Posts by author

David Eisen

110 posts

Hyatt to offload Playa real estate, remain operator

🏠 Hyatt recently completed the $2.6 billion acquisition of Playa Hotels & Resorts. Days later, Hyatt agreed to sell Playa’s 15-resort real estate portfolio in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica to Tortuga Resorts for $2 billion. The deal includes 50-year management agreements for 13 properties and a retained $200 million preferred equity. Closing is expected by 2025, subject to approval. This transaction aligns with Hyatt’s asset-light strategy, boosting its all-inclusive portfolio to around 55,000 rooms.
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  • 6 min

Middleware software isn’t the sexiest tech, but it plays a pivotal role: bridging gaps between product services that allows hotels to run effectively.

💻 Hapi (Miami) bridges hotel systems with real-time data, consuming 20% of hotel development budgets for integration. Ireckonu (Amsterdam), aiding CitizenM since 2014, improves guest experiences by solving tech-stack issues. TigerTMS (Hampshire) deploys at 10,000 hotels, reducing costs with distributed middleware. Axing (Ramsen) enhances hotel tech experiences with IPTV middleware. DerbySoft (Dallas) connects 500+ channels, optimizing hotel sales opportunities. Middleware is essential for integrating numerous systems, ensuring smooth operations, and leveraging AI for future hotel innovations.
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  • 2 min

The Westin Resort Guam is for sale and Colliers is the broker

🏖 Colliers is marketing The Westin Resort Guam for IGIS Asset Management. Located in Tumon Bay, the 21-floor, 424-room hotel features two pools, a $1.6M villa collection, and 15,000 sq ft of event space. The master lease expires in April 2026, offering investors options like rebranding. Visitor numbers are projected to reach 900,000 by 2026-27. Previously sold in 2016 for $125M, Guam's hotel market has seen $12B in investments since 2023.
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Today’s Talent, Tomorrow’s Leaders: Three up-and-comers in the hospitality industry share what it takes to make it

📚 Tyler Pitman, senior director of operations at Ark Hospitality, found his passion for hospitality from varied roles, starting as a dishwasher. Jacqueline Rencurrell, director at Turnstone Group, blends her love for real estate and puzzles. Dominic Ziebert, development analyst at Four Seasons, supports projects like Deer Valley and Puerto Rico, enhancing the brand's portfolio. They advise embracing learning, technology, and relationships, highlighting generational strengths and the importance of adaptability.
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  • 3 min

Native Texan: The design behind one of Texas’s newest stars, the Denizen McKinney Hotel

🏨 Earlier this year, the Denizen McKinney Hotel opened in McKinney, Texas, designed collaboratively by Archstreet Hotel Partners, Aimbridge Hospitality, 5G Studios, and Ink + Oro. This 102-room hotel combines a limited-service model with a luxury experience, featuring custom-designed furniture and a residential style. Design elements like a fireplace wall and staircase offer a sense of grandness, and materials such as white oak flooring and Italian leather enhance guest comfort and aesthetic appeal.
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EXCLUSIVE: Former Magnuson Hotels CEO tapped to lead franchise development at Cloudbeds

💻 Adnan Malik, former CEO of Magnuson Hotels, joins Cloudbeds as managing director of franchise development. Based in London, Malik aims to build franchise partnerships and advance Cloudbeds' mission to simplify hospitality tech. Cloudbeds, led by CEO Adam Harris, is developing an AI-driven property management system (PMS) that forecasts demand with 95% accuracy. The platform integrates intelligence to improve revenue, marketing, and guest experience, transforming PMS from a static system into a comprehensive growth engine.
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A NOLA Nab: Hyatt’s double dip in The Big Easy

🏨 In June 2024, Hyatt Hotels expanded its portfolio in New Orleans by acquiring two properties: The Barnett and Maison Métier, from The Domain Companies. Located in the central business district, the hotels were previously managed by Ace Hotels Group. The Barnett is priced around $1,000/night, while Maison Métier offers more secluded luxury at $1,500/night. With World of Hyatt’s 50 million members, both properties aim to attract diverse clientele, including families and high-tier Globalists.
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Riad Kaiss in Marrakech is a tranquil oasis. How one employee made our stay memorable.

🏨 Riad Kaiss, Marrakech’s historic medina, offers tranquility and luxury, ranking among the top riads. Youness Belahmama, a standout staff member with over a year of service, provides exceptional hospitality, making guests' stays memorable. His warmth and attentiveness elevate the experience, transforming service into meaningful gestures. In June 2025, a guest praised Youness for creating comfort and happiness beyond typical expectations, showcasing the vital human touch in luxury hospitality.
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Barry Sternlicht created W Hotels. He now urges caution for the big brands.

📖 Barry Sternlicht, founder of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is reviving the brand after its 2015 acquisition by Marriott. Speaking at NYU IHIF in 2025, he highlighted evolving consumer tastes, noting that independent brands are taking market share from legacy brands. Independent brands at Estée Lauder now hold 33% of the market, up from 10%. Sternlicht emphasized service, citing Starwood Capital's 1 Hotel South Beach's success, and mentioned recent acquisitions of 10 Radisson Blu hotels in London.
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Protestors came to disrupt a hotel conference. Lodging company CEOs were unfazed.

📈 CEOs of major lodging companies, including Marriott, Hilton, and Accor, gathered at the NYU IHIF at the Marriott Marquis in New York. Despite protests over Marriott's use of caged eggs, the panel continued undisturbed. Marriott aims for 100% cage-free eggs by 2025. Consumer confidence is at a 52-year low, yet travel remains strong. U.S. international inbound travel fell 15% in March, with Canada down 30%. Growth markets include India and the Middle East, with significant infrastructure investments underway.
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