Hotels are in a 2 Speed Economy Introduction The U.S. hotel industry is moving at two different speeds in 2026.CoStar and Tourism Economics project only modest overall growth this year, with U.S. RevPAR expected to increase just 0.6%, ADR up 1.0%, and occupancy slightly lower at 62.1%. At the same time, upper-end demand continues to show more strength: Marriott International reported that U.S. and Canada luxury RevPAR rose nearly 7% in Q1 2026, while select-service RevPAR improved about 3.5%,...

There are moments in your career that don’t just shape how you work they shape how you think. For me, one of those chapters was my 13 years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. It was a company that moved fast, thought boldly, and believed deeply in what it was building. Looking back, five lessons still guide how I approach business today. 1. Be Early to Market At Starwood, speed mattered. The mindset was speed to market, don’t wait for perfection. I remember a leader saying, “This isn’t...

How Convention and Group Sellers Can Uncover the Decision-Maker A convention seller identifies a company expanding into new markets. A group sales manager notices an association rotating its annual conference. A corporate account is growing quickly and likely gathering teams together more often. The opportunity is visible. But one question quietly determines whether the opportunity becomes real: Who actually makes the decision? For convention, corporate, and group sellers, success often comes...