After 30 years, it’s always refreshing to find and present a new angle on something Hotel Business has been covering for those three decades. This edition is our owners & developers issue—a segment of the industry we cover in every edition of this publication, and across all of our platforms—where we publish the results of our annual survey. Owners and developers are invited and encouraged to go to hotelbusiness.com, fill out the survey and submit it, so that we can collect the data and rank the firms in terms of number of rooms. Turn to page 40 to see the chart.
And while we’ve been producing this in not only a dedicated issue over the years, but again in December’s must-have Green Book, for as long as I can remember, the focus of the editorial coverage in this annual issue—while always on the ownership community—is a bit different this year. And a first for Hotel Business. We’re proud to spotlight female entrepreneurs and the ever-evolving story of how this industry, its organizations, partners and brands are supporting the endeavor to empower women to own hotels via mentorship programs, business initiatives and, just simply, by sharing their personal stories so that we, at Hotel Business, can share them with the entire hospitality family. Our own Abby Elyssa speaks to some of the leaders, the pioneers and the disruptors behind the continuing project—and passion—to increase the opportunity and to advance the movement of breaking the barriers in hotel ownership. It’s our cover story, and it begins on page 24.
But, I don’t want this important story to begin and end here—it’s important to continue the narrative, and to keep the topic always in sight, so that it truly trends. While space allows us to only highlight some of the women who own hotels and some of the people who have helped to move that needle, there are more and more stories every day that unfold and should be told—and Hotel Business would like to tell them. Please continue to help us keep this movement in focus by keeping us informed. You can always email me at [email protected].
