with your cup of coffee, and you stand in the beauty of nature, and you just soak it in all the modern conveniences and a camping experience.”
LeBlanc said more such resorts are planned.
“We have a growing interest from many of our members for new locations. Adding a dozen is a real possibility. And it's just a market that's beginning, though. It's in its infancy,” LeBlanc said. “This is not sleeping in a tent. This is sleeping in a well done, fully formatted, fully AC, really cool place with bathroom with your iPhone charger next to your bed.”
New audience, new message
Joelle Park, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, discussed the company’s plans to further define its "Life's a Trip" marketing campaign. The original program was based on research by PMG Research.
“Building on that third party research that informed our initial personas for our Life's a Trip campaign. This summer, we conducted our own proprietary global consumer research,” Park said. “What we learned is BWH Hotel's next best guest skew slightly younger than our current basic travelers. They still travel for both leisure and for business, slightly more for leisure. They have a skew of exploration, actively seeking experiences off the beaten path. So we're going to define these next best guests for us as our emerging Explorers.”
Joelle Park, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, addressed the company’s plans to market itself to a new, experience-seeking generation of travelers.
This new group of travelers are looking for unique experiences. Park said they are largely aware of Best Western but were not aware of the broader BWH portfolio.
“Here's the important part; when we introduce this new group of travelers, emerging explorers, to the full range of hotel options that we offer, their likelihood to try our hotels overall increased, as well as their likely to join our loyalty program,” Park said. “This is our opportunity to introduce these emerging explorers who are open to trying new brands to our full portfolio of brands through the added value of our loyalty program.”
The Trump administration says it is reviewing more than 55 million visa holders.
Reviews cover a wide range of visas for law enforcement and overstay violations.
The administration also suspended worker visas for foreign commercial truck drivers.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is reviewing more than 55 million people who hold valid U.S. visas for potential violations. It is expanding a policy of “continuous vetting” that could result in revocation and deportation.
The State Department confirmed all visa holders are subject to ongoing review, which includes checking for overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety or ties to terrorism. Should violations be found, visas may be revoked, and holders in the U.S. could face deportation, according to the Associated Press.
Officials said the reviews will include monitoring of visa holders’ social media accounts, law enforcement records and immigration files. New rules also require applicants to disable privacy settings on phones and apps during interviews. The department noted visa revocations since President Trump’s return to office have more than doubled compared to the previous year, including nearly four times as many student visas.
The administration also announced an immediate halt on issuing worker visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio citing road safety and competition concerns for U.S. truckers.
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio posted on X.
The Transportation Department linked the move to recent enforcement of English-language proficiency requirements for truckers, aimed at improving safety. The State Department later said it was pausing visa processing while it reviewed screening protocols.
Critics, including Edward Alden of the Council on Foreign Relations, warned the actions could have significant economic consequences.
“The goal here is not to target specific classes of workers, but to send the message to American employers that they are at risk if they are employing foreign workers,” Alden wrote, according to AP.
Data from the Department of Homeland Security shows there are 12.8 million green card holders and 3.6 million temporary visa holders in the United States. The 55 million figure under review includes many outside the U.S. with valid multiple-entry tourist visas.
Earlier this week, the State Department reported revoking more than 6,000 student visas for violations since Trump returned to office, including around 200 to 300 for terrorism-related issues.
The vast majority of foreign visitors require visas to enter the U.S., with exceptions granted to citizens of 40 countries under the Visa Waiver Program, primarily in Europe and Asia. Citizens of China, India, Russia and most of Africa remain subject to visa requirements.
A $250 Visa Integrity Fee in President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill drew criticism from groups that rely on seasonal workers from Latin America and Asia on J-1 and other visas.
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Spark acquired the 120-key Home2 Suites by Hilton Wayne in Wayne, New Jersey.
Hunter Hotel Advisors facilitated the transaction with DC Hospitality Group affiliates.
The 2020-built hotel is near William Paterson University and less than 20 miles from Manhattan.
SPARK GHC RECENTLY acquired the 120-key Home2 Suites by Hilton Wayne in Wayne, New Jersey, from affiliates of DC Hospitality Group. Hunter Hotel Advisors facilitated the deal for an undisclosed amount.
The 2020-built hotel is less than 20 miles from Manhattan in a commercial corridor with major employers including Driscoll Foods, FedEx Group, Advanced Biotech, St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital, and the Passaic County Administration, Hunter said in a statement. William Paterson University, Willowbrook Mall, and MetLife Stadium are also nearby.
It features an on-site fitness center, business center and indoor pool.
“The Home2 Suites by Hilton Wayne represents the type of asset we target,” said Patel. “Its proximity to major corporate demand generators, higher education institutions, and retail and entertainment venues supports strong performance.”
Hunter’s senior vice presidents, David Perrin and Spencer Davidson, brokered the transaction.
Patel said this is their second transaction with Hunter and praised the process and partnership.
“We look forward to building on the hotel’s recent performance and continuing to deliver guest experiences in the Greater New York City community,” he said.
Northstar Hotels Management recently acquired a 78-key Residence Inn and an 81-key Courtyard near the Jacksonville, Florida, airport.
Global pipeline hit a record 15,871 projects with 2.4 million rooms in Q2.
The U.S. leads with 6,280 projects; Dallas tops cities with 199.
Nearly 2,900 hotels are expected to open worldwide by the end of 2025.
THE GLOBAL HOTEL pipeline reached 15,871 projects, up 3 percent year-over-year, and 2,436,225 rooms, up 2 percent, according to Lodging Econometrics. Most were upper midscale and upscale, LE reported.
The U.S. leads with 6,280 projects and 737,036 rooms, 40 percent of the global total. Dallas leads cities with 199 projects and 24,497 rooms, the highest on record.
LE’s Q2 2025 Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report showed 6,257 projects with 1,086,245 rooms under construction worldwide, unchanged in project count and down 3 percent in rooms from last year. Projects scheduled to start in the next 12 months totaled 3,870 with 551,188 rooms, down 3 percent in projects but up 1 percent in rooms. Early planning reached 5,744 projects and 798,792 rooms, up 10 percent in projects and 9 percent in rooms year-over-year.
Upper midscale and upscale hotels accounted for 52 percent of the global pipeline, LE said. Upper midscale stood at 4,463 projects and 567,396 rooms, while upscale reached 3,852 projects and 655,674 rooms. Upper upscale totaled 1,807 projects and 385,396 rooms, and luxury totaled 1,267 projects and 245,665 rooms, up 11 percent year-over-year.
In the first half of 2025, 970 hotels with 138,168 rooms opened worldwide. Another 1,884 hotels with 280,079 rooms are scheduled to open before year-end, for a 2025 total of 2,854 hotels and 418,247 rooms. LE projects 2,531 hotels with 382,942 rooms to open in 2026 and 2,554 hotels with 382,282 rooms to open globally in 2027, the first time a forecast has been issued for that year.
HAMA is accepting submissions for its 20th annual student case competition.
The cases reflect a scenario HAMA members faced as owner representatives.
Teams must submit a financial analysis, solution and executive summary.
THE HOSPITALITY ASSET Managers Association is accepting submissions for the 20th Annual HAMA Student Case Competition, in which more than 60 students analyze a management company change scenario and provide recommendations. HAMA, HotStats and Lodging Analytics Research & Consulting are providing the case, based on a scenario HAMA members faced as owner representatives.
Student teams must prepare a financial analysis, a recommended solution and an executive summary for board review, HAMA said in a statement.
“Each year, the education committee looks forward to the solutions that the next generation of hotel asset managers bring, applying their own experiences to issues in ways that reveal new directions,” said Adam Tegge, HAMA Education Committee chair. “This competition demonstrates that the future of hotel asset management is in good hands.”
The two winning teams will each receive a $5,000 prize and an invitation to the spring 2026 HAMA conference in Washington, D.C. HAMA will cover travel and lodging.
Twenty industry executives on the HAMA education committee will evaluate submissions based on presentation quality, the statement said. HAMA mentors volunteer from September through November to assist teams seeking feedback and additional information. Schools will select finalists by Jan. 15, with graduate and undergraduate teams reviewed separately.
The competition has addressed topics in operating and owning hospitality assets and HAMA consulted university professors to update the format for situations students may encounter after graduation, the statement said.
This year’s participants include University of Denver, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Boston University, Florida International University, Michigan State University, Columbia University, Morgan State University, Howard University, New York University and Penn State University.
Stonebridge Cos. added the Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton, to its managed portfolio.
The hotel, opened in 1956 and relaunched in 2017, is owned by Centurion American Development Group.
The property is near Main Street Garden Park, the Arts District and the Dallas World Aquarium.
STONEBRIDGE COS. HAS contracted to manage the Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton in Dallas to its managed portfolio. The hotel, opened in 1956 and relaunched in 2017, is owned by Centurion American Development Group, led by Mehrdad Moayedi.
It has an outdoor pool and more than 26,000 square feet of meeting space, Stonebridge said in a statement. The downtown Dallas property is near Main Street Garden Park, the Arts District, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Deep Ellum, Klyde Warren Park, and the Dallas World Aquarium.
“The Statler is an extraordinary asset with a storied history in Dallas, and we are thrilled to welcome it to our managed portfolio,” said Rob Smith, Stonebridge’s president and CEO. “Its blend of modern hospitality with timeless character makes it a natural fit within our lifestyle collection. We look forward to honoring the property’s legacy while enhancing performance and delivering an elevated guest experience.”
Stonebridge, based in Denver, is a privately held hotel management company founded by Chairman Navin Dimond and led by Smith. The company recently added the 244-room Marriott Saddle Brook in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, to its full-service portfolio.