Exclusive Host and Sponsor, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Participating in the event were Paul Sacco, Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Raymond Garfield, Jr., Garfield Traub Development; Kenneth Geist, Sage Hospitality; John Ferchill, the Ferchill Group; Anne Lloyd Jones, HVS; James LeFrak, LeFrak Organization; Mark Gordon, Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick Goldman; Paul Gladd, Presidential Hotel Investors; and Rob Winchester, Waterford Hotel Group. Print coverage of the event appears in the May 21 issue of HOTEL BUSINESS®.
Like all projects in today's economy, mixed-use development projects have become extremely difficult to finance and execute. However, there are still many advantages to getting involved in these types of projects as these interviews will demonstrate. HOTEL BUSINESS brought together a handful of executives with extensive experience in mixed-use developments to share some of their strategies and experiences.

The hotel industry and the business world at large seems to have a preference for neat and tidy buzzwords that, in just a few characters, succinctly sum up the current market trend. The word of today? Distress, of course.
"Finessing Distress" was, therefore, the logically paramount subject matter for this year's HOTEL BUSINESS® Management Companies Roundtable, which was hosted by Carlson Hotels Worldwide at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis and sponsored by American Hotel Register Co., Arthur J. Gallagher and Co., Cintas Corp. and LodgeNet Interactive Corp. Moderated by Stefani C. O’Connor, HOTEL BUSINESS® executive news editor and the managing editor of roundtables, the event provided an esteemed roster of participants that shed, for the first time in some cases, light on today's distressed hotel operations underworld.

Industry veteran and well-known developer Gary Tharaldson of Tharaldson Inc. was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference. This video presentation, which was put together by HOTEL BUSINESS®, was shown to attendees of the conference just prior to Tharaldson accepting the award.
Print coverage of the event appears in the March 7, 2010 issue of HOTEL BUSINESS.

Exclusive Host and Sponsor, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Participating in the event were Rob Leven, The Procaccianti Group; Paul Sacco, Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Benjamin Brunt, Noble Investment Group; Art Adler, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels; John Tsunis, Long Island Hotels; Ron Danko, Jr., CB Richard Ellis Hotels; Jeff Cohen, Gatehouse Captial Corp.; CA Anderson, Interstate Hotels & Resorts; and Michael Medzigian, Watermark Capital Partners.
Print coverage of the event appears in the January 15, 2010 issue of HOTEL BUSINESS.

Two thousand-and-nine was clearly a year where the hotel investment and operational business opportunities were few and far between. Survival was instead the modus operandi for companies as they tried to overcome or steer around countless hazards and obstacles. It was not a year for the weak.

But out of even the darkest of times can often come new opportunities that can embolden an entire industry. So in an attempt to shed light upon such business prospects and their long-term implications, HOTEL BUSINESS® recently convened the Opportunity 2010 Roundtable, which was sponsored and hosted by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers and featured a group of industry-leading investment and management experts who are indeed gearing up for much bigger things this year and beyond.

This Hotel Business Executive Roundtable included firms representing a number of different disciplines discussing how they are preparing for a potential recovery. The discussion was centered around such issues as asset values, the current lending environment, changing customer expectations and performance of the industry. While many of the participants are preparing for a turnaround, most agreed that it is not imminent.

In preparation for its “Positioning For Recovery” Executive Roundtable, HOTEL BUSINESS® conducted interviews with participants in an attempt to gauge just how far off an economic recovery is, as well as just how it will occur for the hospitality industry.

The annual Hotel Business Owners & Developers Roundtable focused on “Current Capitalization Trends and Transaction Strategies.” The event included not only owners & developers, but also lenders, brokers and industry analysts and was aimed at providing a broad range of perspectives on the current climate. The topics addressed during the session include, but were not limited to, asset values, deal structures, availability of capital and brand standards.

As part of its annual Owners and Developers Roundtable, Hotel Business canvassed participants on a number of topics related to today's dealmaking environment throughout hospitality. Whether discussing the current bid/ask gap or cap rates, the executives on hand offered varying opinions.

Hotel Business canvassed a number of IH/M&RS board members and other prominent hotel executives on the impact of the annual IH/M&RS as well as the many different aspects of the event.

Hotel Business canvassed a number of IH/M&RS board members and other prominent hotel executives on the impact of the annual IH/M&RS as well as the many different aspects of the event.

Hotel Business canvassed a number of IH/M&RS board members and other prominent hotel executives on the impact of the annual IH/M&RS as well as the many different aspects of the event.

HOTEL BUSINESS Magazine's® Green Debate Roundtable brought together a mix of experts from different industry segments, including architecture, interior design, purchasing, brand, logistics and installation, to discuss and debate the current state of the sustainability movement. Topics included challenges facing each of the participants' respective businesses, their personal experience with sustainability and potential legislation for building green hotels. The discussion was moderated by Lauren Esposito, managing editor, New Look Magazine and Greg Sleter, executive editor, New Look Magazine. Participants included: Margaret McMahon, Wilson Associates; John McDonald, JMC Global; Deidre Schwartz, American Hotel Furnishings; Brent Lynch, HFS Concepts 4; Darlene Henke, Audit Logistics; Mitch Parker, The Parker Company; Brooke Pearsall, HVScompass; Jonathan Nehmer, Jonathan Nehmer + Associates; and Donald Griner, Choice Hotels International.

Moderated by Stefani C. O'Connor, executive news editor and managing editor of Roundtables for Hotel Business, this inaugural Conversions Roundtable brings together a a mix of industry disciplines and experts--owners, operators, lenders, asset managers, brokers, designers, analysts--who provide a wealth of different viewpoints and information on the subject and its role in the current lodging environment. Participating in the event were Simon Turner, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Paul Sacco, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Scott Berman, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Jeffrey Kolessar, GF Management; Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality; John DePaul, National Hospitality Holdings; Richard Jabara, Meyer Jabara Hotels; Daniel Lesser, CB Richard Ellis; Richard Warnick, Warnick + Company; Louis Hedgecock, BBG-BBGM; Vail Brown, Smith Travel Research; Clark Hanrattie, HEI Hotels & Resorts; Steven Nicholas, Noble Investment Group; and Jeffrey Davis, Jones Lang La Salle Hotels.

Moderated by Stefani C. O'Connor, managing editor of Roundtables for Hotel Business®, this event takes an in-depth look at operating hotels during a difficult economic period from the perspective of well-respected management executives. Specific topics discussed include the importance of meetings to the industry's health, forecasting measures and owner/operator dialogue. Participating in the event were Nancy Johnson and Steve Hedberg of Carlson Hotels Worldwide; Leo Spriggs, Hospitality Management Corporation; Charlie Peck, Destination Hotels & Resorts; Mike Marshall, Marshall Hotels & Resorts; James Evans, Ardent Hotel Advisors; Atul Patel, HMB Management, Inc.; Naveen Kakarla, Hersha Hospitality Management; Mark Rosinsky, The Dow Hotel Company; Tom Conran, Richfield Hospitality Services; and Kirby Payne, HVS Hotel Management.

Roundtable moderated by managing editor of NEW LOOK™ magazine, Lauren Esposito, and included Gregory Portman, president, PVFS Architects, Inc.; Vanessa Edden, principal, RTKL Assoc.; Gerald Koi, principal/director, hospitality studio, Morris Architects; Stacy Garcia, CEO, Stacy Garcia, Inc.; Michael Suomi, vp, design, Stonehill & Taylor; Luanne Fausett, designer, Innvision Hospitality Supply, Christina Hart, design partner, BBG-BBGM; Berkley Allen, allied member, Hatchett Hospitality, Inc.; and Stacy Ellison, principal, RDH& Associates.