editor’s note

I’m so pleased to announce here that Hotel Business has established an advisory board. It’s a first for us in our almost 30-year history, and we are excited to welcome 16 industry colleagues in joining us, as we continue to evolve our media brand and continue to be the leading media voice in the hotel industry.

 We decided that now—as we, as an industry and community, continue to build and recover from a challenging 2020—is the right time to tap into the expertise of our industry, so that we can share best practices, promising initiatives, real-world solutions and advice with our audience of hotel executives. You all are in this business everyday—so who better than you to offer perspective and voice to the Hotel Business brand?

We’ve created this advisory board, made up of leaders in the various facets of our industry, to provide insight, share experiences and offer guidance so that Hotel Business can continually gauge the pulse of the industry and report on the topics and issues that both drive and challenge your businesses. From owners and managers to lenders and brokers, it is our aim to continuously seek the perspective of companies who have boots on the ground, so to speak.

The industry colleagues and peers we invited to collaborate are:

Mary Beth Cutshall, EVP/chief development officer, HVMG

Cindy Estis Green, CEO/cofounder, Kalibri Labs

Greg Friedman, CEO, Peachtree Hotel Group

Theo Holloway, VP of digital marketing, Remington

Ed James, managing principal, Mumford Company

Jeffrey Kohl, head of industry – North America, Waze

Klaus Kohlmayr, chief evangelist/head of strategy, IDeaS

Scott LePage, president, the Americas, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Michael Lipson, president/CEO, Access Point Financial

Ben Pierson, SVP, Rockbridge

Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Ashner director & associate professor, Penn State University School of Hospitality Management

Kellie Sirna, principal, Studio11 Design

Cecil P. Staton, president/CEO, AAHOA

Adam Suleman, principal/EVP, Equinox Hospitality

Steve Tipton, VP of hospitality, Serta Simmons Bedding

Nicholas Ward, president/cofounder, Koddi

We look forward to listening and learning from this respected group of industry executives, and to sharing their keen insights and expertise with our entire Hotel Business community.

And on that note, it is our mission at Hotel Business to provide the industry with the in-depth coverage needed to keep our hospitality community informed. To ensure we continue to deliver to you the latest news, features and analysis—and everything you need to help you in your daily business—please take a moment to scan the QR code on the opposite page (page 7) and verify your information. It’s quick and easy—and we appreciate it.

Our next issue, the June 15 edition, will feature, among other articles, a cover story on Sonesta and a recap of the recent Hotel Business Hot Topics session “Consumer expectations: Restoring confidence in the travel experience,” as well as our annual owners and developers report and listing, and a report from the Hunter Conference, which was held May 10-12 in Atlanta.

I’ll leave the coverage up to Senior Editor Adam Perkowsky, who was there at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, but I do want to report, at the very least, this: After not attending a conference or trade show for more than a year, it felt so good to be back with industry friends and colleagues, in person, sharing not only the energy and optimism that was palpable in every corner of the hotel, but the smiles. It’s been a long time, and this was exactly the vibe this industry—and we all—needed.