editor’s/publisher’s note

We hope your 2021 is off to a good start, and that you’re healthy, happy and hopeful—and heading towards recovery from a year for the history books. On that note, make sure to check out our cover story, which starts on page 14: “Industry Outlook 2021.” Hotel Business consults with leading stats companies—CBRE Hotels’ Americas Research, Lodging Econometrics, Kalibri Labs and HotStats—and industry leader Chip Rogers, president/CEO, AHLA—to report on hotel industry forecasts and what this all means for travel and tourism. As a bonus, Hotel Business will be taking this discussion live on Feb. 16 as the headliner for its Hot Topics virtual series. If you haven’t registered for it yet, make sure not to miss out. Go to hotelbusiness.com/hot-topics to sign up for the session.

New years always bring new beginnings. And that’s true for Hotel Business and sister brand InspireDesign, too. We’re sure you’ve read the news, but in case you missed it—and to clarify a little further—it’s worth repeating here: Hotel Business and InspireDesign have been acquired by Rubelmann Capital, operating under Hospitality Publishing Company LLC for this venture. Our new owners recognized we are the leading voices in the hotel, leisure and travel sectors, covering trends and innovation across the hospitality industry, and that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we enter this period of extraordinary change, we’re perfectly positioned to continue being the go-to news, information and insights platform for the entire industry. Yes, 2021 will be a transformative year for sure, and we will be right there with you as the vaccinations continue to roll out, as leisure—and, ultimately, business—travel comes back (and it will!), and as the hotel industry rebounds from unfathomable challenges.

Rubelmann Capital is a private investment firm with a track record of backing businesses where it can partner with strong management teams to drive long-term growth. The firm’s founder, Peter Rappaport, previously owned and operated Backstage.com, a leading trade media platform for actors and performers. The new owners believe in our future growth strategy and are committed to investing in our existing and new content platforms and partner engagement initiatives to continue to drive our ability to engage all sectors of the hospitality industry—from industry titans to independent operators, service providers to the big banks and lenders.

We’re delighted to welcome Armin Molavi to our team. He has joined the company as the new CEO, and brings decades of experience in the marketing and hospitality industries. As VP of global media strategy and execution at Hilton, Armin led the ongoing transformation of Hilton’s media team and worked with partners across the globe to build out the company’s media center of excellence. We’re excited to collaborate with him to grow all platforms—print, digital, social and face-to-face.

That being said, Allen and I will continue to lead the business development, operations, content strategy and creative direction of the media brands, along with our dedicated and unparalleled editorial and sales teams. The Hotel Business and InspireDesign family is still together—and we’re looking forward to continued collaboration with our extended family…you!

This is truly an exciting moment for us and a testament to the strength of the company and media platform we have built. We will be working closely with Rubelmann Capital and Armin so we can continue to be the number-one publication and media partner covering the hospitality industry at this critical time. And, equally, we look forward to continuing to work with you as a valued partner.

Please let us know how we can help your businesses recover, grow and thrive. We can’t underscore this enough: We’re in this together. And together, we’re stronger.