Delivering on history and a slight uptick in family travel spending are among the highlights of recent CoStar News Hotels podcasts.
Here are some takeaways from the best of late October and early November.
The allure of historic hotels is apparent, but they represent a unique challenge when it comes to operations.
Paul Eckert, executive vice president of operations and business intelligence at Davidson Hospitality, joined the CoStar News Hotels podcast to discuss how his company manages 11 properties nearly or more than a century old.
"I would say that the travelers now are much more adventurous," he explained, adding that guests do want consistency in quality but don't want to wake up not knowing what city they are in based on the room's cookie-cutter interior. "I think the interest in historic hotels has actually been growing because the unique nature of them and the fact that they have a heritage that a brand-new -build hotel can never have."
Meanwhile, a more modern reality of hotel operations is a shift in how companies much account for tips due to tax policy changes
Lorie Maring, partner and member of the Employee Benefits Practice Group at the law firm Fisher Phillips, said the change to reduce how much tax U.S. workers pay on taxes is more complicated than you might assume.
“First of all, it’s really not a ‘no tax,’” she said. “It is a deduction, which is a huge distinction. There are also dollar caps on that deduction and income limits, so it’s really not an across-the-board exclusion from income or deduction at all, and there are a lot of nuances within it.”
In positive news for the industry, both travel spending and intent to travel are expected to see at least marginal increases for families heading into the new year, but hoteliers can still expect to see a more price-conscious traveler.
NYU instructor Anna Abelson discussed the results of the NYU SPS Tisch Center of Hospitality's 2025 U.S. Family Travel Survey and what a value-conscious consumer means for travel.
"Families are trying to be more creative," she said. "So what they're trying to do, they're trying to maybe identify airlines that are not charging extra fees for sitting together or maybe luggage or maybe looking for special discounts to go to any amusement parks. ... Cooking maybe in the hotel versus going out."
Across the Asia Pacific region, hotel performance has been mixed, but investors are keen on doing deals.
STR's Jesper Palmqvist shared highlights from the recent Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific in Singapore, including an analysis of how different regions are suitable for different types of investors.
On the more established side, there are mature markets like Japan and Singapore, while on the adventurous and possibly risky side, there are Thailand and Vietnam, which have lower barriers to entry.
Speaking of adventure, hotel operator CoralTree Hospitality has recently partnered with Outbound Hotels, which describes itself as "A collection of lifestyle hotels and experiences in beautiful outdoor destinations."
Matthew Mering, co-founder of Outbound Hotels and executive vice president of hospitality at real estate investment group Waterton, joined the podcast to talk about the potential of the platform.
"From our perspective, we want to have an owner mentality. We want to have the benefits of vertical integration, where you own and operate, but for us, building a management platform was impractical," Mering said. "We've done it in the past at Waterton. It takes a lot of capital, it takes a lot of time, and we don't want to be distracted from our goal of building the brand and building the real estate portfolio."
Tell Me More
On the October episodes of "Tell Me More: A Hospitality Data Podcast," Expedia Group's Brandon Ehrhardt joined to discuss trends for the new year from his company's Unpack '26 report.
Literary destinations, nature and even farms are a focus for travelers.
"Farm charm is really about connecting with nature and just taking a step away from the busyness of the day. ... Readaways is another trend, and it's about really finding a vacation rental spot to just completely free your mind and to read a book," Ehrhardt said.
The Upgrade
On CoStar News' Terence Baker's monthly Europe, Middle East and Africa-focused podcast, "The Upgrade," Mingjie Wang, chief correspondent at China Daily, discussed the return of Chinese outbound travelers to Europe and the Middle East.
That group has now climbed back to pre-pandemic levels, but how they travel is fundamentally different.
“For Gen Z that might be 60% or 70% of them traveling on their own or in small family groups,” Wang said.
Next Gen in Lodging
On the latest episode of Next Gen in Lodging, co-host Omari Head discusses the New York University SPS Tisch Center of Hospitality's new apprenticeship program with the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
Brian Barker, executive director of hospitality industry alliance Ahead and clinical associate professor of hospitality social enterprising and engagement at NYU said the real-world experience is vital for students and are more common out the U.S.
"Apprenticeships are almost a normal thing in the European environment, and it's also very normal in other disciplines. Think about very applied, hands-on [focuses] like engineering, electrical and even medicine — most folks who come from those very applied fields have to get an apprenticeship before they can go on to their next step or stage," he said.