Hilton surveyed thousands of workers and discovered that people want connection, purpose, and mentorship more than perks and ping-pong tables. The real test isn't whether the findings are right... it's whether the brand charging 15-20% of your revenue is giving you the tools to deliver on them, or just the PowerPoint.
Choice Hotels posted its highest quarterly revenue ever and still missed earnings estimates by double digits, which tells you everything about where the money is actually going in a franchise-driven model. The CEO departure three weeks later wasn't a coincidence... it was punctuation.
A Chinese hotel company just posted $726 million in net income by going exactly where Western brands won't... tier-3 and tier-4 cities that most development teams can't find on a map. There's a lesson here if you're willing to hear it.
A former Sonesta development chief is making the rounds talking about what needs fixing in the industry. He's not wrong. But the fact that we're still having this conversation tells you everything you need to know.
