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.
ON DAY TWO, the theme for AAHOACON 2020 was “Where do we go from here?” The main topic of discussion in the day’s general sessions was how the U.S. hotel industry can recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a first day of introductions and getting used to the functionalities of AAHOA’s first virtual conference, Wednesday was a series of talks ranging from how hotel associations like AAHOA, the American Hotel & Lodging Associations and the U.S. Travel Association are facing the crisis to how individual companies are being affected.
Word from the top
Cecil Staton, AAHOA president and CEO, moderated the first session, “Hospitality CEOs Converge: Advocating for the Hotel Industry.” His guests were Roger Dow, USTA president and CEO, and Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO.
“It's the most difficult time any of us have ever seen, 10 times worse than Sept. 11,” Dow said in answer to Staton’s question on the state of the country and travel industry.
Rogers said the associations are doing what they can to keep hoteliers afloat.
“There are a lot of folks out there talking about recovery, promotion, stimulus, and those things, and those are clearly important, no question about it,” he said. “But right now, so many in our in our industry are just trying to keep the doors open and make sure that there's a job for those employees to come back to.”
One of the most important issues AAHOA, USTA and AHLA have advocated for is an expansion of the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Refunding PPP is part of two stimulus packages under debate in Congress, the Republicans’ Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act and the Democrats’ Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act.
“The problem is the PPP was originally created to last about eight to 10 weeks,” Rogers said. “We now know that this problem is going to exist for the rest of this year and well in the next year and probably many years in our industry. So the notion that an eight to 10 week fix will fix the problem is a little short sighted.
“We're asking specifically for another round of PPP funding for those businesses that have lost 35 percent or more of their revenue. The current HEALS Act offers that at a 50 percent or more revenue loss, we believe that that should go down to about 35 percent.”
Dow said helping the travel industry recover is key to a national recovery from the pandemic. Six more months of the current situation could mean another $70 billion and another 800,000 jobs lost for the travel industry.
“And if we don't get that going, if we let [the pandemic] take its own path that's a problem,” he said. “That's why it's so important to bring this thing back, because we will bring back the U.S. economy.”
The numbers don’t lie
The next session, “What the Data Says: Before, During, and After the Pandemic,” laid out the good and bad in the current economic crisis. Moderator Christina Trauthwein, editor-in-chief of Hotel Business, started with the July results.
“There were gains in the leisure sector in particular and the hospitality industry in general,” CBRE’s Jamie Lane said in response. “But, the pace of growth has slowed. It’s great that jobs are returning, but we haven’t seen a rebound.”
In the early days of summer, as states started to reopen, there was a growth spurt, said Cindy Estis Green, CEO and co-founder of Kalibri Labs.
“But I think, with the [COVID-19] cases starting to spike, it had a muting effect on the growth,” she said.
Demand remains sluggish, said Amanda Hite, STR president and CEO.
“[The pandemic] had a huge negative impact,” Hite said. “There is improvement week over week, but the big gains we saw over April and May have waned. The real question is [what happens] after Labor Day. What will happen to demand?”
There are some signs of recovery, Estis Green said.
“Leisure is split between brand loyalty programs and OTAs and that’s a big thing. We also are seeing signs of life in the corporate sector,” she said.
Some hotels are in some markets are doing better than last year, Hite said.
“So, there are positive stories out there,” she said. “By 2023, we’ll be back to our 2019 levels of demand."
The voices of the future
Panel members for the general session “A View from Young Professional Hoteliers: Driving the Future of the Industry Beyond COVID-19” were young executives from some top hotel development and investment companies. Joining moderator Teague Hunter, president and CEO at Hunter Hotel Advisors, were J.R. Patel, president and CEO of Helix Hotels; Harshil Patel, vice president, Champion Hotels; Jatin Desai, managing principal and CIO/CFO of Peachtree Hotel Group; Raj Patel, chief development officer, Hawkeye Hotels.
Hunter asked Desai about the state of the investment world in the pandemic.
“Our investor appetite in this current market obviously shifted,” Desai said. “Our investors have traditionally been high net worth individuals with not really large institutions. The profile of our investors has not changed since we first started the company back in 2007. Our investors are always looking for risk adjusted returns with capital appreciation. Obviously, that's different today than it was six months ago.”
J.R. with Helix said his company’s hotels, mostly in secondary and tertiary markets, were doing better than at the outset of the pandemic.
“I think we definitely saw the bottom as I would imagine most of us on here have. It’s improving but I think July 4 weekend was a bit of an acid test for our properties and our industry as a whole,” he said. “I think the number of [COVID-19] cases rising nationwide we're starting to see a bit of a plateau across our portfolio and I think the industry is speaking that way as well.”
Champion Hotels’ Harshil gave a similar report.
“We've had to obviously go in and just try to minimize all the costs,” Harshil said. “We have owner operators at most of our locations, so it's almost like running like a mom and pop again, where you're literally watching every single check being written, every invoice coming in.”
The impact of COVID-19 had exceeded Hawkeye Hotels worst-case scenarios, Raj said.
“When we build and operate hotels, we shock test for 30 percent drop in revenue,” he said. “When overnight, you have an 80 to 90 percent drop and the bottom falls out, even if you have done every single thing, right, when that day comes you can you can never be prepared for it.”
The crisis has affected their decision making toward future projects, Raj said. They probably won’t break ground on another project until the second or third quarter of 2021.
“Any project that's underway, anything that we've broken ground on, it's a freight train, you can't stop it. So, we are committed to looking forward on any project that's underway, and we've been able to do that on the projects that we just closed our loans on. And those dozen are all under way and we are cutting costs right now,” he said. “Any project that is not underway and is in the planning phases, we are certainly looking at the time when we should start the project. Once we can start seeing that recovery, once lending comes back around in a strong way and once we can feel 100 percent confident and comfortable with moving forward on those projects. We don't have any plans to scrap the projects but we’re just waiting for the right timing to maximize value and costs.”
Peachtree recognized by Inc. and the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Named to the 2025 Inc. 5000 list for the third year.
Chronicle’s Pacesetter Awards recognize metro Atlanta’s fastest-growing companies.
PEACHTREE GROUP ENTERED the 2025 Inc. 5000 list for the third consecutive year. The company also won the Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Awards as one of the city’s fastest-growing private companies.
The Inc. 5000 list provides a data-driven look at independent businesses with sustained success nationwide, while the Business Chronicle’s Pacesetter Awards recognize metro Atlanta’s fastest-growing privately held companies, Peachtree said in a statement.
“We are in the business of identifying and capitalizing on mispriced risk, and in today’s environment of disruption and dislocation, that has created strong tailwinds for our growth,” said Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO. “These recognitions validate our ability to execute in complex markets, and we see significant opportunity ahead as we continue to scale our platform.”
The Atlanta-based investment firm, led by Friedman; Jatin Desai, managing principal and CFO and Mitul Patel, principal, oversees a diversified portfolio of more than $8 billion.
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AHLA Foundation is partnering with ICHRIE and ACPHA to support hospitality education.
The collaborations align academic programs with industry workforce needs.
It will provide data, faculty development, and student engagement opportunities.
THE AHLA FOUNDATION, International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education and the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration work to expand education opportunities for students pursuing hospitality careers. The alliances aim to provide data, faculty development and student engagement opportunities.
Their efforts build on the foundation’s scholarships and link academics to workforce needs, AHLA said in a statement.
"We're not just funding education—we're investing in the alignment between academic learning and professional readiness," said Kevin Carey, AHLA Foundation president and CEO. "These partnerships give us the insights needed to support students and programs that effectively prepare graduates to enter the evolving hospitality industry."
ACPHA will provide annual reports on participating schools’ performance, enabling the Foundation to direct resources to programs with curricula aligned to industry needs, the Foundation said.
Thomas Kube, incoming ACPHA executive director, said the partnership shows academia and industry working together for hospitality students. The collaboration with ICHRIE includes program analysis, engagement through more than 40 Eta Sigma Delta Honor Society chapters and faculty development.
“Together, we are strengthening pathways to academic excellence, professional development and industry engagement,” said Donna Albano, chair of the ICHRIE Eta Sigma Delta Board of Governors.
U.S. holiday travel is down to 44 percent, led by Millennials and Gen Z.
Younger consumers are cost-conscious while older generations show steadier travel intent.
76 percent of Millennials are likely to use AI for travel recommendations.
NEARLY 44 PERCENT of U.S. consumers plan to travel during the 2025 holiday season, down from 46 percent last year, according to PwC. Millennials and Gen Z lead travel intent at 55 percent each, while Gen X sits at 39 percent and Baby Boomers at 26 percent.
PwC’s “Holiday Outlook 2025” survey found that among those not traveling, about half prefer to celebrate at home and cost concerns affect 43 percent, rising to 50 percent for Gen Z non-travelers. Visiting friends and relatives remains the main reason for holiday travel, cited by roughly 48 percent of those planning trips.
Younger consumers are more cost-conscious, while older generations show steadier travel intent. This split influences travel operators’ planning: younger travelers may require clear value, bundled perks and flexible options, whereas older travelers respond to reliability and convenience. Despite overall spending pressure, travel remains a key priority, reflecting its social and emotional importance during the holidays.
PwC surveyed 4,000 U.S. consumers from June 26 to July 9, with 1,000 each from Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Boomers, balanced by gender and region.
Generational spending patterns
Gen Z plans a 23 percent reduction in spending after last year’s 37 percent surge, while Boomers expect a 5 percent increase. Millennials are largely flat, down 1 percent and Gen X edges up 2 percent. Overall holiday spending is down 5 percent, with gift spending falling 11 percent, while travel and entertainment budgets remain stable, increasing 1 percent.
Households with children under 18 plan to spend more than twice as much as households without, averaging $2,349 compared to $1,089, highlighting the focus on family-centered experiences.
For travel and hospitality operators, these patterns suggest stronger conversion potential among older cohorts with steadier budgets and the need for clear value and cost transparency for younger travelers. Consumers are prioritizing experiences and togetherness over material gifts. Flexible fares, transparent pricing and bundled benefits such as Wi-Fi, breakfast, or late checkout can reinforce value and encourage bookings, especially among younger demographics. Gen Z’s pullback makes price-to-experience ratios decisive.
AI, timing and travel strategy
About 76 percent of Millennials say they are likely to use AI agents for recommendations, signaling a shift to “assistant-first” travel discovery. Operators must provide structured, AI-readable content, including route maps, fees, loyalty policies and inventory availability. Brands that do not may be invisible in AI-driven search and recommendation systems.
This year’s late Thanksgiving on Nov. 27 compresses the holiday booking window. Short-haul visiting-friends-and-relatives trips may see bunched reservations, increasing demand for early inventory visibility, simple cancellation policies and accurate last-minute availability. Operators should hold a portion of inventory for late bookings, streamline mobile checkouts and maintain flexible policies to capture last-minute travelers.
Strategies should be generationally targeted. Boomers and Gen X respond to comfort, reliability and multi-generational options, while Millennials and Gen Z require clear value and AI-optimized offers. Focusing on VFR travel through “home for the holidays” packages, flexible dates, partner transport and easy add-on nights can capture demand in key residential hubs.
Despite overall spending declines, travel remains a priority. Operators that deliver transparent value, AI-ready content and offers tailored to each generation can maintain bookings, convert last-minute demand and meet consumers’ evolving holiday expectations.
A TravelBoom Hotel Marketing report found that Americans continue to prioritize travel despite inflation and economic uncertainty, but with greater financial caution. About 74.5 percent plan a summer vacation and 17.5 percent are considering one, showing strong demand linked to careful budgeting.
Global hotel RevPAR is projected to grow 3 to 5 percent in 2025, JLL reports.
Hotel RevPAR rose 4 percent in 2024, with demand at 4.8 billion room nights.
London, New York and Tokyo are expected to lead investor interest in 2025.
GLOBAL HOTEL REVPAR is projected to grow 3 to 5 percent in 2025, with investment volume up 15 to 25 percent, driven by loan maturities, deferred capital spending and private equity fund expirations, according to JLL. Leisure travel is expected to decline as consumer savings tighten, while group, corporate and international travel increase, supporting RevPAR growth.
Major cities continue to attract strong demand and investor interest, particularly London, New York and Tokyo. APAC is likely to post the strongest growth, fueled by recovering Chinese travel, while urban markets remain poised for continued momentum.
Lifestyle hotels are emerging as the new “third place,” blending living, working and leisure. The trend is fueling expansion into branded residences and alternative accommodations. JLL said investors must weigh regional performance differences, asset types and lifestyle trends when evaluating opportunities.
Separately, a Hapi and Revinate survey found fragmented systems, inaccurate data and limited integration remain barriers for hotels seeking better data access to improve guest experience and revenue.
Fragmented systems, poor integration limit hotels’ data access, according to a survey.
Most hotel professionals use data daily but struggle to access it for revenue and operations.
AI and automation could provide dynamic pricing, personalization and efficiency.
FRAGMENTED SYSTEMS, INACCURATE information and limited integration remain barriers to hotels seeking better data access to improve guest experiences and revenue, according to a newly released survey. Although most hotel professionals use data daily, the survey found 49 percent struggle to access what they need for revenue and operational decisions.
“The Future of Hotel Data” report, published by hospitality data platform Hapi and direct booking platform Revinate, found that 40 percent of hoteliers cite disconnected systems as their biggest obstacle. Nearly one in five said poor data quality prevents personalization, limiting satisfaction, loyalty and upsell opportunities.
“Data is the foundation for every company, but most hotels still struggle to access and connect it effectively,” said Luis Segredo, Hapi’s cofounder and CEO. “This report shows there’s a clear path forward: integrate systems, improve data accuracy and embrace AI to unlock real-time insights. Hotels that can remove these technology barriers will operate more efficiently, drive loyalty, boost revenue and ultimately gain a competitive edge in a tight market.”
AI and automation could transform hospitality through dynamic pricing, real-time personalization and operational efficiency, but require standardized, integrated and reliable data to succeed, the report said.
Around 19 percent of respondents cited communication delays as a major issue, while 18 percent pointed to ineffective marketing, the survey found. About 10 percent reported challenges with enterprise initiatives and 15 percent said they struggled to understand guest needs. Nearly 46 percent identified CRM and loyalty systems as the top priority for data quality improvements, followed by sales and upselling at 17 percent, operations at 10 percent and customer service at 7 percent.
Meanwhile, hotels see opportunities in stronger CRM and loyalty systems, integrated platforms and AI, the report said. Priorities include improving data quality for personalized engagement, using integrated systems for real-time insights, applying AI for offers, marketing and service and leveraging dynamic pricing and automation to boost efficiency, conversion and profitability.
“Clean, connected data is the key to truly understanding the needs of guests, driving amazing marketing campaigns and delivering direct booking revenue,” said Bryson Koehler, Revinate's CEO. “Looking ahead, hotels that transform fragmented data into connected data systems will be able to leverage guest intelligence data and gain a significant advantage. With the right technology, they can personalize every interaction, shift share to direct channels and drive profitability in ways that weren’t possible before. The future belongs to hotels that harness their data to operate smarter, delight guests and grow revenue.”
In June, The State of Distribution 2025 reported a widening gap between technology potential and operational readiness, with many hotel teams still early in using AI and developing training, systems, and workflows.