Hospitality leadership comes in many forms, but is no doubt critical to continue to shape the industry as a whole and move it forward. LODGING took a closer look at the careers of four such individuals. While these Innovators & Influencers come from different backgrounds and have taken different roads to get to this point, they all have one thing in common—a considerable passion for the hotel business. These leaders include Charles Oswald, president/CEO, Aperture Hotels; Miraj Patel, chairman, AAHOA; Rachel Humphrey, founder, Women In Hospitality Leadership Alliance; and Aly El-Bassuni, president, operations, owner & brand relations, Aimbridge Hospitality.
Charles Oswald: Management Veteran Lifts Aperture to New Heights
By Dennis Nessler
Having managed nearly 300 hotels throughout his extensive hospitality career, Charles Oswald has plenty of industry expertise to impart, but he emphasizes the importance of remaining “humble and grounded” as he builds Aperture Hotels up within the hospitality management landscape.
Oswald launched Atlanta, Georgia-based Aperture slightly less than two years ago, and the company now has some 27 lifestyle, select-service, and extended-stay hotels in its management portfolio, 19 of which are third-party contracts. As founder & CEO of Merit Point Capital during the pandemic, Oswald invested, managed, or consulted in a variety of business segments, including hotels and resorts. Prior to that, he was CEO of HP Hotels, where he restructured the company and led HP to rank among the Top 25 largest hotel management companies in the United States in 2019.
Past roles also include VP, operations with Noble Investment Group and Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where he transitioned through Noble Management’s 2011 merger into Interstate. Oswald also progressed through the operational ranks with Noble, Winegardner & Hammons, and Hyatt Hotels Corp.
The Appeal of the Industry
Oswald acknowledged he reached a key turning point during college when he held positions such as F&B manager at a freestanding restaurant and later managing Banquets & Convention Services at a Hyatt Regency. He had been scheduled to start a job with an investment firm on Wall Street when a friend with the firm convinced him that what he was doing was more than “just a college job.” The rest is history, said Oswald, who spoke about what he likes most about the lodging industry.
“I find it fulfilling to engage in a workplace where we can live every day making a meaningful difference in the lives of others, to include guests, teammates, and stakeholders,” he said.
Aperture’s president and CEO went on to elaborate on the “very rewarding” nature of what the company has been able to accomplish in its early years as it continues to carve its niche as an operator.
“It’s a relationship business, and I’m mostly just satisfied by the fact that we’re helping make old friends and colleagues happy by realizing their business strategy. It’s important for managers to recognize that they’re trying to deliver the highest return on investment capital on all these assets, and the manager needs to collaborate with asset managers and owners to help them toward that goal. When I see those guys realizing their goals and objectives, that’s the most rewarding thing to me,” said Oswald.
He added that he gets a “great sense of satisfaction” from internal progress as well.
“I enjoy watching people go through our training programs, get promoted, and develop from within,” he said.
Expansion Opportunities
While geographically the company initially planted its roots in the Southeast, Oswald asserted Aperture is “pretty agnostic about location” as it continues to expand its footprint.
“Recent opportunities have turned us into a company that’s operating from the Florida beaches to San Francisco, including ski lodges in the northern Midwest. We have quickly become a national company,” he said, adding that the company is looking at opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.
Aperture’s growth has come from taking on a variety of opportunities, including some shorter-term distressed assets for lenders, who have in many cases retained the company going forward.
“We’re fixing them and we’re doing a good enough job for them to say, ‘Hey, we got to keep these guys in place.’ They’re keeping the party that made it successful in the first place. It’s really exciting to see that shake out, and I think it’s a great testament to the team. They’ve been put in a lot of challenging circumstances. There’s a lot of organizational effort that goes into a turnaround, and this team has stayed committed and they’re so caring about the assets and the people that own them. They gave blood to make this work, and part of the reward is getting to stay and continue to make it work,” he said.
Standing Out in the Crowd
The CEO went on to describe the culture that he’s established and emphasized with Aperture and how critical that can be in a crowded management landscape. “I could run through a list of values, but I think for the asset managers and owners we’re working with, trust and transparency is really critical. We will fully take responsibility when things aren’t going well, and we deliver that message quickly and with a plan. We don’t hide the ball, and that’s really important.”
Oswald continued, “I’d say the other thing that really sets us apart, frankly, is that idea of just being really committed and caring. There’s a lot of big management companies out there right now, and it’s very easy for owners to feel like they’re lost in a crowd. They’re just a number and the people they talk to about running their assets and who won the deal aren’t the same people who are actually running them. I think they sense with us that what they’re getting is the expertise of very experienced leaders, and those leaders are actually working on their hotels and they care about making them the best,” he concluded.
Aly El-Bassuni: Aimbridge’s Americas President, Operations Leverages His Deep Hospitality Roots in Leadership Role
By Dennis Nessler
Having entered the lodging industry at a very young age, Aly El-Bassuni described hospitality as a “perfect fit” for him as his career in leadership continues to evolve. With a deep brand background, El-Bassuni joined Dallas, Texas-based Aimbridge as president, operations, owner & brand relations some 18 months ago as part of the operator’s continued emphasis on adding top talent to its leadership ranks.
El-Bassuni—who has spent nearly 30 years in the lodging industry—makes his passion for the hotel business abundantly clear.
“The hospitality industry is uniquely dynamic, offering endless opportunities for growth and learning. Whether it’s food and beverage, operations, or exploring new markets, there’s always a new challenge to tackle. I thrive on the variety and the opportunity to continually acquire new experiences. I’ve realized I’m naturally drawn to working with people, which made this industry a perfect fit.”
He continued, “Over the years, I’ve developed a deep passion for hospitality because of its diversity, its potential for career progression, and most importantly, the fundamental spirit of service to others. It’s an industry that keeps me engaged, motivated, and constantly learning.”
Career Trajectory
Immediately prior to Aimbridge, El-Bassuni served as CEO of Yugo, a global student housing operator, and he previously founded C-Suite Hospitality Services, a hotel consulting and advisory firm. El-Bassuni’s hospitality experience also includes a four-year stint with Radisson Hotel Group, including two years as COO, where he led all nine hotel brands in the Americas ranging from the upper-midscale segment with Country Inn & Suites by Radisson to upper upscale and luxury brands like Radisson Blu and Radisson Collection.
El-Bassuni also spent some 17 years at Wyndham Hotel Group, where he held various roles in brand leadership, field operations, new property integration, and franchise services. During his time with Wyndham, El-Bassuni led brands such as Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham and Wingate by Wyndham.
He began his hospitality career at age 16 and held several line-level uniformed, tipped, and hourly wage positions throughout his late teenage years and early 20s before completing Marriott’s supervisory and management training program.
El-Bassuni detailed his career journey.
“I grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania in the Poconos, a region known for its resorts and outdoor activities. My journey into hospitality was a direct result of where I lived and the influence of my mom. She was a restaurant manager at the Shawnee Inn and hired me to bus tables when I was 16. That part-time job, which I initially took to help me through school, opened my eyes to the industry.
“Over time, I progressed from bussing tables to waiting on guests and working banquets. By the time I was in college, I realized this could be more than just a job—it could be a career. After graduation, I joined Marriott, and the rest is history. I credit my mom for introducing me to this incredible field that has become my passion,” he asserted.
New Initiatives
El-Bassuni, meanwhile, joined Aimbridge last June and spoke excitedly about some of the C-suite changes that have taken place and what that means going forward for the industry’s largest operator, which maintains a portfolio of more than 1,200 hotels.
“It’s an exciting time for us; we had Craig Smith join the business in March as president & CEO, and he’s built a new executive leadership team,” he said.
El-Bassuni offered some specifics on the company’s latest initiatives.
“We’re doing a lot to bring value to the business and ultimately our owners, which is our key focus. We’ve implemented everything from balanced scorecards from Craig down to the GM in addition to creating new technologies, applications, and resources, not only for us to run the business, but to add value to that owner relationship,” he said.
El-Bassuni further underscored the company’s deep emphasis on personnel.
“The area of the business that we’re going to be hyper-focused on is having top talent at the general manager level and making sure that we’re attracting, growing, and cultivating the best GMs,” he said.
Finally, El-Bassuni acknowledged the company’s continued efforts to taking a hands-on approach despite its size and increasing its responsiveness to its owners.
“We pride ourselves on being highly accessible, and there isn’t a member of our executive leadership team that doesn’t get a text, a phone call, or an e-mail or a variation of those from one of our owners on any given day of the week,” he explained. “We’re out in the field in front of them in their offices or on property, and Craig not only expects that, he demands it. Being visible and building that relationship and that trust is one of our core tenets.”
Rachel Humphrey: Humphrey’s Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance Aims at Putting More Women in Speaking Roles
By Dennis Nessler
Furthering diversity and inclusion among minority groups has long been at the core of Rachel Humphrey’s career in hospitality, and that effort has continued even after she “retired” in 2021.
Humphrey launched the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance in 2021, an initiative focused on advancing women in hospitality leadership through the collaboration of several industry organizations committed in that area. Humphrey also serves as an interview host for “It’s Personal Stories” from DEI Advisors—a nonprofit organization created by former Best Western CEO David Kong and dedicated to empowering women and other underrepresented groups—which recently launched “It’s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast.”
From Law to Hospitality
After more than 20 years as a trial lawyer, Humphrey joined AAHOA (Asian American Hotel Owners Association) in 2015 to lead its franchise relations and then shortly thereafter served as its EVP & COO. She also served as a member of AAHOA’s Executive Leadership Team and was named interim president & CEO in 2019.
Humphrey—who is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences and serves on numerous advisory boards within the hospitality industry—detailed her hospitality journey and passion for the business.
“I spent 20 years as a trial attorney, representing many franchise hotel owners and restaurants. That was really my first entry into the hospitality industry from a career standpoint and also started my journey into the industry conference circuit,” she related. “I then pivoted and spent seven years as an associate executive, specifically on the hotel ownership side of the industry, which cemented my love for this industry.”
She continued, “One of the many things I love about the hospitality industry is that you can choose literally any career you want and select hospitality as your industry, which allows everyone to carve their very own unique path. No two journeys need to be the same, and that makes it so exciting and full of opportunities.”
Humphrey has been recognized as one of the “30 Most Influential Women in Hospitality,” “Top 50 Women in Travel,” “24 Most Influential Women in Travel,” “100 Most Powerful People in USA Hospitality,” “100 Most Influential People in Global Hospitality and Travel,” and “100 Most Inspirational People in Hospitality” as well as other awards and recognitions for her leadership and service to the hospitality industry.
The Alliance’s Early Progress
In late 2023, the “Alliance,” which is supported by 33 member organizations, began working collaboratively with major industry conferences and sponsors with a goal of achieving 50 percent diversity on every stage. According to Humphrey, conference leaders have identified four challenges to achieving this goal, which included identifying women with senior level titles; getting women to say yes; ensuring the women are experienced, confident speakers; and the need to incorporate sponsors into the collaboration.
“We’ve seen really extraordinary progress at all four of the major conferences,” she said.
The Alliance recently launched its Speaker Directory, an effort spearheaded by Humphrey and Acacia Hospitality principal Lan Elliott, who also hosts podcasts for “It’s Personal Stories.” The Directory already has over one thousand female leaders, including women across industry segments and around the world.
Humphrey added that despite being publicly launched this fall, the directory information has been in the process of being populated for the better part of a year.
According to Humphrey, the Directory has had “some really early successes” sourcing panelists and identifying female leaders for interviews. She further noted that it can be used as a resource for more than conferences, specifically citing webinars, roundtables, podcasters, recruiters, and advisory boards.
“We are across every segment of the industry. We’ve yet to have a request on a subject matter or expertise that we don’t have recommendations for,” said Humphrey.
She further noted “there are so many purposes” for the directory that haven’t even been discovered yet. Humphrey reinforced the overall objective and initial progress of the Directory.
“Really the goal is just to continue to provide visibility to exceptional female leaders that are already out there that just don’t get as many opportunities. I think that after only being in existence for a few months we’re seeing that there’s a lot of potential opportunity for it to be a real asset or resource to the industry in a lot of different ways,” she concluded.
Miraj Patel: A New Generation of AAHOA Leadership
By Ellen Meyer
Miraj Patel is AAHOA’s 2024-2025 chairman of the board, the youngest ever to hold this position. This second-generation hotelier, who is president of Wayside Investment Group, recently shared his path to these positions as well as thoughts on industry issues and solutions. He also emphasized the importance of organizations like AAHOA, saying, “I’ve always believed in the power of unity and collaboration.”
Born Hotelier
Patel, who has attended every AAHOA convention since 2013, barely remembers a time when he wasn’t part of the industry. “I began my journey in hospitality at my family’s 30-room independent motel, where I learned essential skills early on—managing operations, cleaning rooms, and renting them out,” he related.
Between the example set by his parents of “what it takes to succeed” and what he saw as “the opportunities this industry offers to create something meaningful,” he was all in. He earned both his BS and MBA in Hotel and Lodging Management from Johnson & Wales University, before establishing the career that culminated in his current position.
Now, as president of Wayside Investment Group, which specializes in the lodging and hospitality real estate sector, Patel said his focus is on driving the company’s strategic vision and ensuring that their work aligns with the company’s purpose, mission, and values. “My role is centered on fostering growth, maximizing value, and steering the company toward sustainable success,” he said.
Longtime Association with AAHOA
Patel considers his long association with AAHOA foundational to his success. Long before assuming AAHOA membership, much less a leadership position himself, Patel understood the value of these collaborative meetings. “My pursuit of leadership positions stems from a lifelong connection to AAHOA, which began before I turned 10, when my dad would take me to events to learn and observe,” he said. Then, in 2013, when he was only 18, he made his participation official: “I asked my parents to invest in me as an AAHOA Lifetime Member, knowing it would allow me to continue growing and learning.”
Addressing Today’s Challenges
Now, as AAHOA chairman, Patel said his primary goal has been to implement practical solutions and initiatives that empower its members to increase profitability, reduce costs, and protect their investments.
He specified the four critical areas they have identified and AAHOA’s efforts “to equip hoteliers with the tools and strategies needed to thrive in a constantly evolving industry landscape.”
- Brand Relations and Profitability: “We actively advocate for greater flexibility in brand mandates and franchisee concerns, emphasizing the importance of free enterprise and policies that enhance member profitability and sustain the industry.”
- Industry Disruptors: “We champion fair competition with short-term rentals and advocate for regulations that level the playing field while exploring technological advancements and opportunities that benefit our members.”
- Cost Structures and Business Models: “We are modernizing business and rate models, drawing inspiration from the airline industry, to help improve our members’ net operating income.”
- Regulatory Environment: “We have intensified efforts to navigate complex regulations at every level, providing members with the education and resources they need to succeed.”
Patel further described some “simple and straightforward solutions that put members at the center of decisions.” Some examples that involve rethinking traditional practices to adapt to the evolving market include: (1) allowing members to charge for certain amenities, like shuttle services; (2) revisiting breakfast offerings to reduce options based on market trends; (3) considering ways to restructure the rate model, address processing fees, and implement pre-paid reservations in ways that benefit members rather than create additional burdens; and (4) shifting away from daily housekeeping.
Patel also touched on the challenge of “how to reset the broader industry model to address rising costs in areas like property taxes, labor, and insurance,” pointing out, “These solutions focus on innovating and recreating how we operate as an industry to ensure we remain competitive, relevant, and profitable in a rapidly changing environment.”
Looking Forward
Patel said he regards his selection as AAHOA’s youngest chair as a demonstration of AAHOA’s commitment to fostering the success of the next generation. He also stressed his own commitment “to advancing the industry and driving it forward in innovative and impactful ways.”
Patel remains confident that the hospitality industry can thrive in a constantly evolving industry landscape. “My passion for hospitality stems from its endless possibilities, the sense of hope it provides, and its ability to help people build better futures; and being part of an organization like AAHOA reinforces the idea that we can achieve so much more together.”
