Business Commons^™

Expanding Diversity Of Hotel Ownership In The United States, Elijah Brown, Tyler Evans, Jacob Friedman, Teija Jackson, Chloe Landry, Lilli Morita

Directed Experiential Education Final Project

This study seeks to identify challenges and opportunities for expanding the diversity of hotel ownership. A qualitative review of published academic literature, hotel brand and industry-published articles, and other publicly available information, combined with interviews with hotel industry executives and association executives, focuses on diverse segments of hotel ownership and the current state of ownership diversity initiatives and challenges. Preliminary findings reveal challenges in understanding opportunities in hotel ownership, establishing networks of expertise within diverse groups, and raising required equity. Potential opportunities based on preliminary results include creating effective messaging to potential hotel owners, greater franchisor participation in industry trade …