In this compelling episode of Hotel Moment, Karen Stephens welcomes Ben Campbell, President and CEO of Hospitality America, for a conversation that spans crisis management, data-driven decision making, and the evolving guest experience landscape.

Ben's journey from night auditor to CEO provides a unique perspective on hospitality operations, having held positions in revenue management, general management, and now leading a 20-hotel portfolio representing $150 million in revenue and 900 employees.

What You'll Learn: 

● Crisis management in action: Ben shares the harrowing story of how his team managed two Asheville hotels during Hurricane Helene, when one property lost water for three weeks and both lost power for extended periods, yet continued serving FEMA workers and displaced residents
● Values-driven leadership: How Hospitality America's P.E.A.C.H. core values (Passionate, Excellence, Adaptable, Community, Humble) guided their disaster response and daily operations
● Data consolidation strategy: Ben's ambitious plan to bring all hotel data in-house, from labor coefficients to revenue management, creating true cost-per-occupied-room visibility down to business segment level
● Technology innovation: Their transition to Microsoft's ecosystem to leverage AI through Copilot, enabling general managers to make faster, data-driven decisions
● Changing guest expectations: How inflation has shifted value perspectives, with guests demanding unique experiences and authentic vibrancy in return for higher ADRs
● Emergency preparedness: Why crisis management now requires both digital solutions and old-fashioned paper binders
● Growth strategy: Their focus on branded boutique properties like Tapestry and Tribute collections for sustainable expansion

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[08:22] Hurricane Helene response in Asheville - Ben details the devastating impact when Hurricane Helene hit their two Asheville properties: "Two feet of water, rain in twenty-four hours, it was unbelievable. One hotel lost power for about a week, the other lost water for about three weeks. How do you stay sanitary without running water inside of a building?" His team's response exemplified their P.E.A.C.H. values, with employees driving laundry loads between properties and serving as shelter for FEMA workers and displaced residents.

[17:27] Data-driven decision making philosophy - Ben emphasizes the importance of empowering frontline leaders: "How are we making quicker decisions where it matters, which is in the general manager seat and the directors of sales seats. At the end of the day, they're the business leaders of our hotels. They're driving that success, and sometimes not success at the properties."

[19:05] Bringing data in-house for true profitability insights - Ben explains their ambitious data consolidation project: "If we're able to take one hotel and benchmarking and say, 'You're an airport hotel, and we're able to run this labor coefficient right now. How do we apply that in other markets?' We get a true CPOR — cost per occupied room — down to the business segment level. That's the ultimate secret to success."

[25:50] Post-COVID guest value shift - Ben addresses changing consumer expectations: "Coming out of COVID, inflation has changed a lot of guests' value perspective — what they're paying for versus what they're getting. Guests are willing to pay up when they feel the value is in return when it comes to great spaces that feel warm, inviting, and vibrant."

00:00 - Intro 
01:41 - Ben's hospitality journey from sports to hotels 
04:40 - Hospitality America overview and P.E.A.C.H. values 
08:22 - Hurricane Helene crisis management in Asheville 
13:04 - Emergency preparedness lessons and paper binders 
17:27 - Technology investments and data consolidation strategy 
19:05 - Building business intelligence for better decisions 
23:15 - Growth plans and branded boutique focus 
25:50 - Changing guest expectations and value perception