976: What It's Like Running Three Iconic Vegas Hotels: MGM Grand, NY-NY & Excalibur with their President
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Release Date: 09/17/2025
FNA 188:The Gang Walk the Plank
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Hospitality Pirate Chris Baggett joins Glenn, Craig, Dave and Suzanne for some yo ho hos and a bottle of rum to kick off the weekend. Join us for a cocktail and some laughs!
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Why Extended Stay Hotels Dominate the Pipeline | Bruce Ford, Lodging Econometrics
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Extended stay dominates today’s #hospitality development pipeline—and I spoke with Bruce Ford, SVP at Lodging Econometrics, on No Vacancy Live to break it down. Here’s what we covered: 👉 Developers signed 39% of all new hotel projects as extended stay brands 👉 34% of rooms in the pipeline belong to extended stay 👉 Franchise giants like Marriott, Hilton, and IHG push new prototypes that reshape #hotelconstruction 👉 Dual-brand projects and smaller footprints spread into secondary and tertiary markets Bruce showed how #extendedstay continues to grow quickly while financing...
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Bonus: Optimize and Automate Your Procurement to Fuel ROI
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
The latest Hotel Business Hot Topics session, “Optimize and Automate Your Procurement to Fuel ROI,” in partnership with , explored how hotel operators are balancing rising costs, supply chain volatility and guest expectations, while using technology and strategic partnerships to strengthen operations. Moderated by , founder/host, podcast, the panel included , SVP, operations, ; , VP, operational strategies, ; , senior director, procurement services – account initiatives and development, ; and , VP, supply management,...
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976: What It's Like Running Three Iconic Vegas Hotels: MGM Grand, NY-NY & Excalibur with their President
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Not every career starts with the corner office — Mike Neubecker shares with #NoVacancyNews his story from hourly front desk clerk at MGM Grand back in 1993 to President & COO of MGM Grand, New York-New York, and Excalibur. That's three of the most iconic #MGMResorts properties on the Las Vegas Strip! In our conversation, Mike shared insights on: 🏨 How he rose from the front desk to running three megaresorts. 📲 The future of guest experience — from mobile check-in to real-time service tech. 🎭 Why immersive entertainment and partnerships like MGM x Netflix are redefining dining...
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975: Why Hotel Deals Are Stalling: Suraj Bhakta on PIPs, Inflation & Transactions
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
I spoke with Suraj Bhakta, CEO & Chief Legal Officer of NewGen Advisory, for #NoVacancyNews about what’s really happening in today’s hotel market. Suraj broke down why #PIPs have become one of the biggest roadblocks in #hospitality deals—lenders reluctant to fund them, costs rising, and brands sometimes using them as leverage in negotiations. We also covered: 👉 How #inflation and tariffs are driving unpredictability in construction and operations 👉 Why the gap between buyer and seller expectations is slowing transactions 👉 The importance of being realistic about asset...
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974: Marketing Mindset Meets Hospitality Mindset: Insights from Leora Lanz
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Thrilled to join Dr. Suzanne Bagnera on No Vacancy Live as we caught up with our longtime friend Leora Lanz, author of Developing Your Marketing Mindset: Real World Lessons from Hospitality. Leora has spent more than a decade teaching at Boston University, blending consulting expertise with case studies to prepare the next generation of #hospitality leaders. She reminded us why every business needs a marketing mindset—and why adopting a #hospitalitymindset is just as important. Some takeaways that stood out: 👉 Critical vs. strategic thinking — #criticalthinking helps us analyze deeply,...
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FNA 187: Gangs all Here
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
No guest, just unadulterated Glenn, Craig, Dave and Suzanne joins from the road... literally!
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973: Where Every Stay Creates Real Impact
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
This story is living what I have been preaching: Keep humanity in hospitality. At Saint John’s Resort outside Detroit, they’re all in on this concept; and a whole lot more. Kevin Doyle, COO of the Pulte Charitable Family Foundation, and longtime friend of the show Chris Green, President of Humanitarian Hotels share their story, and it blew me away. This isn’t just another #luxuryresort. Here’s what makes it different: 100% of hotel profits go to charity. Every wedding, golf outing, or stay directly supports local communities, global causes, and provides jobs for people...
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972: Scaling Up or Staying Lean: StepStone Hospitality on Leadership, Growth, and Empowering GMs
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
On the latest No Vacancy podcast, Anthony Melchiorri and I had a great conversation with Blair Wills, CEO of StepStone Hospitality, and Michael Broadhurst, COO of StepStone Hospitality. StepStone has grown from a single property in 2007 to a 30-hotel portfolio today—and they’re at that critical inflection point where management companies have to decide if they’re going to stay lean or scale up. We dug into some big topics: 👉 Why GMs are really the CEOs of their hotels 👉 The tough balance between owner expectations and on-the-ground realities 👉 How tech only matters if it...
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FNA 186: We're Seeing Green
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Glenn is at a bar on Macinac Island at the Inn at Stonecliffe with longtime friend of the show Chris Green He's now President at Humanitarian Hotels which that company owns. Craig and Producer Dave are probably ealoous, but we're all having some cocktails and laughs to kick off the weekend!
info_outlineNot every career starts with the corner office — Mike Neubecker shares with #NoVacancyNews his story from hourly front desk clerk at MGM Grand back in 1993 to President & COO of MGM Grand, New York-New York, and Excalibur. That's three of the most iconic #MGMResorts properties on the Las Vegas Strip!
In our conversation, Mike shared insights on:
🏨 How he rose from the front desk to running three megaresorts.
📲 The future of guest experience — from mobile check-in to real-time service tech.
🎭 Why immersive entertainment and partnerships like MGM x Netflix are redefining dining and nightlife.
🥊 MGM Grand’s boxing legacy, sports-driven growth, and the importance of conventions to Las Vegas.
💡 His #HospitalityLeadership advice to the next generation: raise your hand for opportunities, invest in networking, and learn to lead people — not just tasks.
Hospitality is an industry built on growth, reinvention, and opportunity — and Mike’s story proves you can start anywhere and go everywhere.
A huge thanks to Uniguest for making this series possible. Their Hotel Hub solution connects the guest journey to your messaging and branding. Please check them out at uniguest.com.
This is part two of a five-part series on the executives shaping the future of MGM Resorts International.
Available Now:
Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and President of MGM Resorts International: https://novacancynews.com/from-bartender-to-ceo-of-mgm-resorts-bill-hornbuckle-interview/
Coming soon:
• Lance Evans, SVP Sports and Partnerships on how sports are changing Las Vegas and the upcoming arrival of baseball
• Sarah Rogers, SVP of Corporate Finance, on how a major company like MGM Resorts thinks about investment, refinancing, structuring deals and entering Osaka Japan
• John Flynn, SVP of Global Security and Aviation – What it takes to create an amazing and seamless F1 race experience in November.