Bryan Younge, an industry veteran of more than 25 years, joined Horwath HTL earlier this year as managing partner/practice leader, valuation advisory, Americas. Hotel Business caught up with Younge to discuss his love for hospitality, his new role and the company’s new MarketCompass reports.
—Adam Perkowsky
Have you always been interested in hospitality and travel?
I have been captivated by hospitality and travel for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my uncle, a hotel developer in Hawaii, offered me an unconventional childhood tour of the industry. Memories of island hopping to tour simultaneous hotel projects still exist. It was awe-inspiring to see the behind-the-scenes hustle of those construction sites. The feeling was captivating, witnessing the magic of transforming raw landscapes into vibrant venues. I remember the excitement of watching an army of tractors shift mountains of red volcanic dirt to pave the way for what would eventually be a massive fountain and porte cochère.
What was your first job related to hotels, and what did you learn from it?
My first “go” in the hospitality world was as a bellman at a large Colorado Springs hotel. This summer job turned out to be an unforgettable lesson in service and humility. Initially, I assumed it was simply about hauling bags and hoping for generous tips, but it became much more nuanced than that. I learned quickly that a bellman is often the very first human connection a guest has with the hotel, setting the tone for their entire stay. This role taught the art of balancing efficiency with genuine warmth, and how subtle gestures can completely transform a guest’s experience.
That summer was an inside look into the importance of commitment to excellence in service and how hard it actually is to achieve it. It was a reminder that in hospitality (or any business, for that matter), every small act of kindness counts.
You’ve worked at several similar companies before this role. What attracted you to Horwath HTL?
Horwath HTL stands apart in the hospitality world thanks to a genuine focus on culture and deep consulting expertise. After spending time in large corporate settings—where hospitality advisory was one piece of a massive puzzle—the shift here feels refreshingly different. From my first conversation with global chairman John Fareed, there was a real sense of belonging. I could not be happier joining this adventure with such an accomplished figure and being a part of the new vision for the company.
Here, leadership discussions are not about hitting an amorphous 20% profitability figure for the pleasure of the brass; they are about looking out for the team and how that goes hand-in-hand with delivering outstanding service to clients. Collaboration and personal growth are not buzzwords—they are part of everyday life. I am genuinely proud to be part of a company where a passion for people meets precision in consulting—
a place all about shaping the future of hospitality consulting through excellence and teamwork.
What are your responsibilities and role at Horwath HTL?
Since joining in January, the role has been a work in progress—dynamic, evolving and still in formation. The mission of the new valuation advisory practice is not to produce commodity documents; it is about building the best hotel, tourism and leisure valuation platform the world has ever seen. At the heart of this evolving role is creating a valuation practice that delivers deep industry insights and is a strategic asset for our clients. Beyond the initial focus on valuations, our team is being formed and primed to contribute to the larger global consulting efforts that we offer.
Global coordination among our offices is surprisingly fluid—uncommon in the traditionally compartmentalized valuation world. This new model of collaboration is paving the way for a fresh, integrated approach to the industry. It is an exciting shift reshaping how valuation is done, ensuring that every project benefits from both cutting-edge technology and the combined expertise of a globally connected team.
Can you tell us about the MarketCompass Lodging Reports?
When we set out to create the MarketCompass Lodging Reports, the goal was not to add another hotel market report to an already crowded field. The industry already had plenty of reports offering occupancy rates, RevPAR trends, supply growth numbers and the usual KPIs. But what we felt was missing was a deeper report that tells you what is happening in a market, why it is happening and what it could mean for the future.
That’s where MarketCompass is different. Every quarter, we take a massive amount of data across 110 US markets and turn it into something meaningful. Instead of listing numbers, we work to unveil the hidden power of markets by analyzing the forces driving performance. We ask the critical questions: Why is RevPAR surging in one city while stagnating in another? Is new supply helping or hurting a market? How will local infrastructure, corporate investment, or even air traffic influence hotel performance?
This is not a static report but an evolving tool that improves with every edition. Each quarter, we strive to add more substance, introducing new analytics and fresh ways to interpret market conditions. The result is a resource that is more than informative—it’s insightful and designed to give investors, lenders and hospitality professionals the context they need to see opportunities before they emerge and to navigate an industry that never stands still.
