Global hotel market standouts from 2025 (with STR's Sarah Duignan)

David Damiba, Kasada Capital Management, on African hotels' leap in sophistication

Kasada Capital Management’s managing director and co-CEO David Damiba joined "The Upgrade" podcast to talk about sophisticated debt, operations, alignment and timelines in the African hotel industry.

Sirius Hotel Group emerges from Resident Hotels to help portfolio expansion

Matt Lederer, director of acquisitions at The Sirius Hotel Group, joins the podcast this month to discuss his company's partnership, and his history with, Marriott International.

Manesh Balani, Orsini SPI, on procurement, logistics and maintaining calm out of Dubai

Manesh Balani, managing director of Dubai-based procurement firm Orsini SPI, joined “The Upgrade: EMEA Hospitality News” podcast to discuss how the U.S.-Iran war forced his company to adapt its strategy for meeting the supply needs of its hotel clients in the region.

Kerten’s Marloes Knippenberg on hotel branding, experiences

On this episode of The Upgrade, Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality, said her and her company’s goal always has been to bring a fresh approach to the hotel and hospitality scene, starting a little more than a decade ago when owners began to want something different from a long list of brand standards. In the podcast with Terence Baker, news editor, EMEA, Knippenberg said that owner sea change more or less came in parallel to new demands of guests for more experiences.

Cervus’ Chris Mumford on labor, C-suite hires in the hotel industry

The world of work is changing, with younger generations likely to have several careers, not just one linear one, said Chris Mumford, managing director at Cervus Leadership Consulting.