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What CoralTree Expects Leaders to Do After the Forum Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

At CoralTree Hospitality's Annual Leadership Forum, I talked with Tom Luersen, President of CoralTree Hospitality, for hashtag#NoVacancyNews about what the company expects leaders to do once everyone leaves and goes back to their properties. We get into why they bring people together in the first place, how they use Affinity Clubs to keep projects moving, and how they track progress without turning it into theater. We also talk about how they set direction early in the year and where AI, the hashtag#guestjourney, and talent development fit into day-to-day operations. We cover: 🗂️: What leaders are expected to take back to their teams 🔁: How projects keep moving after the event 📊: How CoralTree tracks progress without dressing it up 🤖: Where hashtag#AI and guest experience show up in real work 👥: How leadership development plays out in practice 🏆: Why recognition still has a place

Friday Night Audit 201: Karma Bites Back Feb 15, 2026

Show notes

Friday Night Audit: the minisode where karma finally collects… with teeth. #NoVacancyNews

Craig Sullivan and Dr. Producer Suzanne Bagnera, PhD, CHA, CED join me for happy hour storytelling starting with "four time zones in one day" and ends with me getting bitten by something, I never even saw. After 200+ episodes of me slinging insults, I consider this a performance review from the universe.

🕒 I tell the story of bouncing through four time zones in one day and losing track of reality

✈️ I recap the $100-ish Vegas room directly under the takeoff path (my ceiling tiles know aviation)

📶 I admit I tried uploading a video and LinkedIn said "no" with zero compassion

🏨 I talk off-Strip value vs Strip pricing because I still like math

🧴 I ask the only question that matters at 1 a.m.: why does bottled water expire

🥤 I give Black Desert Resort credit for aluminum bottles + water/ice access

🛫 Craig unloads on LAX and names the airports he actually likes

🩹 And then we hit the ending: the mystery bite — sudden, unseen, and absolutely karma-powered

Friday Night Audit: cocktails, complaints, and one horror-movie ending I didn't order.

1013: How Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Rebuilt a 30-Year-Old Resort Feb 15, 2026

Show notes

A $70M reinvestment only matters if guests feel it.

I'm in Puerto Rico at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar with Andro Nodarse-Leon, CEO of property owner Lion Grove, for #NoVacancyNews. Andro walks through how the team rethought this 30-year-old resort around how people actually spend time on property—what they do, where they go, and why they stay.

Andro explains how the rainforest, beach, and golf course influence design and programming, and how the rebuild touches sustainability, wellness, and operations—not as buzzwords, but as decisions that change guest flow. We also talk F&B strategy: variety, authenticity, local sourcing, and how you build experiences that keep guests engaged from morning through night.

We cover: 🌿: Using the rainforest, beach, and golf as part of the experience 🏗️: Translating $70M into changes guests actually notice 🍽️: Building F&B around variety, authenticity, and local sourcing 🎭: Creating day-to-night options that keep guests on property 🧘: Adding wellness in a way that fits the resort, not a trend 🚢: Managing logistics and supply realities on an island

Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

1012: How Luxury Hotels Remove Friction From the Guest Experience Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

Luxury doesn't mean more steps. It means fewer problems before guests even notice them.

Suzanne "Dr. Producer" Bagnera, PhD, and I spoke with Mourad Essafi, General Manager of Impression Isla Mujeres (a Hyatt all-inclusive), on #NoVacancyNews about what ultra-luxury actually looks like when you stop adding layers and start removing friction.

Mourad talks about how his background in sales and operations shapes the way he runs the resort, why the arrival experience starts before guests ever reach the island, and how small operational decisions change how people actually feel about a stay. We also get into what "endless privileges" really means in practice, why convenience often beats opulence, and how guest feedback turns into real changes on property.

We cover: 🚤: Why check-in now starts before guests board the catamaran ☕: How one simple coffee change improved guest flow 🛎️: Why luxury often means saving time, not adding steps 🍽️: How experiential dining and hands-on moments build loyalty 🌱: How sustainability and local partnerships shape the guest experience 👥: Why GMs with sales backgrounds see operations differently

Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

How Hotels Can Stop Leaving F&B Money on the Table Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

Most hotels want F&B to drive more revenue. A lot of them still make it harder than it needs to be for guests to actually order.

Narda Malakzad and Andrea Laderman, co-founders of Goldi, joined me on #NoVacancyNews to talk about something most hotels underestimate: how dietary needs, allergies, and food preferences quietly kill both guest experience and check size.

We talk about what actually happens when guests don't know what they can eat, why people avoid asking questions, and how that friction shows up in lower spend and fewer repeat visits. We also get into how a simple, personalized menu experience changes behavior in the dining room and simplifies things for servers and kitchens at the same time.

We cover: 🍽️: Why guests with dietary needs often order less than they want to 📱: How a personalized menu changes what people feel comfortable ordering 👩‍🍳: Why this makes life easier for servers and kitchens, not harder 💳: How clarity leads to higher check sizes and repeat visits 🏨: Why locals and hotel guests both matter to F&B success

No sponsorship here. I just like smart ideas that help hotels make more money and make guests feel more comfortable doing it.

1011: The Decision That Led to a Hotel Management Merger Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

This episode of #NoVacancyNews looks at how a hotel management merger came together — the conversations, timing, and decisions that led up to it.

I spoke with Len Wolman, Chairman & CEO of Waterford Hotel Group, and Bob Habeeb, Founder & CEO of Maverick Hotels and Restaurants, about how their relationship developed, how long the process took, and what needed to line up before they moved forward.

They explain what they focused on early, why they chose not to rush, and how owner needs and operational realities shaped their decision. They walk through the steps as they happened, without wrapping the story in theory or hindsight.

We cover: 🤝: How the initial conversations started ⏱️: Why timing mattered 🏨: What they needed to see at the property level 📊: How owner considerations influenced decisions 🔄: What surprised them during the process 📈: Why this structure made sense when it did

Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

Why RevPAR Isn't Enough for Most Hotel Owners — and What to Do About It Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

The gap between luxury hotels and everyone else keeps getting wider — and ignoring it won't make it shrink.

Suraj Bhakta, CEO & Chief Legal Officer of NewGen Advisory, and I spoke on #NoVacancyNews about what's driving that divide. More important, we talked through actionable insights owners outside the luxury segment can actually implement.

Suraj and I get into why upper upscale and #luxury continue to separate from the pack, how price sensitivity hits other segments harder, and why relying on rate alone only goes so far. We also talk through practical ways owners are looking beyond RevPAR and starting to think about total revenue without taking on massive capital projects.

We cover: 🏨: Why luxury continues to outperform other segments 💸: How price sensitivity affects margins outside luxury 📊: Why owners look beyond RevPAR to total revenue 🚲: Experiential #hotel revenue ideas that actually move the needle 🧳: Why extended stay keeps attracting owners and capital 📈: How transaction activity could shape the second half of the year

Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

1010: How Resorts World Las Vegas Uses F&B as a Return-Visit Magnet Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

Food and beverage does more than fill seats — it creates memories, reasons to return, and stories guests take home. That's the focus of this episode of #NoVacancyNews, filmed across Resorts World Las Vegas.

I'm joined by Josef Wagner, Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage at Resorts World Las Vegas, for a walk-and-talk look at how a modern integrated resort uses F&B to drive engagement beyond gaming.

Josef shares how Resorts World approaches pop-ups, immersive lounges, celebrity chef partnerships, and venue flexibility — all with the goal of giving guests something new to experience every visit. From rooftop mixology activations to food hall experimentation and live entertainment integration, this conversation shows how F&B becomes a strategic growth engine, not just an amenity.

What stood out to me is how intentionally the team tests ideas before locking them in. Pop-ups act as real-time focus groups, allowing the guest — not a spreadsheet — to decide what stays.

We cover: 🍸: Why immersive lounges matter more than ever 🍽️: How pop-ups reduce risk while encouraging innovation 🎶: Using entertainment and dining together to extend guest stays 🏨: Designing F&B for locals, repeat guests, and first-time visitors 📊: Letting guest behavior guide long-term concepts

For operators, this episode shows how food and beverage drives differentiation, loyalty, and revenue when experience leads the strategy.

Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.

ALIS Design: Why Hotel Restaurants Often Miss the Mark Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

Most hotels look good. That's not the problem.

The harder part is giving people a reason to stay longer, spend more, and remember why they were there in the first place.

In this episode of #NoVacancyNews, I talk with Alexis Readinger, Founder of Preen, about food-and-beverage design and how often hotels get it almost right — and why "almost" usually isn't enough.

Alexis and I get into why so many hotel restaurants and bars start to feel interchangeable, how that happens, and what gets lost when design decisions don't start with a clear point of view. We talk about experiential dining, design trends, capital choices, and why solid food alone doesn't save a space that doesn't quite work.

This interview was supposed to happen in person at ALIS Design. We ended up doing it remotely, which is pretty on-brand for how plans tend to go.

ALIS Day 3: How Hotel Owners Are Allocating Capital in 2026 Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

What hotel owners and investors are doing matters more than what gets said on stage.

In this episode of No Vacancy, Glenn Haussman connects with Bruce Ford, SVP at Lodging Econometrics, as he reports from ALIS in Los Angeles.

Bruce shares what he's seeing in the data and hearing in off-the-record conversations. The discussion focuses on how owners weigh new development versus conversions, how capital continues to move, and what influences decision-making as the industry looks toward 2026.

Topics include: • How owners compare new development, conversions, and recapitalization • Where cost pressure continues to affect returns • How AI conversations sound more practical than speculative • Why certain asset types keep attracting investment • How labor and operating costs affect large hotels • Why portfolio reshaping and consolidation remain on the table

Sponsored by Unifocus — technology that drives value. Learn more at Unifocus.com.

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