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.
TRAVEL HAS SHUT down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing occupancy to dry up at hotels across the U.S., leading to closures and layoffs. However, now is not the time to withdraw and stop marketing your hotels, said two hospitality marketing experts.
Orlando-based hotelier Rupesh Patel, the founder of SmartGuests.com, a website dedicated to helping other hotels market themselves for good reviews, said companies facing dire business decisions in these hard times should avoid the temptation to save money by cutting down on advertising and marketing.
“I don’t like cutting marketing budgets when the economy goes down because you’re just digging yourself into a deeper hole,” said Patel, who has increased the marketing budget for his two hotels. “If you can be in front of your potential clients and customers it makes sense.”
That’s an opinion shared by Mark Natale, CEO of Miami-based Smarthinking Inc. brand development agency for real estate and hospitality.
“You might pull back on your marketing budget but I would definitely not eliminate it,” he said.
Patel and Natale have several tips for how hotels can best keep their names in the minds of guests who, while they may be self-isolating at home for now, are also planning the vacations they will take when the medical emergency subsides.
The power of social media
Patel said business at his hotels is up and down. One of his properties, the Quality Inn Daytona Speedway located across the street from the speedway and a short drive from Walt Disney World and other Florida attractions, has twice hosted winners from Choice Hotels International’s “It’s Quality Time, Race Weekend Giveaway” sweepstakes.
“Last night we were at 53 percent, which is not bad considering, but the rates aren’t there and it might be different tomorrow,” he said. “We’re in a 24-hour booking window.”
Patel created SmartGuests.com based on his experiences during the Great Recession in 2008, but the current situation is not the same.
“It’s different from last time because at that time there was no social media like there is now,” he said. “If your hotel is still open hopefully you’re spending a little bit more money on some of these different marketing channels that you maybe never tried in the past, or you may want to up it.”
Patel has increased his marketing budget Google and travel ads.
“I still suggest hotels keep pushing for reviews,” he said. “Even if your hotel is closed you still have an opportunity where you can think of all the people who have stayed at your hotel for the last six months, especially those people who have been really happy.”
Hoteliers should send personalized emails to those former guests, not pushing a sale but just checking in.
“I think that helps when you can send a personalized email to a few guests or a few key accounts that you have a really good relationship with,” he said. “That really matters right now.”
Owners who have had to close their properties should make the most of their time, Patel said.
“While nothing’s going on and your closed, this is a perfect opportunity to collect emails maybe by giving them a free guide [to local attractions],” he said. “They might be planning for the next six months to a year out when they might be traveling your destination and you can give them a free guide and collect an email. Maybe promote to them later, but you won’t be able to promote to them later if you don’t have an email.”
While selling is a waste of time now, promoting your business shows value and keeps you prepared for the day when business returns.
“People haven’t stopped focusing on what they want to do in the future,” Patel said. “They’re still dreaming about going on vacation.”
Look for opportunities to help the community, Patel said, for example by giving needed equipment to local hospitals and giving guests an opportunity to donate.
“You could be out there helping your community and that’s something you can tell your guests,” he said. “I think that’s powerful when you can help the community out.”
Taking your brand to the people
Natale said his company primarily serves independent and boutique hotel operators.
“It’s even more important for the independents and the smaller boutique operations to be even more out there because they may not have the name recognition of the Hiltons and things along those lines,” he said.
However, all levels of the hotel industry can benefit from maintaining their social media and online presence.
“There is enough content there to be in contact with people on a daily basis,” Natale said. “What we’re seeing right now is people are wanting that contact with hotels. You quickly realize what an important place you are for people. A lot of magical moments happen at hotels.”
Those moments range from weddings to big business meetings and conferences.
“When people can’t access these experiences, you realize the importance that they play in people’s lives,” Natale said. “People are thirsting for that, and right now people are wanting some sense of regularity and some sense of structure. That’s another reason why it’s important to be out there and let people know you’re not going anywhere and we’ll get through this.”
He suggests owners essentially allow guests to bring a piece of the hotel home with them.
“Whether it be a do-it-yourself spa treatment that you might do at home even though you can’t be at that particular spa, or having your chef take the time to show a signature dish that you can make at home,” Natale said. “Continue to make yourself a viable part of these people’s lives.”
It’s not about selling right now, he said, but rather it’s about positioning yourself as a resource for others.
“And you do that out of genuine wanting to help people right now,” he said.
As the nation moves closer to recovery, Natale said, the messaging should change.
“It’s something that hoteliers have to be sensitive to. As we do get back into the recovery phase, are you going to go right back to your tone of voice or right back to the initiative that you might have had planned earlier?” he said. “I think you need to sit down and look at those plans and make sure they’re sensitive to the situation.”
People are going to be cautious, he said, but also hungry for experiences after the long period of staying at home.
“So your tone of voice is going to have to reassure people and your messaging is going to have to position you in a way that lets people know that you’re considerate of them coming back out and that you’re going to be behind them as they venture out into the world,” he said.
Also, show that you’re using state-of-the-art cleaning techniques at your hotel, but avoid health tips that people can find anywhere else.
The surge to come
In a world where more and more services are digital and online, Natale said hotels have a unique position.
“The only way that you can get our product is to come to it,” he said. “We’re completely experiential driven. We’re completely driven by our experiences that we create for people.”
And now that that’s been taken away from people the messaging needs to focus on when it returns. And when people again have access to those desires that only hotels can provide, they may surge back once they are assured of their safety, and hotels should be ready for that.
“I do think there will be a surge because I think people, they realize what they miss right now,” Natale said. “So, hotels need to be able to accommodate that demand and accommodate it in a way that shows guests ‘Hey, we’re still concerned about your safety and it’s a top priority for us.”
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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Peachtree Group originated a $176.5 million retroactive CPACE loan for a Las Vegas property.
The deal closed in under 60 days and ranks among the largest CPACE financings in the U.S.
The company promotes retroactive CPACE funding for commercial real estate development.
PEACHTREE GROUP ORIGINATED a $176.5 million retroactive Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy loan for Dreamscape Cos.’s Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The deal, completed in under 60 days, is its largest credit transaction and one of the largest CPACE financings in the U.S.
The 2,520-room Rio, now under the Destinations by Hyatt brand, was renovated in 2024 and comprises two hotel towers connected by a casino, restaurants and retail, Peachtree said in a statement.
“This transaction is a milestone for Peachtree Group and a testament to the ecosystem we have built over the past 18 years,” said Greg Friedman, Peachtree's managing principal and CEO. “Through our vertically integrated platform, deep expertise and disciplined approach, we have developed the infrastructure to be a leader in private credit. Our ability to deliver speed, creativity and certainty of execution positions us to provide capital solutions that create value for our investors and partners across market cycles.”
Atlanta-based Peachtree is led by Friedman; Jatin Desai as managing principal and CFO and Mitul Patel as principal.
The CPACE loan retroactively funded the renovations, allowing the owners to pay down their senior loan, the statement said. The property improvement plan included exterior work, upgrades to the central heating and cooling plant, electrical infrastructure improvements and convention center renovations.
Jared Schlosser, Peachtree’s head of originations and CPACE, said the deal marks an inflection point, with major financial institutions consenting to its use for the benefit of the capital stack.
“By closing quickly on a marquee hospitality asset, we were able to strengthen the position of both the owner and its lenders,” he said.
The CPACE market has surpassed $10 billion in U.S. originations in just over a decade, according to the C-PACE Alliance, with growth expected as more institutional owners and lenders adopt it.
“We see significant opportunity for retroactive CPACE and its use in funding new commercial real estate development,” Schlosser said. “It is an alternative to more expensive forms of capital.”
In June, Peachtree named Schlosser head of originations for all real estate and hotel lending and leader of its CPACE program. Peachtree recently launched a $250 million fund to invest in hotel and commercial real estate assets mispriced by capital market illiquidity.
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.