His firm seeks a new ‘Landing’ for franchisees
His firm seeks a new ‘Landing’ for franchisees
LandingPlace Hotels CEO Jeremy Bratcher discusses his company’s investment platform and its future expansion plans.
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Development/Owners/His-firm-seeks-a-new-Landing-for-franchisees?
By Dennis Nessler
BLUFFTON, South Carolina — Working towards its stated goal of creating the “next great franchise,” LandingPlace Hotels took another step on its journey with the recent launch of a new ownership platform known as LandingPlace Holdings.
The platform will acquire and rebrand existing hotels as LandingPlace properties, supporting the Bluffton, South Carolina-based company’s long-term franchise expansion strategy.
To support the initiative, LandingPlace Holdings launched a corporate bond program with an International Securities Identification Number (ISIN), enabling trading via London-based OTC markets. The bond program, funding the platform, is structured with Singapore-based Wolfline Capital and JTC Group.
LandingPlace CEO Jeremy Bratcher outlined why the corporate bond program serves as the catalyst for growth for the company.
“This is going to provide us with the capital infrastructure to fuel our acquisition strategy. This capital gives us a lot of flexibility to make acquisitions that are strategic in nature while fueling the proof points for the larger franchisee community,” Bratcher told Hotel Investment Today, further noting the pipeline includes hotels earmarked for franchising, acquisition, and joint ventures.
The establishment of the ownership platform follows last July’s launch of two midscale brands, LandingPlace Suites and LandingPlace Select, which represent extended-stay and select-service flags, respectively. Bratcher, who co-founded the company with president Jacob Amezcua, said the company will maintain a number of owned “corporate demonstration” properties to serve as a model for franchisees.
Bratcher noted the company has not set a specific ratio for corporate-owned properties versus franchised locations, but will pursue an opportunistic growth strategy.
“If there's a great opportunity that comes across our desk, why wouldn't we do that as an owner? We'll be wearing both hats simultaneously as a franchisor and as a hotel owner,” he said.
Bratcher said the company is targeting having three owned and/or joint venture hotels completed by the end of the year. He added that it expects to acquire an additional seven hotels in 2027, bringing its portfolio to 10 owned hotels.
From a geographical perspective, Bratcher said the company would look at “all corners of the U.S.” and some international markets. While the brand will be built primarily on conversions, the company will consider new builds and has already entered into discussions for a few potential LandingPlace Suites locations.
Approaching acquisitions
The CEO offered some color on how the company plans to approach acquisitions and subsequent operations.
“We're looking to acquire hotels that are either nearing the end of their license or that may need some light-to-medium renovation. In some cases, we've run across some hotels that may have been underperforming from an operational perspective. We do have partners that are sophisticated third-party operators who will be operating the day-to-day business,” he said.
Bratcher elaborated on the type of hoteliers he sees as a good fit for LandingPlace, while reinforcing the company’s intended value proposition.
“We're targeting the franchisee that may be frustrated with their relationship with their current franchisor. Maybe they feel as though the PIPs and brand standards are all driven toward enhancing the brand's value and not being mindful of their bottom line. That's really the void we're looking to fill as a franchisor to really be mindful of the economics of the owner,” he noted.
Bratcher’s extensive background in hospitality dates back to the age of 17, when he worked as a banquet server and van driver, among other roles, at three different hotels. He subsequently joined national brand companies, such as IHG and Starwood Hotels, as well as a number of prominent owner/operators, including MCR Hotels, Banyan Investment Group, GF Hotels & Resorts, and Island Hospitality Management.
Starting the company
Bratcher detailed how the opportunity came about to start LandingPlace.
“I was taking a little bit of a sabbatical and thinking of what I am going to do next, and through happenstance and some conversations, Jacob and I came together. He was working on some projects that I thought could be the start of a better mousetrap, and we put our heads together. Through my career, I've worked with some amazing individuals and I was able to bring them on board both as team members and as strategic advisors and really put together what I think is the ‘next great franchise,” he asserted.
Detailing the potential white space for the two brands, Bratcher referred to the competitive set in the midscale space. “There's a lot of homogenization going on where everything is kind of the same no matter where you go,” he said.
In defining the ethos of LandingPlace Suites, specifically, Bratcher noted the nascent brand is “reimagining how housekeeping and breakfast are executed” across the extended-stay segment.
The brand created a “landing” — redefining the space traditionally dedicated to breakfast.
“The landing is a more community-type, multi-function room with various amenities. That's one of the signature items that we're offering and a way to repurpose that space for better guest engagement,” he noted.
In addition, Bratcher added that housekeeping for both brands would be offered as an à la carte service to guests, “which enables an owner to generate revenue through one of the largest expense departments in the hotel.”
When asked if a challenging economic climate may have given him pause before launching a pair of brands, Bratcher refuted the notion.
“I think it works in our favor. Anytime there are periods of market transition, it creates opportunities. We're in a great place where we can either acquire at a good valuation or help that owner from an economic perspective as their rate resets higher. So I think the timing is fabulous,” he said.
While the name LandingPlace is meant to apply to guests looking for a ‘landing place’ throughout their journey, Bratcher noted it can also apply to the company’s investment partners.
“As an owner, you have an origin and a destination for your assets and your investments. We want to be the landing place that gives you confidence in the brand and the support that you're going to receive, as well as the confidence that we're aligned with your vision from an economic perspective. We don't win unless they win. We're all about helping that owner win not just at the top line, but throughout the full P&L,” he said.
Optimize project ROI when rate lift won’t save you
Five industry experts reveal cost-cutting strategies and team-building tips every hotel investor can use to protect their capital throughout the project management process.
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/From-Our-Partners/Optimize-project-ROI-when-rate-lift-wont-save-you?
By Stefani C. O'Connor
NATIONAL REPORT – Investors bringing an estimated 1,100-to-1,400 hotel projects/190,000-to-220,000 rooms online this year are fueling the third consecutive year of record-setting active U.S. pipeline growth, according to Lodging Econometrics (LE). But, without the robust rate lift of 2024-2025, record ROI is likely out of reach for all but the strongest conversions and luxury hotels.
The consensus view on this market is that moderating ADR, rising costs, and, in many destinations, rate resistance removed the revenue cushion that enabled even average execution to clear return hurdles and made good projects good enough to achieve solid returns. No more. Experts’ warning to investors adding hotel inventory in 2026’s lower growth environment is clear: There is no margin for error.
Real-world strategies for realistic returns
Outperformance can still be the goal, provided investors shift their focus from profit expansion to profit protection. In recent reports, both HVS and CBRE emphasize that disciplined cost control and execution — not broad ADR gains — are now the primary drivers of hotel renovation and development returns.
Hotel investors got step-by-step guidance on capping reinvestment and construction costs from a panel of experts speaking on Hotel Investment Today by Northstar’s recent webinar, “Cost management: from project management to people and processes.”
The industry pacesetters delivering cogent solutions were: Chris Harlow, executive vice president of development, True North Hotel Group, Inc.; Brian Patrick Martin, president and CEO, BPM & Company, Inc.; Darrin Phillips, CEO, Top Shelf Project Management; Heather Turner, CEO and co-founder, Tamarack Capital Partners; and Danny Welch, senior vice president, Continental Contractors, Inc.
Mary Scoviak, custom and design content director, Hotel Investment Today by Northstar, moderated the March 25, 2026, live broadcast, which is now available on demand. Top Shelf Project Management was the topic sponsor. (The company collaborated on the webinar planning but had no influence over the editorial content.
What's in your control
Out of the gate, these industry veterans agreed that numerous aspects of the project-management process cannot be controlled, particularly at a macro level. Yet they all concurred that there are effective strategies that can head off some of the cost-control issues that could develop into untenable situations if ignored or allowed to fester.
“It feels like we're being squeezed from two sides at once ─ the macro forces that we can't control and the project decisions we can,” said Harlow. He noted such tension can be offset somewhat by building a team of expert, trusted advisors and establishing communications with all involved parties to help manage expenses and ensure capital is being spent is on meaningful upgrades and the guest experience.
“It can't just be money spent on stuff behind the walls that the guest doesn't see because that doesn't help me drive my rate,” Harlow added. “I'm sure they [guests] appreciate that the toilet flush is faster now. But I can't market that piece, right? I can market new design elements in the lobby, new things in the guestroom, new immersive experiences that deliver what guests want.”
He added that developers' relationship with brands is evolving, giving them a new ability to drive big-picture decisions. On a recent SpringHill Suites by Marriott, he advocated for - and won - the addition of extended-stay room types to broaden the target demographic.
Chris Harlow on developers' evolving relationship with brands
PIP pitfalls
Intrinsic to the majority of franchise brands, PIPs can add high costs to any project. Although brands proved to be patient on time frames and phased execution post-COVID, that grace period has run out.
The market has changed. Today, said Martin, there’s scant ability to drive a significantly increased rate premium by doing what he termed “PIP recycle upgrades.” He underscored the importance of working with the project management teams to prioritize items that have the greatest impact on driving rate improvement and working with the brands to minimize those that do not.
Brian Patrick Martin on optimizing renovations in a soft RevPAR market
Macro-management strategies
For Phillips, the key challenge is the current tariff situation and not knowing what's going to happen on a daily basis, let alone over the course of a renovation.
Top Shelf refined its contingency planning to buffer impact from worst-case eventualities. Phillips schedules percentages of the contingency to be released during design, during buyout, and when unforeseen conditions occur.
However, flexibility is key. Currently, he recommends holding contingencies back during design and buyout “in hopes that if we do get hit with a tariff that's unforeseen, we can use that additional contingency to pay for it.”
Another major unknown at press time in early April is what may happen to the U.S. hotel development/construction outlook if there’s an extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz beyond the end of April 2026. Possibilities include seriously inflated construction costs, stalled projects due to escalated oil prices, and reduced availability of supplies and core materials, e.g., plastics and resins, needed for construction. Higher fuel costs may impact shipping expenses for building and renovation materials, which may be in short supply as the competition for goods heats up.
Additionally, the mix of rising capital costs combined with higher material prices may see investors taking their finger off the trigger of a project, returning if and when greater economic stability returns. As a hotel owner, Tamarack Capital Partners invests alongside institutional capital partners and family offices in value-add properties, said Turner, noting macroeconomic headwinds and limited RevPAR growth are among her major challenges.
“They [these challenges] oftentimes led us to pull back on the scope of what we want to renovate, because we don't feel the returns are there. On the acquisition side, the cost of construction and renovation has meant that a lot of deals do not get done. It's making things more difficult to pencil these days,” she said. One way she's counteracting that is by bringing teams on board before she even goes nonrefundable on a deal.
Heather Turner on renovation teams
However, Tamarack sees growing options for reining in costs, starting with reducing the risks of long-haul supply movement.
“The cost and the risk of bringing things in from overseas have gotten so much more expensive and uncertain that we have had to procure things closer to the actual property. That's probably the biggest change I've seen in terms of how we can try to respond to some of the uncertainty,” said Turner.
Toward that end, Tamarack tries “to stay on underwritten timelines as best we can rather than postponing them by a couple of years, because that in itself is a pretty drastic decision,” said Turner. “If you're buying an underperforming asset and trying to turn it around by delaying the project, you're sort of admitting you're going to stay underperforming for that much longer, and that has a pretty material impact on our cash flow.”
As to construction, Welch said, “We’re always racing as hard as we can because we have a limited amount of time to get the projects bought out, get the material procured, and to make sure we're ready for the start.” He added that pre-planning is crucial to ensure that due diligence is done thoroughly and properly to enable teams to prepare as much as possible.
Danny Welch on why pre-planning is a must for efficient projects
As ground-up developers, most of True North’s current projects have been in the pipeline for one or two years. “We’re seeing sort of a three-layer shock hitting right now with the tariffs and energy, rising costs, the capital stack of interest rates and lending behaviors,” said Harlow. However, he added that a strong belief in a project, alignment with a well-known brand, solid underwriting, and good partners on the lending side who trust in the company’s decision-making process can help advance a project.
Cost-management awareness is also making stronger inroads into brand leaders’ thinking, with greater flexibility emerging to help counteract owners’ current challenges, particularly in terms of PIPs.
“You're not getting relief on fire and life safety [or] on ADA or code upgrades, but when you're talking about select-service prototypical projects…I think they're completely open to talking about what’s in the PIP and what the timing of it is,” said Phillips.
Making it (Almost) Real
Construction-wise, one of the most informative aspects of the project-management process is delivering a model room for a cost-conscious inspection, noted Welch.
“The greatest benefits we see in the process are bringing us on early, doing that model room, being able to review that model room with the decision makers, and really being able to dial in the costs associated with the project….We really encourage our clients to permit the model room because that enables us to bring in the local inspectors, and we can make sure everything behind the wall is up to code. Then we can start to bake that into the rollout for the project…and provide a solid budget that everybody can rely on,” said Welch.
Buying existing assets is what you can't see behind the wall, especially depending on the age of the construction being bought, noted Martin. ”That’s always your biggest wild card,” he said. ”There’s no telling when a pinhole pipe's going to pop up. You just have to have proper reserves to make sure that if it does, you take quick action, the communication is fluid, you haven't ground yourself down to the last dollar, and that you've left some excess in there to address that kind of crazy.
Turner observed that spending time up front is critical, particularly in historic buildings, whether a historic conversion to a hotel or a historic restoration.
“You find all the pitfalls, but sometimes you also find these hidden gems (that could be cost-savers). We have gone into buildings and found beautiful original art from the late-1800s/early-1900s hidden behind walls. We found beautiful terrazzo floors, stairwells that we otherwise would have ordered marble or carpet to cover.
“So, sometimes the additional time you put in, the research and actually opening up walls and digging things up before you start design can have a little bit of a silver lining,” said Turner.
Phillips stressed the importance of walking the hotel and flagging things for the company that’s coming in to do the PCA (Property Condition Assessment). Additionally, he suggested connecting with contracted services, e.g., elevators, water, to make sure all the building systems are in working order. “If you have a project that has a water softener, and it's not working, and no one can tell you when the last time it worked, you're going to have some infrastructure problems on that project,” said Phillips.
Making decisions early in the process to assess costs needs input from the brand, the designer, the architect, and other key team members, with the owner’s voice also heard loud and clear vis-à-vis requirements, said Phillips. “So, I think slow is fast. You methodically go through all these checks and balances, and you'll have the fastest construction schedule you've ever had. But if you don't check all these boxes, it's going to be way longer than you ever thought,” he said.
Darrin Phillips on why fast is often slow - and costly
Ultimately, Harlow felt that decision-making has the most impact on cost controls. “A delayed decision means delayed timelines and potential cost increases. The more you can define what the project is and what the scope of work is, the better you can make the decisions with the right people in the room so that you're not delaying decisions, which has a ripple effect,” said Harlow.
Stefani C. O’Connor is a journalist based in New York City.
Artificial intelligence technology is 'only going to get better,' hotel experts say
AI-driven search still more opportunity than reality
From left: Room Mate Hotels' Kike Sarasola, Airbnb's Jesse Stein, Mews' Richard Valtr and Effizia's Laura Brinkmann speak at the 2026 International Hospitality Investment Forum EMEA in Berlin. (IHIF EMEA, Simon Callaghan Photography)
https://www.costar.com/article/401729258/artificial-intelligence-technology-is-only-going-to-get-better-hotel-experts-say
BERLIN — There is a broad perception that the booking journey for travel — and hotels more specifically — will move to one more driven by artificial intelligence as more consumers integrate generative AI into their day-to-day lives.
But experts speaking at the International Hospitality Investment Forum EMEA said we're still not quite to that point today in terms of either adoption or industry readiness.
Jesse Stein, global head of real estate for Airbnb, said his company is still testing and expanding its use of AI for the top of the funnel.
AI-based hotel search is "a phenomenal opportunity, but I don't think we are there yet," he said during the "AI transformation, hospitality returns" session.
Stein said Airbnb is testing AI in top-of-the-funnel cases in small areas. One critical element to getting it right? Knowing what the guest wants.
"Understanding what the consumer is looking for, what the individual trip is for, is really, really, really important," he said. "We have to connect that with the systems of the hotel industry, because it takes time to change systems."
Stein hearkened back to his time working as an executive at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants when acquiring a hotel meant the challenging task of completely reworking that property's tech infrastructure. Even though he's now at Airbnb, a company with significantly more tech resources, he said change still takes a significant amount of time.
Overall, Stein is optimistic about how AI will eventually become a larger part of the booking journey for hotels and travel.
Improving AI integration "is not something that's going to happen overnight, but today is the worst ... AI will ever be," he said. "It's only going to get better from today, and what the world looks like in five years, if anyone tells you they know, they're lying."
Stein added that AI's traffic is still overwhelmingly organic.
Richard Valtr, founder of Mews, said the best evolution of AI will involve reductions in distribution costs for hotels. Twenty years ago, hotels were essentially paying 25% to 35% of the value of the booking to customer acquisition, and OTAs have helped bring that down to 15% to 20%, he said.
"I think that new wave of technology should bring it down, whether it brings it down to 5% on average or 10%, 12%, 15%" is yet to be seen, he said.
How consumer-facing AI integrations ultimately come together is still unclear, Valtr said.
"What are the ways, for example, that a [large-language model] is going to look through our booking engine to book a specific room?" he asked. "How can we optimize that? How can we help the hotel actually think about what should be its on-property content creation so they show up better in search results? It's hugely complex. Nobody knows what's going to happen."
For now, much of the hotel industry's opportunity with artificial intelligence continues to revolve around back-end automation, particularly in areas such as revenue management and pricing, Valtr said.
"There are multiple hotels that have really seen a huge uplift," he said. "On average, we track it to about 20% uplift of [average daily rate] of the hotels we were surveying."
Kike Sarasola, president and founder of Room Mate Hotels, agreed that today's AI deployments are largely back-of-house for hotels. He said there are definitely benefits from things such as revenue-management automation, but he also believes the technology should be a significant driver of connection with guests.
"What many people are doing is trying to find an AI solution to everything and to make everything [about making] more money, and I think that's very, very dangerous," he said. "I think we have to really think of making it more human and more understandable."
Part of that push, he said, is developing agentic AI personas for each of Room Mate's hotels, positioning each as "a fictional friend [with] a personality, a face and a name."
Any customer interactions with AI also have to be backstopped by connecting guests to real human beings in case something goes wrong, Sarasola said. He added he's hopeful AI can be used to help develop more human connections
"We're really focused on being unique, human, and making it make me be different," he said. "AI lets you be different."
The hotel arrival problem no one is fixing—and what you can do about it
https://hotelsmag.com/news/the-hotel-arrival-problem-no-one-is-fixing-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/
Story contributed by Hideki Hayashi, founder of Pulse Hospitality Group.
The guest arrives, and the doorman sees them first—outside, at the moment the car door opens, or the entrance is approached on foot, before the property’s formal welcome begins and before the guest composes themselves for it.
That read is the most unguarded the guest will ever be during their stay; the pace of arrival, the body language after a long flight or a difficult journey, whether this guest is arriving open or closed or the afternoon that went wrong before it started.
That observation happens in seconds. It is accurate in such a way that nothing observed later will be. And it goes nowhere.
Where arrival is engineered—not simply managed—at least three people meet the guest: the doorman, the front desk agent and the bellman. Each has a distinct point of contact, and each reads something the others don’t.
The doorman reads the guest before the stay formally begins. The front desk agent reads the guest during a two to four-minute exchange—the longest direct contact of the entire arrival. The bellman reads whatever remains during the escort, where the guest permits one.
What travels between these three is logistical—a name, a room number, a bag count. The intel each person gathered, the specific human read that could inform every subsequent interaction during the stay, moves no further than the person who faces it.
By the time the guest reaches their room, three separate observations have been made about who they are and how they are arriving. The elevator operator who sees this guest two hours later, the server at dinner, the housekeeper on the second morning—none of them have access to what the doorman had observed. The arrival is complete. The understanding of the property briefly held has already been lost.
Some guests wave off the bellman—the guest declines, the escort takes their key and walks to the elevator alone. The bellman’s exchange ends there. The front desk agent’s read ends the moment the guest turns from the desk.
That guest walks to the elevator carrying something the property sensed thirty seconds ago and has already lost. Had what the doorman noticed outside—a tension, a fatigue, a particular quality of arrival—reached the front desk agent before check-in began, the experience might have felt different to the guest. Had what the front desk agent understood during this exchange reached anyone in the lobby to act on it, the thirty seconds between the desk and the elevator might not have felt different.
Those thirty seconds are when the guest forms their first instinct of the property—not what the arrival delivered, but what came after, whether anyone was still watching when the engineered part ended. The arrival ends there. The next moment of attention awaits in the room.
The doorman’s observation sits outside the structure that the property has built. It comes from someone who meets the guest before the stay commences. It is accurate and specific. And like everything the doorman reads, it does not wait—what the property briefly holds at the door is already losing its weight as the guest reaches the elevator.
And it belongs to a role that has no formal way to pass it forward.
Properties have invested significantly in what happens during the front desk exchange—training programs, service standards, loyalty recognition protocols. The assumption behind all of it is that the front desk agent is working from a complete picture of the guest standing before them. They are not. The doorman has the most current read on that guest, but it will not reach the front desk before check-in is complete.
This is not a staffing problem. The doorman, the front desk agent, and the bellman are each performing their roles correctly. The intelligence failure is not in the people—it is in the absence of any structure to carry what one person reads to the next person who needs it, while the observation is still in progress, and there is still time to act on it.
The read exists. The staff exists. What does not exist is the structure that connects them. That is a decision.
That structure is rarely built, not because it was considered and set aside, but because the arrival has always been designed as a sequence of handoffs rather than a continuous read. Fixing that doesn’t require more staff or longer interactions, but a shared, living read—one that follows the guest beyond the front door.
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