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 senior 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.
A CRISIS CAN be an opportunity for families to come together. For Houston hoteliers Hasu and Sawan Patel, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a chance to work together to help the community in which they live and work.
Sawan is a managing partner at Unity Hotels Group, a company founded by his father, Hasu, as well as Southeast Texas regional director for AAHOA. Hasu also is president of the Small Independent Motel Owners Association and the Indo-American Political Action Committee.
Like most, if not all, hotels in Houston and around the country, Unity Hotels has seen a steep drop in occupancy as a result of the virus and accompanying economic crash. But Hasu and Sawan are keeping busy.
“Our days are very long right now. Even though our business is slow our days are very long because we’re continually being engaged in situations, issues and opportunities to identify and look into relief efforts,” Sawan said. “Growing up with my father, he’s always been involved, so that type of mindset, that type of activeness, I’ve learned from him.”
Hasu agrees that his son and his days are busy now with fighting the virus and economic downturn.
“Our days are busy, but at a time like this, it is critically important that we continue to represent the industry and our members and continue to work alongside other local leaders and active hoteliers to do all we can to mitigate the economic hardship that is devastating our industry,” Hasu said. “It's definitely a tough time right now for all sectors of the tourism and travel industry, but most particularly the hotel industry. Occupancy is down everywhere and hoteliers are not able to generate the revenue needed to sustain their businesses.”
Fighting for relief
While some hoteliers may be able to depend on their reserves to get them through, Hasu said many are single-property owners who may not have that option.
“SIMA is working closely with AAHOA, Texas Hotel & Lodging Association and the Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Houston to ensure we are communicating all the relevant information to our members and to provide them with assistance to get relief from the government, specifically the Small Business Administration,” he said.
“Basically, that offers small business owners like myself and my fellow hoteliers the opportunity to take out a loan that’s about two and a half times our payroll from last year,” Sawan said. “As long as we use that loan for certain protected allocations, such as utilities, mortgage interest and then, most importantly of course, payroll, that loan ends up being forgiven by the government.”
He said he heard the PPP loans will be available April 3.
“April 3 should be a busy day for the lending community,” Patel said, adding the loans may help hoteliers stay afloat four to eight weeks. “At the end of the day this type of short-term relief really gives us some breathing time.”
Time for franchisers to step up
More help is needed, Sawan said, particularly from large hotel companies. Sawan would like to see more brands waive fixed fees and royalty fees during the crisis, the same position supported by hotel owners in the newly formed Fair Franchising Initiative.
“I think the recipe for franchisees and small business owners in general to get out on the other side of this economic crisis is a combination of four factors,” Sawan said. “It’s going to be short-term government relief, long-term government relief, relief from lenders and then, of course, financial relief from franchisers.”
He understands that companies like Hilton, Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels Group, along with the companies he franchises with, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Choice Hotels International and Red Lion Hotels Corp., all have to focus on their own survival at this time.
“But I think that franchisers need to be mindful that their financial outlook depends heavily on the stabilization of the franchisees,” he said. “If you wait to provide financial relief when your franchisees are on the brink of foreclosure or just closing down their hotels or bankruptcy, it might be too late.”
Rough times may last a while
The future is uncertain, Sawan said, and the economic impact of the pandemic may last well past the medical emergency itself.
“As far as the hotel industry goes, by now a vast majority of the hotels across the country are probably in single-digit occupancy right now. If they’re not then they will be very soon,” he said. “So, the peak of the economic impact that hotel owners are going to face is either already here or almost here.”
The next option for many is to just close, and more hotel owners may have to make that choice if more companies don’t offer more relief from fixed and royalty fees.
“Any hotel that shuts down right now, they shut down with the intention of it being temporary. But we don’t know the full, lasting impact of this economic crisis and many of those shutdowns may become permanent,” he said. “The economy is not just going to get back on its feet right then and there. It’s going to take time. It’s going to be a long process.”
Business travel may start right back, but leisure travel may have a longer path to recovery. He hopes to start seeing rising occupancy again at the end of the fourth quarter.
“As far as leisure travel goes, my interpretation is that consumer confidence will still be pretty low and people will not just be packing their bags and traveling right away,” he said. “Hopefully by the fourth quarter of this year we will finally see a significant upward trend, assuming that this public health crisis is overcome by the end of quarter two if not earlier.”
Unity Hotels Group hasn’t closed any hotels, but they are feeling the pain. They have shut down floors in their larger properties, and full closures are not out of the question in the future.
Keeping a safe distance
His father and he are mostly working from home, but sometimes Sawan has to visit his properties for some specific reason.
“I have my managers there, my staff there, they’re continuing to work. It’s pretty slow so we might have one or two people at the hotel,” he said. “I’m working from home, but at the end of the day, if I’ve gotta go, I’ve gotta go.”
What guests his hotels do have are mostly from local companies that have people traveling from nearby cities. All common areas in the hotels are closed.
“For the most part, my employees are not interacting with many guests, who are either staying in their rooms or they’re going out to take care of whatever they need and coming back,” he said. “I guess you can say, right now, that’s a good thing.”
Marriott launches Outdoor Collection and Bonvoy Outdoors platform.
First two brands are Postcard Cabins and Trailborn Hotels.
Platform features 450+ hotels, 50,000 homes and activities.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL RECENTLY launched the brand “Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy” and introduced “Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors,” a digital platform that lets travelers plan trips by destination or activity. The first two brands in the Outdoor Collection are Postcard Cabins and Trailborn Hotels.
Outdoor Collection offers stays such as cabins near national parks and hotels on cliffs, providing access to nature along with basic guest needs, including beds, running water and restrooms, Marriott said in a statement.
The Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors platform includes 450 hotels, 50,000 homes and villas, and tours and activities, the statement said. Postcard Cabins has 1,200 cabins across 29 U.S. locations within two hours of major cities and Trailborn Hotels offers properties in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
“We built Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors to help people, whether that’s cresting a mountain trail, catching the perfect wave, or simply finding quiet under the stars,” said Peggy Roe, Marriott's executive vice president and chief customer officer. “Travel is at its best when it speaks to who we are and what we love. It’s about reconnecting with yourself and the people you love in the places that inspire you most. With the new Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy, our curated Marriott Bonvoy Moments and activations like the Drop Pin Challenge with Dylan Efron, we’re not just offering places to stay, we’re opening doors to experiences that inspire, connect and stay with you forever.”
Marriott Bonvoy partnered with Dylan Efron on the Drop Pin Challenge, a treasure hunt across 20 U.S. and Canadian locations with 10 million points at stake. Travelers can visit marriottbonvoyoutdoors.com for rules and locations and the first 50 eligible participants to scan each pin earn 10,000 points. The platform is also partnering with Outside Interactive to offer Marriott Bonvoy Moments that connect guests with nature and activities.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Asian Media
Group USA Inc. and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
Peachtree adds six hotels to third-party platform.
Five are owned by La Posada Group, one by Decatur Properties.
Third-party portfolio totals 42 hotels.
PEACHTREE GROUP’S HOSPITALITY management division added six hotels to its third-party management platform. Five are owned by La Posada Group LLC and one by Decatur Properties Holdings.
La Posada’s hotels include Fairfield Inn Evansville East in Evansville, Indiana; Fairfield Inn Las Cruces and TownePlace Suites Las Cruces in Las Cruces, New Mexico; and SpringHill Suites Lawrence Downtown and TownePlace Suites Kansas City Overland Park in Kansas, Peachtree said in a statement.
It also assumed management of Decatur Properties’ Hampton Inn in Monahans, Texas.
“Our third-party management business is experiencing growth and these six hotels demonstrate the trust owners are placing in our team,” said Vickie Callahan, president of Peachtree’s hospitality management division. “We have experience managing hotels and managing operations for partners who have entrusted us with their assets. We are committed to protecting asset value, driving results for partners and delivering a strong guest experience.”
The division manages hotels across brands and markets nationwide, the statement said. It operates 115 hotels across 29 brands with 14,212 rooms in 27 states and Washington, D.C. The additions bring its total third-party operations to 42 hotels.
Callahan said the team uses scale, operating systems and brand relationships to optimize revenue, control costs and improve guest satisfaction.
Atlanta-based Peachtree is led by Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO; Jatin Desai, managing principal and CFO and Mitul Patel, principal.
The Highland Group: Extended-stay occupancy, RevPAR and ADR declined in August.
Room revenue rose 0.4 percent, while demand increased 2.2 percent.
August marked the second time in 47 months that supply growth exceeded 4 percent.
U.S. EXTENDED-STAY OCCUPANCY fell 2.1 percent in August, its eighth consecutive monthly decline, while ADR declined 1.8 percent and RevPAR dropped 3.9 percent for the fifth consecutive month, according to The Highland Group. However, total extended-stay room revenue rose 0.4 percent year over year.
The Highland Group’s “US Extended-Stay Hotels Bulletin: August 2025” noted that summer leisure travel has a greater impact on the overall hotel industry than on extended-stay hotels.
“August’s performance metrics further indicated that economy extended-stay hotels are weathering the hotel industry downturn better than most hotel classes, especially at lower price points,” said Mark Skinner, The Highland Group partner.
The 2.1 percent drop in extended-stay hotel occupancy in August was the eighth straight month of decline, the report said. Occupancy declined more than the 1.3 percent drop STR/CoStar reported for all hotels. However, extended-stay occupancy was 11.3 percentage points higher than the overall hotel industry, consistent with long-term late-summer trends.
The 1.8 percent decline in extended-stay ADR was partly due to a larger share of economy supply in August 2025 versus August 2024, the report said. Economy extended-stay ADR fell for the first time since May 2024 but outperformed the 3.4 percent drop for all economy hotels reported by STR/CoStar. Mid-price extended-stay ADR also declined, while upscale extended-stay ADR fell more than upscale hotels overall.
RevPAR fell 3.9 percent in August, the fifth straight monthly decline and the largest in 2025. The overall drop was greater than individual segment decreases because economy supply made up a larger share than in August 2024. STR/CoStar reported RevPAR declines of 5.7 percent for economy, 2.6 percent for mid-price and 2 percent for upscale hotels.
Revenue, demand and supply trends
Extended-stay room revenue rose 0.4 percent in August from a year earlier, The Highland Group said. STR/CoStar reported overall hotel revenue fell 0.1 percent and excluding luxury and upper-upscale segments, revenue fell 2 percent. STR/CoStar also reported August room revenue declines of 6.4 percent for economy hotels, 1.4 percent for midscale and 0.7 percent for upscale compared to August 2024.
Extended-stay demand rose 2.2 percent in August, the second-largest monthly increase in seven months. STR/CoStar reported total hotel demand fell 0.4 percent. Adjusting for the extra day in February 2024, extended-stay demand has grown in 32 of the past 33 months.
August was the second time in 47 months that supply growth exceeded 4 percent, the report said. Supply has risen about 3 percent year to date. Annual supply growth ranged from 1.8 to 3.1 percent over the past three years, below the long-term 4.9 percent average.
The 8 percent rise in economy extended-stay supply, with minimal change in mid-price and upscale rooms, is mainly due to conversions, as new economy construction accounts for about 3–4 percent of rooms compared to a year ago.
The Highland Group reported that economy, mid-price and upscale extended-stay segments led first-quarter 2025 RevPAR growth over their class counterparts. The report noted 602,980 extended-stay rooms at quarter-end, a net gain of 17,588 rooms over the past year, the largest in three years.
AHLA Foundation distributed $710,000 in scholarships to 246 students.
Nearly 90 percent of recipients come from underrepresented communities.
The foundation funds students pursuing education and careers in the lodging sector.
AHLA FOUNDATION DISTRIBUTED $710,000 in academic scholarships to 246 students at 64 schools nationwide for the 2025–2026 academic year. Nearly 90 percent of recipients are from underrepresented communities, reflecting the foundation’s focus on expanding access to hospitality careers.
The foundation awards academic scholarships annually to students in hospitality management and related programs, it said in a statement.
“Our scholarship program is helping ensure the next generation of talent has the resources to pursue careers in the hospitality industry,” said Kevin Carey, AHLA Foundation's president and CEO. “We’ve invested millions of dollars over the last several decades to recruit and support future leaders who will strengthen our industry.”
It provides funding to help students pursue education and careers in the lodging sector, the statement said. Award decisions are based on applicants’ academic performance, extracurricular involvement, recommendations and financial need.
In September, AHLA Foundation, the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education and the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration announced plans to expand education opportunities for hospitality students. The alliance aim to provide data, faculty development and student engagement opportunities.
The U.S. government shut down at midnight after Congress failed to agree on funding.
About 750,000 federal employees will be furloughed daily, costing $400 million.
Key immigration and labor programs are halted.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT shut down at midnight after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on funding. Disputes over healthcare subsidies and spending priorities left both sides unwilling to accept responsibility.
The shutdown could cost America’s travel economy $1 billion a week, the U.S. Travel Association said previously. It will disrupt federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and hurt the travel economy, USTA CEO Geoff Freeman wrote in a Sept. 25 letter to Congress.
“A shutdown is a wholly preventable blow to America’s travel economy—costing $1 billion each week—and affecting millions of travelers and businesses while straining an already overextended federal travel workforce,” Freeman said. “While Congress recently provided a $12.5 billion down payment to modernize our nation’s air travel system and improve safety and efficiency, this modernization will stop in the event of a shutdown.”
USTA said that halting air traffic controller hiring and training would worsen a nationwide shortage of more than 2,800 controllers and further strain the air travel system.
About 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed each day at a cost of about $400 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Essential services to protect life and property remain operational, CNN reported. The Department of Education said most of its staff will be furloughed, while the Department of Homeland Security will continue much of its work. Agencies released contingency plans before the deadline.
Immigration services are directly affected. Most U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services operations continue because they are fee funded, but programs relying on appropriations—such as E-Verify, the Conrad 30 J-1 physician program and the special immigrant religious worker program—are suspended. Houston law firm Reddy Neumann Brown said employers must manually verify I-9 documents if E-Verify goes offline, though USCIS has historically extended compliance deadlines.
The Department of Labor will halt its Office of Foreign Labor Certification, freezing labor condition applications for H-1B visas, PERM applications and prevailing wage determinations, India’s Business Standard reported. Its FLAG system and related websites will also go offline. Immigration lawyers warn of ripple effects, since USCIS depends on DOL data. The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals and administrative law dockets will also pause.
Visa and passport services at U.S. consulates generally continue because they are fee funded. If revenue falls short at a post, services may be limited to emergencies and diplomatic needs.
Reuters reported that the disruption could delay the September jobs report, slow air travel, suspend scientific research, withhold pay from active-duty U.S. troops and disrupt other government operations. The funding standoff involves $1.7 trillion in discretionary agency spending—about one-quarter of the $7 trillion federal budget, according to Reuters. Most of the rest goes to health programs, retirement benefits and interest on the $37.5 trillion national debt.
According to The New York Times, unlike previous shutdowns, Trump is threatening long-term changes to the government if Democrats do not concede to demands, including firing workers and permanently cutting programs they support.