☰
✕


HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW

FOCUS:

 

Breaking Even in a High-Cost World: Smarter Expense Strategies for Hoteliers

By David Kasten Finance Expert, Strategic Solution Partners | January 2026

In hospitality today, costs are climbing faster than revenues. Hoteliers are being asked to protect profitability while keeping the same high standard of service that defines their brand. Rising labor costs, energy expenses, and supply chain volatility are putting intense pressure on margins.

To stay competitive, expense control means optimization. Hotels must find the efficiencies that protect profitability without eroding the guest experience.

Finding Efficiency in Every Operation

The key to protecting margins while maintaining service quality is to move away from blanket cost-cutting toward what I call precision optimization. This begins with segmenting expenses based on guest visibility and operational impact.

Some costs are invisible to the guest, such as energy, laundry, and procurement, while others are integral to their perception of value, like staff availability, cleanliness, and amenities. The most effective savings come from targeting the invisible costs first.

For example, optimizing laundry operations can create measurable savings with no impact on guest satisfaction. A hotel that replaces older laundry equipment with high-efficiency washers and dryers can lower both water and energy use significantly. If combined with a linen reuse program that is communicated transparently to guests, the hotel could reduce operating costs and strengthen its sustainability message without cutting service.

The same approach applies to procurement. Centralized purchasing systems can consolidate vendors, reduce redundancies, and unlock volume-based discounts. These savings can then be reinvested where they matter most: training, technology, and amenities that elevate the guest experience rather than dilute it.

The cornerstone of all this is data. Data analytics play a critical role in identifying cost leakages and improving efficiency. By benchmarking key metrics—cost per occupied room, man-hours per occupied room, and labor cost per guest—management teams can pinpoint inefficiencies quickly and act before they erode profitability.

When performance is tracked daily or weekly, managers can see exactly where the operation is slipping. If energy usage spikes unexpectedly or labor hours exceed occupancy patterns, the team can correct it in real time.

Too often, financial management in hotels relies on end-of-month reports. By then, the opportunity to adjust is gone. Real-time analysis transforms expense control from a reactive exercise into a proactive one. According to industry commentary from the International Luxury Hotel Association, real-time data utilization is already enabling hotel operators to regularly revisit expense projections and enhance profitability management.

This level of precision requires the right tools. Many hotels still operate with fragmented systems that isolate financial, labor, and operational data. Those silos create blind spots that obscure true performance. Implementing a modern financial platform that centralizes data, automates reporting, and provides real-time visibility eliminates those blind spots entirely.

Once data flows seamlessly between departments, connecting revenue, labor, and procurement, cost management becomes not just efficient, but transparent. Department heads can make daily decisions informed by current conditions rather than relying on outdated forecasts. Visibility drives accountability.

Staying Liquid While Building for Tomorrow

Managing short-term liquidity while investing for long-term health requires what I view as a two-pronged financial strategy. Hotels need to maintain operational cash flow for daily needs while reserving funds for strategic upgrades that sustain competitiveness.

This starts with rolling cash flow forecasts that align immediate expenses with annual capital goals. Forecasts should be updated continuously to reflect actual performance, ensuring management has a clear view of both current obligations and future priorities.

Capital projects, in turn, should be ranked by urgency and return on investment. Essential improvements, meaning those that protect the property, prevent breakdowns, or improve efficiency, should take precedence over purely aesthetic enhancements.

When capital is constrained, alternative funding mechanisms can help maintain momentum. FF&E reserves can be strategically deployed for qualifying projects. Refinancing or structured owner contributions can also bridge gaps without compromising service or asset quality.

For example, a hotel could replace an aging boiler system with a modern high-efficiency model and see energy savings in the first year that would effectively cover financing costs. Investments like this not only reduce ongoing expenses but also preserve asset integrity, ensuring the property’s long-term viability.

Sound cash flow management ultimately strengthens asset value. Financial discipline and cost management directly enhance a hotel’s valuation by improving net operating income (NOI) and demonstrating consistent operational efficiency. Since NOI is a core valuation metric, maintaining disciplined cost structures in labor, utilities, and procurement can have a compounding effect on value.

A hotel that consistently manages expenses and maintains healthy margins signals to investors that it is well-run and low-risk. More than simply an operational achievement, consistent NOI is a financial story that commands higher cap rates and smoother transactions when ownership transitions occur.

Cutting Waste Without Cutting Quality

Among all controllable expenses, energy consumption and maintenance costs present the most tangible opportunities for return. The most effective initiatives for rapid ROI include upgrading to LED lighting, installing smart HVAC systems, and deploying energy management platforms.

The expected payback period for these upgrades is typically between one and three years, with potential utility cost reductions ranging from 20% to 50%.

LED lighting provides a dual advantage: it lowers energy use and reduces maintenance costs because bulbs last significantly longer. Smart HVAC systems with variable-speed compressors and zoned controls allow precise temperature regulation, reducing energy waste.

Energy management systems integrate these technologies by using automation and occupancy data to adjust energy use dynamically. When connected to the property management system, the platform can automatically power down unoccupied rooms or common areas.

Numerous studies, such as this review in the International Research Journal of Engineering and Management Studies, find that hotels implementing smart HVAC systems and energy-management technologies can achieve meaningful reductions in energy use and carbon emissions. These are measurable savings achieved through operational improvements, not service reductions.

The same principle applies to maintenance. Proactive maintenance reduces backlog repairs, extends asset life, and improves energy efficiency. Deferred maintenance, by contrast, compounds over time and can create both direct repair costs and indirect losses through service disruption.

Replacing filters on schedule, servicing chillers, and inspecting HVAC components may seem routine, but these actions prevent catastrophic failures that can shut down rooms or facilities. The cost of a single equipment failure in high season often exceeds the cumulative expense of preventive maintenance over several years.

Regular, structured maintenance programs also support sustainability objectives by reducing waste and optimizing system performance. A well-maintained property operates more efficiently, consumes fewer resources, and provides a smoother experience for guests, all of which contribute to profitability.

Getting the Most from Every Investment

When budgets tighten, engineering teams face difficult choices. The best approach is to prioritize projects based on asset risk, urgency, and return on investment. Each decision should also account for brand standards, ESG goals, guest experience, and regulatory compliance.

This structured prioritization allows decision-making to remain objective. Projects that safeguard essential infrastructure, such as roofs, boilers, and elevators, should come before cosmetic renovations. Similarly, initiatives that enhance compliance or energy efficiency often provide measurable ROI in both cost savings and brand equity.

Clear collaboration between engineering and finance teams is crucial to achieving this balance. Finance departments need clarity, and engineering can provide it through robust ROI modeling.

Capital requests should include detailed financial analysis that compares the cost of repair versus replacement and considers the downstream effects of potential failures. Lost revenue, emergency repairs, and guest dissatisfaction all carry financial consequences that must be weighed against the upfront cost of investment.

For instance, replacing a $25,000 chiller might seem excessive until the potential impact of a failure is quantified: thousands in emergency repairs, comped guest stays, and lost occupancy. When finance and engineering communicate in these terms, decisions become collaborative rather than contentious.

This partnership between operational and financial disciplines is one of the defining factors in a hotel’s long-term success. It ensures that decisions made in the name of cost control align with the broader financial goals of the property.

Turning Sustainability into Lasting Value

Sustainability initiatives are no longer peripheral. They are central to financial performance. Upgrades that permanently reduce recurring expenses directly increase NOI and, by extension, asset value.

When cost reductions are structural, meaning they are achieved through water conservation, waste reduction, or renewable energy, they are recognized by investors as permanent improvements, not temporary savings. This distinction matters because sustainable NOI growth strengthens both operational resilience and long-term valuation.

Many sustainability upgrades also extend the lifespan of existing assets. Water-efficient plumbing systems, LED lighting, and durable materials reduce deferred maintenance, lowering replacement frequency and operating costs.

Beyond the immediate financial impact, these investments meet growing demand from ESG-conscious investors and corporate travel buyers. Properties that can demonstrate measurable environmental performance increasingly hold a competitive advantage in both the investment and B2B travel markets.

Sustainability, therefore, is not an isolated initiative. It is a comprehensive business strategy that supports profitability, asset longevity, and market positioning simultaneously.

Precision Over Austerity

Expense control in hospitality has evolved. Success no longer depends on across-the-board cuts, but on targeted, data-driven decisions that protect profitability without compromising service.

The path forward is clear:

  • Use analytics to identify true cost drivers.

  • Invest in systems that improve transparency.

  • Balance short-term liquidity with long-term asset health.

  • Focus on energy efficiency and proactive maintenance.

  • Foster collaboration between operational and financial teams.

  • Treat sustainability as an enduring financial strategy, not a marketing theme.

Breaking even in a high-cost world requires precision, not austerity. By approaching every dollar spent as an opportunity to improve efficiency and value, hoteliers can protect margins, maintain excellence, and position their properties for sustained success.

Mr. Kasten

David Kasten is a seasoned hospitality executive with extensive U.S. and international experience across development, asset management, and capital markets advisory. With more than 28 years at Marriott International and leadership roles at Wright Investment Properties, Fairmont, Pyramid, Interstate, and the Ian Schrager Company, he has directed strategic, operational, and financial initiatives worldwide. Most recently, he served on the Consulting and Advisory team at Cerberus Capital Management, overseeing operational asset management for a €500M hotel portfolio across Europe. Now a consultant with Strategic Solution Partners, Mr. Kasten specializes in acquisitions, pre-opening and operational strategy, financial optimization, and fractional CFO support.

Extended Biography & Contact Information

HotelExecutive retains the copyright to all articles published on HotelExecutive.com. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.

Choose a Social Network!

The social network you are looking for is not available.

Close

Terms & Conditions

The following are terms of a legal agreement ("Agreement") between you and HotelExecutive. By accessing, browsing and/or otherwise using this web site, HotelExecutive, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to be bound by these terms and conditions, and to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. export and re-export control laws and regulations. If you do not agree to all of these terms and conditions, you may not access, browse and/or use HotelExecutive. The material provided on HotelExecutive is protected by law, including, but not limited to, United States copyright law and international treaties.

These terms of access apply to your access to and use of HotelExecutive and do not alter in any way the terms and conditions of any other agreement you may have with HotelExecutive for products, software, services or otherwise, unless otherwise directed by HotelExecutive. If you breach any of these terms and conditions, your authorization to use HotelExecutive automatically terminates and you must immediately destroy any downloaded or printed materials and discontinue use of any hyperlinks to HotelExecutive.

1. USE RESTRICTIONS

Copyright. All Site materials, including, without limitation, text, pictures, graphics and other files and the selection and arrangement thereof are copyrighted materials of HotelExecutive © 1996-2016, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, or by the original creator of the material. Permission is granted to display and use the materials on HotelExecutive for private individual, educational and noncommercial use only, provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the materials. You may not, however, distribute, copy, reproduce, display, republish, download, or transmit any material on HotelExecutive for commercial use without prior written approval from HotelExecutive. You may not "mirror" any material contained on HotelExecutive on any other server without prior written permission from HotelExecutive. Any unauthorized use of any material contained on HotelExecutive may violate copyright laws, trademark laws, the laws of privacy and publicity and communications regulations and statutes.

Trademarks

The trademarks, service marks, trade names and logos (the "Trademarks") used and displayed on HotelExecutive are registered and unregistered Trademarks of HotelExecutive. In addition, all page headers, custom graphics, icons and scripts are service marks, trademarks and/or trade dress of HotelExecutive, and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of HotelExecutive. You acknowledge that the Trademarks used and displayed on HotelExecutive are and shall remain the sole property of HotelExecutive or the Trademark owner. Nothing in this Agreement shall confer any right of ownership of any of the Trademarks in you. Further, nothing in HotelExecutive shall be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise any license or right to use any Trademark used or displayed on HotelExecutive, without the express written permission of HotelExecutive or the Trademark owner. The misuse of the trademarks displayed on HotelExecutive, or any other Content on HotelExecutive, is strictly prohibited.

Hyperlinks

You are granted a limited, nonexclusive right to create a hypertext link to HotelExecutive provided that such link is to the entry page of HotelExecutive and does not portray HotelExecutive or any of its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise defamatory manner. This limited right may be revoked at any time for any reason whatsoever. You may not use framing techniques to enclose any Company trademark, logo or trade name or other proprietary information including the images found at HotelExecutive, the Content of any text or the layout/design of any page or any form contained on a page without HotelExecutive's express written consent. Links to third party sites on HotelExecutive are provided solely as convenience to you. If you use these links, you will leave HotelExecutive. HotelExecutive has not reviewed all of these third party sites and does not control and is not responsible for any of these sites, their Content or their policies, including, without limitation, privacy policies or lack thereof. HotelExecutive does not endorse or make any representations about third party sites or any information, software or other products or materials found there, or any results that may be obtained from using them. If you decide to access any of the third party sites linked to HotelExecutive, you do so entirely at your own risk. You acknowledge and agree that HotelExecutive shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by, or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such third party sites.

Downloadable Materials

Any software, including codes or other materials that are made available to download from HotelExecutive, is the copyrighted work of HotelExecutive and/or its suppliers and affiliates. If you download software from HotelExecutive, use of the software is subject to the license terms in the software license agreement that accompanies or is provided with the software. You may not download or install the software until you have read and accepted the terms of the applicable software license agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, copying or reproduction of the software to any other server or location for further reproduction or redistribution is expressly prohibited unless otherwise provided for in the applicable software license agreement in the case of software, or the express written consent of HotelExecutive in the case of codes or other downloadable materials.

Limited Access

Except as otherwise expressly permitted by HotelExecutive, any access or attempt to access other areas of HotelExecutive computer system or other information contained on the system for any purposes is strictly prohibited. You agree that you will not use any robot, spider, other automatic device, or manual process to "screen scrape," monitor, "mine," or copy the Web pages on HotelExecutive or the Content contained therein without HotelExecutive's prior, express, and written permission. You will not spam or send unsolicited e-mail to any other user of HotelExecutive for any reason. You agree that you will not use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of HotelExecutive. You agree that you will not take any action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on HotelExecutive's infrastructure.

Additional Use Restrictions

You shall not post, transmit, e-mail, re-transmit or store material on or through any of the services provided by HotelExecutive (the "Services") which, in the sole judgment of HotelExecutive: (i) is in violation of any local, state, federal or non-United States law or regulation, (ii) is threatening, obscene, indecent, defamatory or that otherwise could adversely affect any individual, group or entity (collectively, "Persons") or (iii) violates the rights of any person, including rights protected by copyright, trade secret, patent or other intellectual property or similar laws or regulations including, but not limited to, the installation or distribution of "pirated" or other unauthorized photos or software products that are not appropriately licensed for use by you. You shall be responsible for determining what laws or regulations are applicable to its use of the Services. In addition, you may only use the Services in a manner that, in HotelExecutive's sole judgment, is consistent with the purposes of such Services. If you are unsure of whether any contemplated use or action is permitted, please contact HotelExecutive at editor@HotelExecutive By way of example, and not limitation, the following uses described below of the Services are expressly prohibited:

A. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages or other materials (collectively, "Content") that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, sexually intolerant or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

B. impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, a Company official, forum leader, guide or host, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;

C. forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any Content transmitted through the Services or develop restricted or password-only access pages, or hidden pages or images (those not linked to from another accessible page);

D. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any Content that you do not have a right to transmit under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements;

E. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any Content that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any party;

F. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes" or any other form of solicitation;

G. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any material that contains software viruses, worms or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment;

H. interfere with or disrupt the Services or servers or networks connected to the Services, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Services;

I. intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law, including, but not limited to, regulations promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any rules of any national or other securities exchange, including, without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ, and any regulations having the force of law;

J. 'stalk' or otherwise harass another user of HotelExecutive or Company employee or official;

K. promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities, promote physical harm or injury against any group or individual, or promote any act of cruelty to animals. This may include, but is not limited to, providing instructions on how to assemble bombs, grenades and other weapons, and creating "Crush" sites; and

L. effecting security breaches or disruptions of Internet communication. Security breaches include, but are not limited to, accessing data of which you are not an intended recipient or logging into a server or account that you are not expressly authorized to access.

M. advertising to, or soliciting any user of HotelExecutive to buy or sell any products or services through the unauthorized or impermissible use of the Services. You may not transmit any junk email or chain letters to other users. If you breach this Agreement and send unsolicited bulk email, instant messages or other unauthorized commercial communications of any kind through the Services, you acknowledge that you will have caused substantial harm to HotelExecutive, but that the amount of such harm would be extremely difficult to ascertain. As a reasonable estimation of such harm, you agree to pay HotelExecutive $500 for each such unsolicited email or other unauthorized commercial communication you send to each user through the Services.

2. DISCLAIMER WARRANTY

HotelExecutive, including all software, functions, materials, and information is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. HotelExecutive disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of non-infringement and implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, title, merchantability of computer programs, data accuracy, system integration, and informational Content. HotelExecutive does not warrant or make any representations regarding the operation of HotelExecutive, the use, validity, accuracy or reliability of, or the results of the use of the materials on HotelExecutive or any other sites linked to HotelExecutive. The materials of HotelExecutive may be out of date, and HotelExecutive makes no commitment to update the materials at HotelExecutive. HotelExecutive does not and cannot guarantee or warrant that the files available for downloading from HotelExecutive, if any, will be free from infection, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or other code that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. HotelExecutive does not warrant that HotelExecutive, software, materials, products, or services will be uninterrupted or error-free or that any defects in HotelExecutive, software, materials, products, or services will be corrected.

3. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

In no event will HotelExecutive, its suppliers or other third parties mentioned at or in HotelExecutive be liable for any damages, including, without limitation direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages, damages resulting from lost profits, lost data or business interruption arising out of relating to the use, inability to use, or resulting from the use of HotelExecutive, any web sites linked to HotelExecutive, the materials, software or other information contained in any or all such sites, whether based on warranty, contracts, statutes, regulations, tort (including but not limited to, negligence) or any other legal theory and whether or not advised of the possibility of such damages. If your use of the materials or information from HotelExecutive results in the need for servicing, repair or correction of equipment or data, you assume all costs thereof.

4. REVISIONS TO THIS AGREEMENT

HotelExecutive may revise this Agreement at any time without notice by updating this posting. By using HotelExecutive you agree to be bound by any such revisions and should therefore periodically visit HotelExecutive and page to determine the then current Terms of Access and Use conditions of use to which you are bound.

5. TRANSMISSIONS

Any idea you transmit to or post on HotelExecutive by any means will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary and may be disseminated or used by HotelExecutive or its affiliates for any purpose whatsoever, including, but not limited to, developing and marketing products. You are prohibited from posting or transmitting to or from HotelExecutive any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, profane material or any other material, including but not limited to any material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under both domestic and international law.

6. YOUR WARRANTIES

You warrant to HotelExecutive that:

You are the sole owner of all rights in the materials posted or uploaded by you (including all related copyrights) or that you have the absolute right to license their use as provided in this section. While you will retain ownership of the copyright in the materials posted or uploaded by you, you agree that all materials posted or uploaded by you shall become part of a database, and that HotelExecutive will own the compilation copyright in that database. In addition, you hereby grant HotelExecutive a perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, publicly perform, publically display and distribute such materials, and portions of such materials and any derivative works created from such materials, in print, electronic and other media, by any means now known or developed in the future. We may sublicense all of our rights and licenses or assign them to third parties. Neither HotelExecutive nor any third party using the materials in accordance with this section will be obligated to pay you any royalties or other compensation for use of the materials.

You will comply with these Terms of Access and Use including, without limitation, the USE RESTRICTIONS set out in Section 3 above;

You agree to indemnify and hold HotelExecutive harmless from any claim or damages (including any legal fees in relation to same) made by a third party in respect of any matter in relation to or arising from your use and/or membership arising from any breach or suspected breach of these Terms of Access and Use by you or your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

7. ACTIONS WE MAY TAKE AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION

HotelExecutive may take any or all of the following actions at our sole discretion:

Remove any member profile (including photographs) or other material that, in our sole discretion may be inappropriate or we suspect to be illegal, subject us to liability or which may violate these Terms of Access and Use or where required to do so by law;

Issue members with verbal or written warnings and may take such further action as we deem appropriate if such warnings are not heeded;

Suspend or terminate a member's access to the members's area of HotelExecutive or a member's account without notice at any time;

Inform the appropriate authorities and provide them with information regarding any suspected illegal activity; or bring legal action against a member or other user of HotelExecutive in relation to any breach of these Terms of Access and Use or any illegal or suspected illegal activity.

8. GOOD SAMARITAN CONTENT AND COMPLAINT PROCEDURES POLICY

A. Policy

We have provided opportunities for you to contribute Content to our Site. It is our policy, however, not to allow any Content which may constitute intellectual property infringement; violations of federal, state, or local law; obscene or defamatory material, or may otherwise be unacceptable or inappropriate. Upon learning of such Content, we will attempt, and you hereby give HotelExecutive the right, to delete, edit, remove, disable, change, or restrict access to or the availability of the Content, which in our sole discretion, is otherwise unacceptable or objectionable. We may or may not notify you about what action we take with respect to the disputed Content. The provisions of this section are intended to implement this policy but are not in any way intended to impose a contractual obligation upon us to undertake, or refrain from undertaking, any particular course of conduct.

B. Complaint Procedures

If you believe that another user or other third party has posted Content which violates this policy or specifically the USE RESTRICTIONS in Section 3 above, you may notify HotelExecutive via e-mail at editor@HotelExecutive . In order to allow HotelExecutive to respond effectively, please provide HotelExecutive with as much information as possible in your correspondence, including: (1) the nature of the right infringed or violated (including any applicable registration numbers of the federally-registered intellectual property allegedly infringed), if applicable, or the unacceptable or inappropriate Content; (2) all facts which lead you to believe that a right has been violated or infringed, if applicable; (3) the precise location where the offending Content is located; (4) any grounds to believe that the party or user which posted the Content was not authorized to do so or did not have a valid defense (including the defense of fair use), if applicable; (5) if known, the identity of the party or user who posted the infringing, offending, or inappropriate Content; and (6) in the case of alleged copyright infringement claims, information sufficient to identify the work and your claims to ownership.

C. Indemnification/Waiver of Certain Rights

By contacting HotelExecutive and complaining of an alleged violation, you agree that the substance of your complaint shall constitute a representation made under the pains and penalties of perjury pursuant to the laws of the State of California. In addition, you agree, at your own expense, to defend and indemnify HotelExecutive and hold HotelExecutive harmless against all claims which may be asserted against HotelExecutive, and all losses incurred, as a result of your complaint and/or our response to it.

D. Waiver of Claims and Remedies

We expect all users of our Site to take responsibility for their own actions and cannot and do not assume liability for any acts of third parties which take place at our Site. By utilizing the Good Samaritan procedures set forth herein, you waive any and all claims or remedies which you might otherwise be able to assert against hotelexecutive under any theory of law (including, but not limited to, intellectual property laws) that arise out of or relate in any way to the content at hotelexecutive or our response, or failure to respond, to a complaint.

E. Investigation/Liability Limitation

You agree that we have the right, but not the obligation, to investigate any complaint received. By reserving this right, we do not undertake any responsibility in fact to investigate complaints or to remove, edit, disable or restrict access to or the availability of Content. We will not act on complaints that we believe, in our sole discretion, to be deficient, incomplete, or otherwise questionable. If you believe that Content remains on HotelExecutive which violates your rights, Your sole and exclusive remedy shall be against the user or other party responsible for said content, not against HotelExecutive. your sole and exclusive remedy against HotelExecutive shall be to terminate your use of HotelExecutive and service.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act Compliance. As set forth in Subsection (b), you must contact our agent if you believe that a work protected by a U.S. Copyright which you own has been posted on our Site without authorization or that our Site, in some material way, contributes to its infringement. It is our policy in appropriate circumstances, if possible, to terminate the access rights of repeat infringers and other users who use HotelExecutive in an inappropriate or objectionable manner.

9. COOPERATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

HotelExecutive reserves the right to fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing HotelExecutive to disclose the identity or other information regarding any user or member alleged by any governmental entity to be using HotelExecutive or any Content or materials available in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive in violation of any law or regulation, or in violation of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the posting of e-mail messages, or publishing or otherwise making available any such materials. By accepting this agreement you waive and hold harmless HotelExecutive from any claims resulting from any action by HotelExecutive during, or as a result of, its investigations, and from any actions taken as a consequence of investigations by either HotelExecutive or law enforcement authorities

10. APPLICABLE LAWS, VENUE, JURISDICTION & MANDATORY ARBITRATION

If any provision(s) of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to law, then such provision(s) shall be construed, as nearly as possible, to reflect the intentions of the parties with the other provisions remaining in full force and effect. HotelExecutive's failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision unless acknowledged and agreed to by HotelExecutive in writing. The section titles in this Agreement are solely used for the convenience of the parties and have no legal or contractual significance. This Agreement may be assigned in whole or in part by HotelExecutive. This Agreement may not be assigned in any manner by you without the express, prior written permission of HotelExecutive.

Any and all disputes or controversies of any kind, including but not limited to any performance, duty, obligation or liability arising under or related to this Agreement which are not first resolved informally, shall be determined by binding arbitration in San Francisco, California, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. The final award in any such arbitration proceeding shall be subject to entry as a judgment by any court or competent jurisdiction, provided that such judgment does not conflict with the terms and provisions hereof. The jurisdiction of the arbiter (or arbiters) with respect to legal matters shall be limited only by the statutory and common law of the State of California and the United States.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, any and all disputes, which the parties cannot informally resolve, regarding the scope of issues or matter with the jurisdiction of the arbitrator, shall be resolved by a separate dispute resolution process whereby HotelExecutive, in its sole discretion shall elect the dispute to be resolved by either (1) a court of competent jurisdiction in the State of California or (2) a panel of three new arbitrators.

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California notwithstanding any conflict of laws provisions. You and HotelExecutive agree that the venue for all legal disputes, controversies, actions of any kind arising under or related to this Agreement shall be San Francisco, California. You and HotelExecutive further agree that in case of any litigation regarding this Agreement, you irrevocably and unconditionally (i) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in the County of San Francisco, California for any litigation or dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement, (ii) agree not to commence any litigation arising out of or relating to this Agreement except in the California Courts, (iii) agree not to plead or claim that such litigation brought therein has been brought in an inconvenient forum, and (iv) agree the California Courts represent the exclusive jurisdiction for all litigation relating to this Agreement.

11. MEMBERSHIP FEES

Hotel Business Review Subscriptions

If you choose to purchase a subscription, member subscription payments can be made in U.S. Dollars, as well as a variety of international currencies. Membership terms are Annual Recurring, and Monthly Recurring. The Annual Recurring subscription is an annual commitment and subscribers will be charged each consecutive billing cycle. Annual Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first billing cycle and within 30-days of the billing date for a full refund. Monthly Recurring subscriptions are ongoing and subscribers will be charged each consecutive monthly billing cycle. Monthly Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first month and within 7 days of the monthly billing cycle for a full refund.

12. PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION

Payment for the services provided to you in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive may be made by automatic credit card, debit card, direct debit, bankwire or Paypal and other approved payment means offered in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive, and you hereby authorize HotelExecutive and its agents to transact such payments on your behalf.

You hereby authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card to pay for your membership to HotelExecutive. You further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card for any and all purchases of products, services in association with HotelExecutive. You agree to be personally liable for all charges incurred by you in association with your access or other use of any content provided by HotelExecutive or any third party in association with HotelExecutive. You acknowledge and agree that your liability for all such charges shall continue after termination of your access or any type of membership arrangement with HotelExecutive.

In the event that you have chosen to have your membership automatically rebilled, unless and until you notify HotelExecutive that you wish to cancel or terminate your membership to HotelExecutive, you hereby agree and authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to automatically renew your membership to HotelExecutive on a continuing basis and to charge your credit card (or other payment means you have selected) to pay for the ongoing cost of your membership. You hereby further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card (or other approved payment means you have selected) for any and all purchases of products, services and entertainment provided to in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive.

13. PRIVACY POLICY

The following is the Privacy Policy for HotelExecutive

We can be reached via telephone, email, or online at our contact page. When you visit our site we do not log any information regarding your domain or email address. Information Sharing: We do not share user information with any third parties other than via press release distribution as described below.

Hotel Newswire is a newswire service that distributes press releases on behalf of our users. If you decide to submit a press release for distribution through our system we will transmit your entire press release including any personal information therein contained to our media contacts and online distribution points including search engines. This is the only redistribution of your information that we engage in. Your submission of press releases through our system indicates consent with this policy. The information we collect during your registration process is used to notify users about updates to our service and inform users of any special events hosted by Hotel Newswire. This information is not shared with other organizations for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Cookies: Our system requires the use of cookies to enable the user to log back into our website to access information from the newswire, without having to log in each time using the required username and password.

If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, please let us know by following instructions included in our communication with you. Users who supply us with telephone numbers online may receive telephone contact from us regarding their account, or informing them of new products and services available on the HotelExecutive website. If you do not wish to receive such telephone calls, please edit your account and remove your phone number from your account profile. This can be done from your user account menu.

Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have any relationship with any ad server companies. From time to time, we may use customer information for new uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. If our information practices change at any time, we will post the policy changes to our website to notify you of these changes and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. If you are concerned about how your information is used, you should check back at our website periodically.

Upon request we provide site visitors with access to all information (including proprietary information) that we maintain about them. Users can access this information by logging in to their account.

Security: We always use industry-standard encryption technologies while transferring and receiving user data exchanged with our site. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information that we have collected from you on our site. We do not store credit card information in our systems.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us.

MARKETPLACE

Hotel Business Solutions

Zoe Connolly

Modernizing procurement payments is becoming essential for hotels seeking stronger security, enhanced sustainability, and improved supplier trust. Outdated, paper-based methods slow operations, increase fraud risk, and strain vendor relationships. By shifting to automated digital payments, virtual cards, embedded workflows and by leveraging real-time data, hotels can reduce costs, improve cash... Read on...

Jacqueline Voronov Wage and Hour Compliance Challenges in The Hotel Industry
  • By Jacqueline Voronov, Partner, Hall Booth Smith, P.C.

    • The hospitality industry, known for its dynamic and diverse workforce, faces a unique set of employment law challenges. This sector’s particular operational structure, characterized by irregular hours and a diverse range of job roles, creates complexities that can lead to many legal and financial risks. The last few years have seen an explosion in the number of private lawsuits against employers, most notably for wage and hour violations. This has been due, in large part, to increased scrutiny and enforcement action by the United States Department of Labor (DOL). In this article, we explore the problems hotels encounter in...

    READ MORE
Bram Haenraets Autonomous Guest Communication for Hotels
  • By Bram Haenraets, Founder & CEO, Viqal

    • In recent years, the hospitality industry has grappled with a pervasive and challenging issue: staff shortages. Astonishingly, this issue impacts a staggering 87% of hotels globally, and indications suggest it's not a fleeting problem, but rather a structural one. The frontline of this battle is often the hotel front desk, where staff are inundated with a relentless stream of guest inquiries, from the routine to the complex. This constant barrage leads to two significant issues: overwhelming workloads for staff and, unfortunately, less-than-ideal guest experiences. The AI Revolution for Hotels The rise of AI technology in the hospitality sector,...

    READ MORE
Wendy Hansen Understanding Subordination, Non-Disturbance and Attornment Agreements (SNDAs)
  • By Wendy Hansen, Counsel, Eversheds Sutherland

    • At some point in the ownership lifecycle of nearly every hotel, the owner will seek debt financing – whether for construction, acquisition, recapitalization or renovation. The basic loan documentation will be consistent with loans for other commercial property types, typically including a promissory note, loan agreement, deed of trust or mortgage, assignment of leases, UCC-1 financing statements, and a subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreement or “SNDA”. While the SNDA is a fairly common instrument in commercial real estate transactions and the underlying principles are the same, there are unique considerations when applied to a hotel financing. This article is...

    READ MORE
Robert O'Halloran Social Media Trends and Channels: What Is Best for You?
  • By Robert O'Halloran, Professor & Director, Hospitality Management, East Carolina University

    • Social media is everywhere. Platforms that started as social interactions for friends, groups, and family have now evolved into business tools. The efficiency and effectiveness of social media as business tools depend on their decision making and the metrics used. In our business, we have several options at our disposal: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X, TikTok, Reels, YouTube, Blogging, and others. Social media has become a universe of its own; a place where people go to speak their minds, connect with friends and family, stay informed, be entertained, find inspiration, and even make purchases. Trends and Innovations Socialmedia...

    READ MORE
Jim Abramson Harnessing Emerging Technology for Enhanced Hospitality - from AI to Iot
  • By Jim Abramson, Vice President of Product Management, Cvent

    • It’s been a very good year for meetings and events. Industry conferences like IMEX experienced record-breaking numbers (often in both attendance and meeting space required), Cvent recently reported a 21% year-over-year growth in room nights sourced through the Cvent Supplier Network, and ‘healthy’ group business demand has bolstered hotel performance as leisure demand slowed. With a new year right around the corner, early signs point to the continued growth of the sector in 2025, with 40% of planners planning to produce more events and expecting higher attendance next year. With more events, more attendees, and most certainly higher expectations...

    READ MORE
Alex Barros Unlocking Hotel Sustainable Profitability: Balancing Eco-Responsibility and Profitability
  • By Alex Barros, Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer, BEONx

    • Balancing Sustainability and Profitability For many years this was not a positive equation, brands were forced to take initiatives to enchant and comply with guests desires that were not necessarily profitable or made any sense at the time to ensure the consumer-guests were happy. We have crossed that bridge and at this point in time technology has reached a point where being green and eco-conscious is actually profitable. Guests understand that practices are only going to be good if they make finanacial sense for the business, therefore they are sustainable. This ability to be sustainably profitable transcends the interest...

    READ MORE
Alexander Mirza A Call to Action: Responsible AI
  • By Alexander Mirza, Founder & CEO, Mogul

    • In November 2023, the long-simmering fault-lines in the debate over AI safety reached a new crescendo with the non-profit board of OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and DALL-E services, voting to fire its founder & CEO Sam Altman. Subsequently, there was a significant shift in the board's composition, leading to Altman's reinstatement. The newly restructured board, aiming to align more closely with business interests, included notable figures such as former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Within the U.S. technology community, two opposing factions have emerged. The first one consists of the "doomers" or self-described "safety-first technocrats" led by venture firms such...

    READ MORE
Bendegul Okumus What Gen Z Wants from Hotels: Operational Insights for Hospitality Leaders
  • By Bendegul Okumus, Professor, University of South Carolina School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

    • In an increasingly competitive hospitality environment, guest satisfaction is the basis of a customer’s loyalty to a brand and a hotel’s long-term revenue growth. Hotels require feedback from guests to facilitate the positioning of their service delivery and guest experiences against the brand and competitor standards, identify employee performance issues that can negatively impact reviews before they are posted online, identify potential upselling and loyalty engagement opportunities, and develop further employee training and incentive strategies that drive operational excellence. Although online reviews are helpful, they are often afterthoughts influenced by the extreme perspectives of highly satisfied or completely dissatisfied...

    READ MORE
Greg Poirier Guests Want Authentic Sustainability Practices, and The Travel Market Is Delivering
  • By Greg Poirier, Director of Green Lodging/Green Hospitality Certifications, Audubon International

    • The travel market continues a dramatic shift towards sustainability. Driven by increasing environmental awareness among consumers, regulatory pressures, and the promise of long-term economic benefits, green certified hotels and resorts are the industry’s most sought-after market segment. Travelers and industry stakeholders alike recognize the importance of credible sustainable practices. This trend translates into higher-than-ever Hospitality Certification demand at organizations such as Audubon International. Let’s explore the factors driving demand growth for green certified hotels and resorts, supported by recent research and case studies. Rising Environmental Awareness A 2023 report issued by the World Travel and Tourism Council...

    READ MORE
Ed Peek From Budget Line to Bottom Line: The Hidden Power of Labor Planning
  • By Ed Peek, Chief Revenue Officer, Unifocus

    • The Hotel Industry’s Budgeting Blind Spot In hospitality, we often plan labor as if the year ahead will look like the year behind, just slightly adjusted. But heading into 2026, that approach is more vulnerable than ever. Industry forecasts are sobering: CBRE projects just 1.3 percent growth in revenue per available room (RevPAR) for 2025. PwC is even more cautious, pegging growth at 0.9 percent with flat occupancy. Meanwhile, costs—from labor to supplies—continue to rise. When top-line growth slows and expenses continue climbing, traditional budgeting becomes a risk, not a safeguard. The old model, build a plan,...

    READ MORE
Coming up in March 1970...

Click here to Subscribe






Copyright © 1996-2026. All content on HotelExecutive.com. All Rights Reserved.