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.
MARCH IS WOMEN’S History Month, a time to focus attention on women’s role in business and society. It also is the second month for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ new “Women Own the Room” program that aims to open the door for more women to achieve hotel ownership.
Two of the first participants in the program are Trusha Patel, founder and CEO of Platinum Holdings in Austin, Texas, and Neha Jadhav of Chantilly, Virginia, founder of Luminous Hotel Management. Both women are opening dual-brand La Quinta and Hawthorn Suites hotels with assistance from WOTR assistance.
Correcting an imbalance
Wyndham launched WOTR in January in an effort to overcome the common barriers women face in developing, opening and running their own hotel. The program provides assistance with financial solutions, personalized operational support and networking and educational opportunities.
Programs such as WOTR are needed to counter hospitality industry data that shows women are significantly underrepresented in hotel ownership, real estate, and investment funding roles, Wyndham said in a press release. The company cited the most recent annual report from the Castell Project, a nonprofit focused on promoting women in the industry, that found that while there are more women in the hospitality industry they still lag behind in leadership roles.
Also, only one woman enters hotel development for every 9.2 men entering the field, Wyndham said.
“Women want to own and develop hotels – the momentum we’re seeing proves it – they’ve just lacked trusted partners and advocates who will help guide them in their pursuits,” said Lisa Checchio, Wyndham’s chief marketing officer. “The mentorship opportunities and resources Women Own the Room provides are invaluable and will better inspire and prepare future generations of women hoteliers.”
A stark realization
Patel was one of the first two franchisees to take part in the WOTR program. She grew up in the hotel business, as did so many others in the Asian American community, serving several roles in her family’s independent hotel in San Antonio, Texas. In her teens she served as translator assisting her father in making deals for the business.
She moved away for a while and practiced psychology for a while, but eventually returned to Texas with her husband where they developed a hotel in Houston, then several more. Then, something happened that made her aware of a reality within the industry.
At a conference, she was talking to lending partners about one of her acquisitions, trying to get better terms, only to be told they could do no better. Then her husband approached one of the other men she had spoken to and told him he was involved in the deals his wife had presented.
The lender agreed to new, better terms that evening.
“That made me realize that it's not something to do with the assets, it's not to do with my buying choice, it's nothing, it's just a gender issue,” she said. “Being that it's a gender issue, it provoked me to be able to look at all the brands during that conference, and see that there's a lot of talk, lots of conversations out there, that we're wanting to do this, we're going to do this, but truly, who actually has something in place right now that I can actually utilize and be of an asset for me to go on to the next step to be able to be instrumental for my progression? And that's where Women Own the Room came in.”
Patel’s hotels, two separate La Quinta/Hawthorn Suites dual-brands, will be in Austin and Georgetown. Each hotel will offer a combined 125 guestrooms – 75 of which will feature La Quinta’s Del Sol prototype and 50 will feature the updated room design for Hawthorn, an extended-stay brand.
Patel said she has developed new hotels for her father and husband before.
“But this will be my own two new builds that I can put my stamp on and create a legacy,” she said. “Because if you think about it, it's all the decision-making right from the ground up all the way up to opening up the business.”
Trusha Patel and Neha Jadhav both will develop dual-brand La Quinta and Hawthorn Suites hotels with assistance from Wyndham’s Women Own the Room program.
Women take point
Jadhav came from similar circumstances to Patel. Her family moved from India to the U.S. in 1984 and bought their first independent property in Wilmington, Delaware, which they still own. She grew up in the hotel, helping out, until she met her husband at University of Delaware when she was 18.
They moved to California after marrying, and Jadhav worked several jobs in financing, including a stint at Morgan Stanley focusing on securities management and overseeing a $400 million investment portfolio.
“But, once we had kids, we decided it was time for us to move back to the East Coast from California to be closer to my parents and so the kids can spend time with their grandparents,” she said. “And that's when I rejoined the hotel industry in 2004.”
With partners she purchased the property in Warrenton, Virginia, that currently holds her Baymont Inn and Suites, another Wyndham product. That will be the location of her new dual-brand project as well.
“It sits on basically a four-acre parcel and so we were redeveloping that into a LaQuinta/Hawthorne and keeping our Baymont on the same parcel,” Jadhav said. “It's a unique situation for us and Wyndham where they'll have three-brand representation capturing pretty much all market segments you can think of, from extended-stay to midscale to economy.”
She signed the deal for the new hotel in December, thanks in no small part to the WOTR program.
“The Women Own the Room program definitely gave me that push in terms of the support that we need, given that it's a new construction and is something that I did not have experience with,” Jadhav said. “I know that Wyndham with the program, the initiative that they're providing by assisting with financing the design team, I think that we will definitely be in good shape when we do start the construction.”
The new hotel will have between 100 and 125 rooms, but Jadhav said she is conducting market research to determine how they will be distributed.
Jadhav said the WOTR program and other efforts to support the advancement of women in hospitality will pay off for the industry in the end.
“A lot of the women, they're in the back of the scenes, or they have other experiences, but are not put to the forefront,” Jadhav said. “Now we can have their voice move to point and be presented at the ownership level, too. It's a very innovative and progressive program that will empower women entrepreneurs to become hotel owners and operators. It will definitely bring diversity and a fresh perspective to the hotel industry. I think it's going to benefit not just women owners, but also, holistically benefit all owners and brands.”
Noble broke ground on StudioRes Mobile Alabama at McGowin Park.
The 10th StudioRes expands Noble’s long-term accommodations platform.
Noble recently acquired 16 WoodSpring Suites properties through two portfolio transactions.
NOBLE INVESTMENT GROUP broke ground on StudioRes Mobile Alabama at McGowin Park, a retail center in Mobile, Alabama. It is Noble’s 10th property under Marriott International’s extended stay StudioRes brand.
“Noble is institutionalizing one of the most resilient and undersupplied segments at the intersection of hospitality, mobility and how people stay,” said Shah. “We are scaling a branded platform to capture secular demand that creates stable cash flow and long-term value.”
In May, Noble acquired 16 WoodSpring Suites properties through two portfolio transactions, expanding its platform in branded long-term accommodations.
Noah Silverman, Marriott International’s global development officer, U.S. & Canada, said breaking ground on the 10th StudioRes with Noble reflects the brand’s growth and the companies’ three-decade partnership.
“With both companies’ expertise in long-term accommodations, Marriott’s distribution channels, and the power of our nearly 248 million Marriott Bonvoy members, we are confident StudioRes is uniquely positioned to generate customer demand at scale, drive performance and sustain long-term growth,” he said.
Meanwhile, Marriott has more than 50 signed StudioRes projects, about half under construction, the statement said. The first StudioRes opened in Fort Myers, Florida.
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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.
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.
Hyatt partners with Way to unify guest experiences on one platform.
Members can earn and redeem points on experiences booked through Hyatt websites.
Way’s technology supports translation, payments and data insights for Hyatt.
HYATT HOTELS CORP. is working with Austin-based startup Way to consolidate ancillary services, loyalty experiences and on-property programming on one platform across its global portfolio. The collaboration integrates Way’s system into Hyatt.com, the World of Hyatt app, property websites and FIND Experiences to create a centralized booking platform.
World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points on experiences booked through Hyatt websites, including wellness programs, cultural activities, ticketed events and local collaborations, the companies said in a statement. Members can also access FIND Experiences, which includes activities and auctions where points can be used to bid on events.
"In our search for an on-brand platform to power experiences and tap into ancillary revenue opportunities, Way's collaboration has been a true unlock for us," said Arlie Sisson, Hyatt’s senior vice president and global head of digital. "After a thorough evaluation of potential solutions, Hyatt chose Way to power the next chapter of our digital strategy by streamlining operations, elevating brand differentiation, enhancing personalization and, most importantly, delivering care at every touchpoint in the guest journey."
The Way initiative spans Hyatt’s portfolio, covering cabana rentals, in-room amenities and partnerships with local providers, the statement said. Way’s technology supports real-time translation, more than 100 currencies, multiple payment methods and data insights to help Hyatt manage operations globally.
"Hyatt set a high bar and Way is proud to bring their vision to life," said Michael Stocker, Way’s co-founder and CEO.
"The platform supports enterprise needs while preserving the guest experience."