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.
IN NOVEMBER, RED Lion Hotels Corp. began a major restructuring that included leadership changes at the highest levels. It was part of the company’s plan to address franchisee concerns and stop a rising number of exits, what it calls going “back to basics.”
RLH Corp. announced its back to basics plan on Jan. 31 as a strategy for incorporating input from franchisees on what they need from the company. The plan comes a little more than two months after Greg Mount stepped down as the company’s president and CEO in what Robert Wolfe, then chairman of the company’s board of directors, called a necessary action.
One month later, Wolfe also stepped down, retiring to ensure the new chairman, R. Carter Pate, could more closely collaborate with the new CEO. John Russell Jr. is serving as interim CEO.
Russell said the new plan is summarized by the acronym ROAR – Recruit, Onboard, Add value and Retain.
“This approach will help reinforce the foundation of the RLH Corporation business, show a commitment to strengthening bonds with our franchisees and partners, and amplify the Company’s growth opportunities,” Russell said in a statement.
Focusing on the owners
The groundwork for the new plan, however, has been years in the making, said Harry Sladich, executive vice president for RLH Corp.’s lodging development and franchise operations.
“With change comes uncertainty but also comes opportunity,” Sladich said. “We just needed to go back to what’s best for the owner rather than maybe what we thought was best for the brand. When we did have a change in leadership, we paused and said ‘Do we have an opportunity to enact these things now?’ And the answer was yes.”
Back to basics will involve the overhaul of the company’s operational and marketing programs to pursue better owner engagement. RLH Corp.’s franchise operations team will spend more time in the field with double the number of town hall meetings than were held last year. The franchisees’ role on the company’s brand advisory board will be enhanced and the company’s digital and marketing program will be expanded with a focus on community engagement in in local and regional markets.
“We are taking a close look at further infiltration of geographic markets that are most important for our various brands, as well as the guests who continue to show loyalty to our brands and franchisees,” Sladich said in a statement.
The new plan encouraged Asmita Amin, an Americas Best Value Inn owner in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, to reconsider leaving the company after five years with ABVI.
“A lot of the owners were thinking about leaving and I was in the same boat, but now I feel positive and I just want to stay with the brand,” said Amin, who also is on the brand’s owners advisory board.
Better communication, more reservations
At the time of Mount’s departure, several owners of the Knights Inn brand, which RLH Corp. acquired in 2018, were planning to leave the company. Complaints ranged from a lack of responsiveness to owners’ phone calls for assistance, insufficient reservations through the RLH Corp. and high fees.
Regarding the issue of calls for assistance, Sladich said the company is working on tracking the reason for the calls “so we can find the leak in the dam.”
“If 75 percent of the calls are related to a certain issue then we have a leak in the dam, so we have to fix that,” he said.
Interim CEO John Russell also decided to increase the staff at the company’s call center by four people, a 25 percent increase, Sladich said. The company also is creating new avenues of communication, such as using WhatsApp.
Also, RLH Corp. is taking steps to make sure owners are calling the right number to get to the company directly.
“We put out a directory and we actually mailed it,” he said. “We’re desperately trying to make sure that we’re fixing the problem because these are owner/operators. The last thing they have time for is to try to chase somebody down for their bill.”
RLH Corp. also is taking steps to increase reservations coming through its system, Sladich said.
“I’m not disputing that the contribution is not where we’d like it to be,” he said. “We’re going to basically double the amount of money that we spent last year to supercharge all these channels and get them running.”
However, owners will have to do some work to make their properties more attractive as well.
“It’s a two-way street,” he said. “So, when you’re rated a 2 on TripAdvisor there’s no loyalty program or no contribution that can impact a reputation score that is so low that people are comment after comment saying I would not stay there.”
The company is looking at its fees, too. Those fees are set by corporate leadership and approved by the board.
“We have to make sure that we’re doing it and we’re not compromising the performance of the brand as well,” Sladich said. “We’re publicly traded. We have shareholders as well, so we have to balance that.”
If revenues increase, he said, a fee reduction could become more probable.
By way of comparison, Knights Inn owners, who came into the RLH Corp. system in 2018 after the company bought the brand from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, did face a fee increase. For example, a Knights Inn with 50 rooms under Wyndham’s ownership paid $1,250 a month in royalty fees compared to $2,025 a month for a 50-room Knights Inn under RLH Corp.
A matter of time?
The situation should improve with time, said Nancy Patel, a Knights Inn owner in Corpus Christi, Texas, who is on that brand’s owners advisory board. Patel said she thinks some owners expect changes to happen immediately after the brand’s acquisition.
She said they should consider what it’s like when they first buy a hotel in need of repairs, like hers was in Corpus Christi before she renovated it.
“As new owners, we’re trying to understand the property, just as Red Lion had to do the same thing,” she said. “Obviously, there’s going to be some issues coming across. Basically, I feel like they just needed time.”
Global hotel rates are expected to remain stable through 2026, according to AMEX GBT.
New York is a key business travel and meetings destination.
India is likely to be a focus for travel programs during 2026 negotiations.
GLOBAL HOTEL RATES are expected to remain stable through 2026, as geopolitical tensions and potential U.S. tariffs limit demand and constrain price increases, according to American Express Global Business Travel. New York remains a popular destination for business travel and meetings.
AMEX GBT’s Hotel Monitor 2026, an annual forecast of global hotel rates in business travel destinations, identified India as a key market, with hotel rates and occupancy set to rise.
“This year’s forecast reveals a global environment where geopolitical uncertainties are tempering hotel rate increases,” said Dan Beauchamp, Amex GBT’s vice president for consulting. “These insights allow businesses to make more informed travel decisions. Understanding local market conditions will help companies optimize travel budgets and strategies.”
The report also projects continued rate increases for high-end accommodation based on demand.
New York hotel rates are projected to rise 4 percent in 2026. Despite expected softening in inbound U.S. travel from tariff uncertainty, New York remains a leading destination for business travel and meetings. The forecast is based on company data and IMF inflation and GDP projections.
India is expected to see rising hotel rates and occupancy in 2026. Rate growth will be below last year’s levels but above regional and global averages. India is likely to be a focus for many travel programs during 2026 negotiations. Bengaluru, a major technology and AI hub, recorded the country’s highest occupancy and ADR in the first quarter of 2025.
Simon Fishman, Amex GBT’s vice president for global hotels, said data shows news cycles can affect hotel prices in unpredictable ways.
“Amex GBT’s hotel marketplace gives companies access to over two million properties across 180 countries, including more than 45,000 hotels with pre-negotiated discounts and amenities via the Preferred Extras Hotel Program,” he said. “It enables companies of all sizes to adapt to changing business needs while accessing the best rates and traveler experiences.”
A May report by commerce media firm Criteo found that hotel booking values in Asia-Pacific rose 23 percent in early 2025, compared with 2 percent growth in the Americas.
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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.
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.