After 30 years, it’s always refreshing to find and present a new angle on something Hotel Business has been covering for those three decades. This edition is our owners & developers issue-asegment of the industry we cover in every edition of this publication, and across all of our platforms-where we publish the results of our annual survey. Owners and developers are invited and encouraged to go to hotelbusiness.com, fill out the survey and submit it, so that we can collect the data and rank the firms in terms of number of rooms. Turn to page 40 to see the chart.
And while we’ve been producing this in not only a dedicated issue over the years, but again inDecember’s must-have Green Book, for as long as I can remember, the focus of the editorial coverage in this annual issue-while always on the ownership community-is a bit different this year.And a first for Hotel Business. We’re proud to spotlight female entrepreneurs and the ever-evolvingstory of how this industry, its organizations, partners and brands are supporting the endeavor to empower women to own hotels via mentorship programs, business initiatives and, just simply, by sharing their personal stories so that we, at Hotel Business, can share them with the entirehospitality family. Our own Abby Elyssa speaks to some of the leaders, the pioneers and thedisruptors behind the continuing project-and passion-to increase the opportunity and to advance themovement of breaking the barriers in hotel ownership. It’s our cover story, and it begins on page 24.
But, I don’t want this important story to begin and end here-it’s important to continue the narrative,and to keep the topic always in sight, so that it truly trends. While space allows us to only highlight some of the women who own hotels and some of the people who have helped to move that needle,there are more and more stories every day that unfold and should be told-and Hotel Business would like to tell them.
Please continue to help us keep this movement in focus by keeping us informed. You can alwaysemail me at christinat@hotelbusiness.com.
Editor’s note: Thank you, Don, for writing to tell of the passing of Robert M. James (1928-2022) sothat we can share it with our readers.
To the Editor:
Robert M. James, a former member of the U.S. Air Force, was buried at Arlington Cemetery on Aug. 4.
Bob James was the long-time president of MHM Inc., and grew the company to be the largest independent hotel management company in the U.S. in 1986.
James was a graduate of Cornell University (1954) and started his career at Hilton Hotels. He was the COO of HMC prior to joining MHM as the founding president in 1974. James was known for his integrity and was well respected by the many lives he touched. He was dedicated to the hotelindustry and served as the president of the Dallas and Texas Hotel Associations, chairman of AHLA’s Educational Institute and hosted many Cornell events at the James Longhorn ranch in Canton, TX. James retired after serving on the board of Richfield Hotels, the company that acquired MHM in 1986.
Bob James will be remembered as a great husband, father, mentor and one the nicest people in thehotel Industry.
— Don Landry, Top Ten Hospitality Advisors
