Red Roof Builds an AI-Driven Website: How It Wins Search Next
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Release Date: 06/02/2026
Gen Z, Millennials, and the Vacation Ownership Shift
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Seventy-three percent of new vacation ownership purchases now come from Gen Z and millennials. That changes the pitch, product strategy, and member experience conversation for every company in vacation ownership. During ARDA Spring Conference, I spoke with Gordon Gurnik, COO of Hilton Grand Vacations, about younger buyers, points-based flexibility, AI, and the experiences HGV builds around ownership. 🎟 HGV runs about 3,800 member experiences a year, so ownership means access, not just more space 🏎 At Elara in Las Vegas, HGV brings F1 into the owner experience with viewing areas,...
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Hotel Owners Facing Tough Choice: PIP, Sell, or Switch Management
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Hotel owners staring down PIPs have three choices: spend the money, sell the asset, or rethink management. During NYU IHIF, I spoke with Ben Perelmuter, CEO of Remington Hospitality, and Scott Geres, General Manager of Hotel Edison, from inside the Hotel Edison in Times Square. Ben says hotel deal activity has finally picked up after several slower conference cycles. Owners face brand pressure, capital decisions, and asset sales, and Remington Hospitality has already added 17 new third-party deals in the first four months of the year. 🏨 PIPs and capital pressure now push owners toward...
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Undergraduate by Hilton: A New Hotel Brand for College Towns
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During NYU IHIF, Hilton debuted Undergraduate by Hilton, a brand-new conversion product aimed at university markets where a full Graduate Hotel may not fit. Jenna Hackett, SVP, Global Leader, Lifestyle Brand Management at Hilton, joined me for a conversation about how Undergraduate by Hilton connects with Graduate Hotels while giving owners a more affordable, scalable conversion option. 🎓 Graduate Hotels brings bespoke, university-adjacent storytelling across more than 35 locations 🏨 Undergraduate by Hilton gives Hilton a growth path across hundreds of additional university markets 🔁...
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Red Roof Builds an AI-Driven Website: How It Wins Search Next
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At NYU IHIF, I talked with Zack Gharib, President of Red Roof, because the brand made three moves worth watching at the same time: entered Canada, pushed tech growth, and rebuilt the website around AI search. Then the numbers back it up: app performance up 55%, loyalty enrollments up 29%, and 54,000 app downloads across Q1/April/May. 🇨🇦 First Canada deal: Vancouver airport market, 168 rooms, local operating partner 📈 Zack says Red Roof beat the economy-segment forecast and grew year over year through Q1, April, and May ⭐ Quality scores climbed about 2 points year over year, plus...
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Bar Profit Leaks: The 2 Quick Tests Owners Can Run Tonight
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7.2 seconds behind the bar can cost about $1.1M a year. That’s how Tobin Ellis, a 30-year bar industry veteran, thinks about bar design: eliminate problems before they happen, then let the team sell more with fewer steps. 👀 Quick test: nonstop walking behind the bar kills selling time and guest connection 🍸 Quick test: “order → disappear → return” kills second rounds 📏 Tobin builds “Zero Step” stations so bartenders stop running laps ⏱️ Tobin measured 7.2 seconds of waste per bartender and tied it to about $1.1M/year on one rooftop bar 🏨 Use the timing:...
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Most Hotel Websites Don’t Use Video—That’s Why Guests Bounce
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One frustrating thing about hospitality: guests want to research rooms visually, but most hotel websites don’t include video. When hotels force guests to imagine a room, they simply move on. So I talked with Jason Craparo, CEO of hovr, and Ethan Wiseman, VP of Product Management at aven hospitality, about what hotels can do right now to fix that disconnect. 🎥 Audit your site: count how many videos you actually show per room type, view, and suite category 📱 Build a “video path” that matches how guests shop: room → view → bathroom → balcony → public spaces ⚡ Add video...
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FNA 210: The Poland Adjustment
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We’re back in the Hotel Pet Peeves bracket… but first, we nearly lose the plot over Glenn’s “Haussman Resort Pool Club Smokehouse & Dispensary Brewery” (still a working title). Friday Night Audit brings Craig Sullivan, Dr. Producer Suzanne Bagnera, and our guest Elyse Poland (“Bucket Hat”) back for the Infuri-Eight—plus the usual friendly violence. 🍻 Pet Peeves tournament returns 🛠️ Glenn’s studio remodel enters year 3 of the “3–5 years left” plan 😇 Craig ships Glenn a giant happy-face package so we can finally call him Mr. Sunshine 🎭 Southern Lodging...
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Vacation Ownership Loyalty vs Hotel Loyalty: What's Different
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During the recently held ARDA Spring Conference, I met Scott Weisz, EVP Strategic Business Operations at Marriott Vacations Worldwide, and we got into loyalty—because it doesn’t work the same way in vacation ownership as it does in hotels. We talk about what actually keeps owners coming back: the booking journey, real service on-property, and experiences that match how younger travelers want to travel now. 📅 Loyalty starts before arrival: make booking easy and help owners match the right trip to what they own 🤝 Service builds loyalty: deliver consistent hospitality across the whole...
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Hotel Development 2026: Where New Builds Still Win
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Our friend Bruce Ford, SVP at Lodging Econometrics, joined me right after Lodging Econometrics released its Global Hotel Pipeline report—and it comes with a few surprises and some “pay attention to this” moments for owners, operators, brands, and suppliers. We walk through what the report shows across new construction, renovations, and conversions—and how the mix shifts depending on where you look. 🌍 Bruce breaks down where new builds keep accelerating and where renovations/conversions take the lead 🇨🇳 China stays on a different scale for rooms under construction 🕋 Mecca...
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Skytouch PMS Adds AI Tools for Front Desk and Ops
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Skytouch ships AI tools. The tools help associates move faster, feel more confident, and stay engaged on shift. Hotels keep more good people, and guests feel the difference. I talked with Charlie Green at Skytouch Technology about what the AI handles now and what the roadmap adds next. 🤖 AI answers front desk questions fast: “How do I change rooms?” “Where do I find X?” 🧠 AI adds context. New associates learn priorities, not just clicks. ⚡ Skytouch expands AI beyond Q&A. The roadmap adds task execution and reduces busywork. 📈 Better support raises productivity and...
info_outlineAt NYU IHIF, I talked with Zack Gharib, President of Red Roof, because the brand made three moves worth watching at the same time: entered Canada, pushed tech growth, and rebuilt the website around AI search.
Then the numbers back it up: app performance up 55%, loyalty enrollments up 29%, and 54,000 app downloads across Q1/April/May.
🇨🇦 First Canada deal: Vancouver airport market, 168 rooms, local operating partner
📈 Zack says Red Roof beat the economy-segment forecast and grew year over year through Q1, April, and May
⭐ Quality scores climbed about 2 points year over year, plus stronger social and mystery scores
📱 Tech momentum: 55% app performance lift, 29% loyalty enrollment lift, 54,000 downloads across Q1/April/May
🧠 Next push: AI-driven website strategy focused on findability and direct bookings
🚗 Summer read: strong interstate and suburban pace as families choose drive-to travel, pacing double digits over last year
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