The Hospitality Show, now in its second year, will take place at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio from Oct. 28-30. The Show will bring together 5,000 attendees and promises to drive profitability for owners, operators and hospitality innovators through dedicated content, extensive networking and 400+ operations and technology vendors.
In this installment of The Hospitality Show Sponsor Q&A, we catch up with Liz Uber, COO of Extended Stay America.
What do you think is the biggest problem for the industry currently?
Interest rates are perhaps the biggest challenge for our industry at this time. Even though there is anticipation that these rates will be coming back down soon, they are currently much higher than they have been in recent years. This has made financing renovations and new construction more difficult for franchise owners. Many properties that have property improvement plans are delaying renovations as costs for these projects have risen substantially due to higher interest rates and rising wage pressure. This has caused hardships for many franchise owners as they face the challenge of financing many of these projects which are now even more necessary and/or overdue.
What do you see as the biggest opportunities for the industry this year?
Technology continues to drive innovation within the hospitality industry. Understanding how we can continue to leverage technology but still provide the personalized service that is so important to our guests is a massive opportunity. After all, it is the service and connections we make with our guests that truly defines hospitality. There are a variety of products available using newer technology to enhance guest experiences and operational efficiency. Some are guest-facing, such as virtual front desks and cleaning robots, while many are behind-the-scenes innovations that improve the guest experience, including improvements to booking reservations online and through call centers. For each of these technologies, we should carefully analyze what really works from a guest and hospitality perspective, to ensure that we truly are enhancing the product and experience with every new approach. The amount of innovation and opportunity produced by technology companies nowadays is remarkable—and has the potential to make a positive impact on our industry for many years to come.
What do you think the industry's biggest accomplishment has been in the past year?
The biggest accomplishment the industry achieved in the last year is the continued recovery from COVID. As an industry, we have worked hard to ensure guests feel safe and comfortable as many continue to return to vacationing and business travel. When you think back to two short years ago, there was fear in travel, concern with health safety, and in many cases, a discomfort in traveling very far. Over the last few years, guests have gradually resumed their travel to create memories and see new places. Also, with many companies having flexible work-from-home scenarios, the hospitality industry continues to benefit from “bleisure” travel and has more than recovered from pre-pandemic levels in many cases. Additionally, companies are continuing to increase meetings and team-building activities to build back some of the culture that was lost during the pandemic with everyone isolated at home. As an industry, we are stronger than ever and will continue to be a positive driving force in the overall economy.
What are you most looking forward to at The Hospitality Show?
The Hospitality Show is a great opportunity to connect with individuals in the industry. I was lucky to attend last year and connect with colleagues I had not seen in several years, as well as to learn about exciting innovations coming into the hotel space. The show always has great speakers and this year is no different, from Jose Andres on the amazing work he is doing to provide food around the world to Erin Andrews, who I watch every football Sunday and admire how she has become a leader in a male-dominated industry. I’m really looking forward to attending this year!