Atlanta, GA – December 19, 2024 — Hotel owner, operator, and developer, Hotel Equities (HE), reflects on 2024’s achievements driven by partnerships, industry accolades, guest satisfaction, and employee growth initiatives, and shares optimism for the year ahead. This year, through collaborative goal setting and a commitment to delivering exceptional experiences and results, Hotel Equities continued to elevate its impact on clients, guests, and associates.
"2024 has had its share of challenges. Despite the adversity, through the team’s determination and commitment, it has been a remarkable year with much to celebrate filled with significant wins, new partnerships, and incredible teamwork,” said Brad Rahinsky, President and CEO of Hotel Equities. “While proud of our accomplishments, we’re already looking ahead, ready to push the boundaries and create more value and opportunities for our key stakeholders. The goal is always to keep raising the bar for our team, our partners, and the entire industry."
Growth Across New Markets and Partnerships
First among proud moments this year is HE’s collaboration with Procure Impact & AHLA as they proudly joined forces with 22 fellow hospitality leaders in a collective pledge to dedicate over 100,000 hours of work to support overlooked and underserved populations. The initiative, driven by HE’s people-first culture, focuses on leveraging purchasing power to better the communities they serve.
2024 marked another year of growth for HE with strategic partnerships that expanded its market reach, particularly in the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) region. Through its partnership with Trust Hospitality, HE tapped into new opportunities across CALA, leveraging Trust’s local expertise to elevate hospitality standards in the region. This partnership brought forth the opportunity for HE to be selected to manage the first new hotel development in the USVI in over 30 years, the Hampton by Hilton in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
HE closes the year on a high note with its entry into the outdoor hospitality sector after being chosen to manage Postcard Cabins, a leader in the outdoor hospitality sector and a newly acquired brand under Marriott International. In total for the year, HE signed 66 new deals of which 49 are open and operating assets.
Guest Satisfaction & Performance Results
HE’s most noteworthy recognition may be Marriott’s acknowledgement of Hotel Equities as its Top Performer based on Intent to Recommend scores for three consecutive quarters this year. A monumental nod to the firm’s operations team being hyper focused on over-delivering in terms of service and outperforming the competition.
In recent years, HE has invested heavily in its upper-upscale hotel portfolio, making the most recent recognition— a Top Performing Franchise Management Company in the Premium and Luxury hotel categories— another huge win. The recognition is measured by Marriott's topline activator scores among FMC’s operating 8+ premium and luxury hotels.
Hotels across the HE portfolio exceeded expectations for engaging and recruiting loyalty program sign-ups, setting new benchmarks in 2024. The success highlights a commitment to its brand franchise partners and ability to meet the evolving needs of today’s travelers.
In terms of key performance indicators, HE grew overall Market Share every month in 2024 contributing to an impressive increase in its RevPAR Index (RPI) for the 32nd consecutive month. Demonstrating further financial rigor, HE achieved a forecast accuracy of 0.7% YTD with an exceptional long-term accuracy of 1.1%.
Talent Growth and Development
HE enhanced its employee benefits package with unique offerings, such as early pay options, which have undoubtedly played a key role in maintaining a turnover rate of under 20% across its portfolio. According to the company’s leadership team, keeping turnover significantly lower than the industry average is essential for fostering a supportive culture and providing meaningful career growth opportunities for associates.
HE continued to invest in nurturing talent through its management training programs. HE’s Manager in Training (MIT) program offers recent college graduates a 6–9-month salaried management experience, providing hands-on training across all hotel operations. The MIT program has successfully graduated 8 classes and actively recruits from more than 25 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Complementing this, the Management Development Program (MDP), launched in 2012, is a leadership initiative designed for on-property managers, supervisors, or other hotel associates. MDP focuses on enhancing managerial and leadership skills, culminating in a capstone project presented to senior leaders. They most recently celebrated their 17th MDP class of graduates and are proud to have 25% of HE-managed properties led by MDP alumni, or in key leadership positions.
New to the firm’s curriculum in 2024 is its HERO GM Onboarding program which kicks-off the onboarding process for HE’s newly hired GMs. The program ensures consistency in onboarding and sets new associates up for success with the resources and support they need— from the start.
HE also entered into a partnership with In Good Companylaunching a pilot program designed to provide training for general managers, reevaluate roles for hiring, and expand recruiting efforts in organizations and communities that serve individuals with disabilities. The pilot program involved 6 initial properties and will extend to another 50 properties in 2025.
Looking Ahead
As Hotel Equities prepares for a promising 2025, they remain focused on strategic growth, creating exceptional guest experiences, and ongoing investments in talent. Building on a strong foundation and successful partnerships, the company’s upward trajectory is setting new benchmarks for excellence.
“2024 has been a powerful reminder of the resilience and dedication of our teams. Despite challenges, we achieved significant milestones and objectives throughout the year," said Rahinsky. "As we look ahead to 2025, our confidence and enthusiasm have never been stronger. With an industry-leading team of passionate professionals, our ability to deliver optimal results for our stakeholders is both proven and continuously refined to drive success."
About Hotel Equities
Hotel Equities (HE) is an award-winning full-scale hotel ownership, management, and development firm with a portfolio of approximately 300 hotels, resorts and outdoor hospitality destinations throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Fred Cerrone, CHA, serves as Founder and Chairman; Brad Rahinsky serves as President and CEO. For more information on Hotel Equities, visit hotelequities.com.
