The Best Hotel & Hospitality Investing Podcasts
When it comes to building wealth through commercial real estate, hotel and hospitality investing represents one of the most dynamic and potentially lucrative asset classes available today. Unlike traditional multifamily or office properties, hospitality investments offer unique cash flow opportunities, tax advantages, and the ability to capitalize on travel and tourism trends. But navigating this specialized sector requires insider knowledge, proven strategies, and mentorship from those who’ve successfully built hotel portfolios.
That’s where podcasts come in. The right podcast can accelerate your learning curve, connect you with industry experts, and provide actionable insights you can implement immediately. Whether you’re considering your first boutique hotel acquisition, exploring conversion opportunities from traditional real estate, or looking to scale an existing hospitality portfolio, listening to the best hotel and hospitality investing podcasts is one of the smartest investments of your time.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the top hotel and hospitality investing podcasts that every real estate investor should have in their rotation. We’ve analyzed hundreds of episodes, evaluated host expertise, assessed guest quality, and measured listener engagement to bring you this definitive list of the best podcasts for learning how to profit from hotel and hospitality real estate.
What Makes a Great Hotel & Hospitality Investing Podcast?
Before diving into our top picks, it’s important to understand what separates exceptional hospitality investing podcasts from the rest. Here are the key criteria we used to evaluate each show:
Expert Host Background
The best hotel investing podcasts are hosted by individuals with real, verifiable experience in hospitality real estate. Look for hosts who have personally acquired, operated, and exited hotel properties. They should understand both the operational complexities of running hospitality businesses and the financial mechanics of real estate investing.
Quality of Guest Expertise
Top-tier podcasts consistently feature guests who are active in the hospitality space—whether they’re boutique hotel operators, commercial real estate syndicators specializing in lodging, hospitality lenders, or developers who’ve successfully converted properties into experiential lodging.
Actionable Content & Deal Analysis
The most valuable podcasts go beyond surface-level discussion. They dive into actual deal structures, underwriting specifics, operational challenges, and financial metrics that matter in hotel investing. Listeners should walk away with frameworks they can apply to their own investment analysis.
Production Quality & Consistency
Professional audio quality, consistent publishing schedules, and well-structured episodes demonstrate a commitment to delivering value to the audience. The best podcasts treat their content as seriously as they treat their investments.
Community & Resources
Leading podcasts often provide additional resources, show notes with links to mentioned tools and strategies, and foster communities where listeners can connect and collaborate.
The Top 10 Hotel & Hospitality Investing Podcasts
1. The Hotel Investor Playbook
Hosts: Michael Russell & Nathan St Cyr
Best For: Boutique hotel investors and those looking to transition from traditional real estate to hospitality properties
The Hotel Investor Playbook is rapidly becoming the go-to resource for real estate investors who want to break into hotel investing. Hosted by Michael Russell and Nathan St Cyr, founders of Malama Capital and Howzit Hostels, this podcast offers an insider’s perspective on owning and operating boutique hotels, hostels, and experiential lodging properties.
What sets this podcast apart is the hosts’ impressive track record—they control over $30 million in real estate investments across multiple asset classes, giving them a comprehensive understanding of how hospitality investments fit within a diversified portfolio. Each episode delivers tactical advice on property identification, underwriting hotel deals, managing operations, and navigating the unique financial complexities of boutique hotel ownership.
Recent episodes have covered topics like AI integration in small independent hotels, creative financing strategies for seasonal properties, and how to turn boutique hotels into value-add opportunities. The hosts document their journey toward building a $400 million real estate-based business, providing listeners with real-time insights into their decision-making process.
Why Listen: If you’re serious about making the transition from traditional rental properties to boutique hotels, this podcast provides the exact roadmap you need. The hosts share not just their wins but also their challenges, making the content both aspirational and practical.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
2. Real Estate Investing for Cash Flow with Kevin Bupp
Host: Kevin Bupp
Best For: Commercial real estate investors interested in multifamily, hotels, self-storage, and mobile home parks
While not exclusively focused on hospitality, Kevin Bupp’s Real Estate Investing for Cash Flow regularly features episodes dedicated to hotel investing and has become an essential resource for commercial real estate investors. Kevin has built his reputation on teaching investors how to generate substantial cash flow through commercial properties, and his hospitality-focused episodes are packed with value.
The podcast features interviews with successful hotel investors, property managers, and industry experts who share their experiences with acquisitions, operations, and exits. Recent episodes have explored topics like converting boutique hotels from traditional hotels to experiential lodging brands, repositioning distressed hotel assets, and maximizing returns in the short-term rental market.
Kevin’s approach emphasizes systematic wealth-building through cash-flowing commercial assets, making this podcast ideal for investors who want to understand how hotels fit within a broader commercial real estate strategy. With hundreds of episodes in the archive, there’s an extensive back catalog of hospitality-focused content to explore.
Why Listen: Kevin’s straightforward teaching style and focus on cash flow metrics make complex hotel investing concepts accessible to investors at any level. His guests are always vetted professionals with real operating experience.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
3. The Real Estate Investing Club
Host: Gabe Petersen
Best For: Real estate investors seeking diverse strategies across all commercial asset classes including hotels
The Real Estate Investing Club podcast, hosted by Gabe Petersen, is quickly establishing itself as one of the most comprehensive real estate investing podcasts available today. With over 500 episodes featuring investors across every asset class, this show regularly covers hotel and hospitality investing topics alongside multifamily, self-storage, mobile home parks, and mixed-use industrial properties.
What makes this podcast particularly valuable for hospitality investors is Gabe’s commitment to featuring active, boots-on-the-ground real estate professionals who share real deal numbers, actual strategies, and proven systems. Gabe himself owns and operates Kaizen Properties, giving him firsthand experience in commercial real estate investing.
The podcast’s strength lies in its comprehensive approach—listeners gain insights not just into hotel investing but also learn how hospitality properties compare to other commercial asset classes in terms of returns, risk profiles, and operational complexity. Episodes feature discussions on creative financing, deal structuring, property management, and scaling strategies that apply across all real estate investments.
Recent episodes have covered topics ranging from boutique hotel conversions to short-term rental regulations, travel industry trends affecting hotel performance, and strategies for finding and analyzing hospitality deals. The show’s community on Skool provides additional resources and networking opportunities for listeners looking to implement what they learn.
Why Listen: This podcast is ideal for investors who want to explore hotel investing while maintaining a diversified commercial real estate portfolio. The variety of guests and topics provides context for how hospitality investments stack up against other asset classes.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
4. America’s Commercial Real Estate Show
Host: Michael Bull
Best For: Institutional investors and those interested in larger-scale hotel acquisitions
America’s Commercial Real Estate Show provides institutional-level insights into the commercial real estate market, with a dedicated focus on hospitality sector analysis. Hosted by Michael Bull, CCIM, this show features conversations with presidents of major hospitality investment groups, hotel REITs, and commercial real estate research firms.
The podcast regularly covers hospitality sector health, cycle positioning, financing trends, and market performance data that serious hotel investors need to make informed decisions. Guests have included executives from Peachtree Hotel Group, Lodging Analytics Research and Consulting (LARC), and major commercial real estate valuation firms.
What distinguishes this podcast is its macro-level analysis combined with actionable insights for hotel investors. Episodes cover topics like cap rate trends in hospitality, new supply pipeline analysis, lender sentiment toward hotel deals, and strategies for identifying distressed hotel opportunities.
Why Listen: If you’re looking to understand the bigger picture of how economic trends, lending conditions, and market cycles affect hotel investing, this podcast delivers institutional-quality analysis in an accessible format.
Listen on: Website
5. Hospitality Daily
Host: Josiah Mackenzie
Best For: Daily insights on hospitality operations, guest experience, and industry trends
While Hospitality Daily focuses more on operations than pure investment strategy, it has become the #1 hospitality podcast globally for good reason. Host Josiah Mackenzie shares one new idea each day that hospitality professionals can use to improve their operations, enhance guest experiences, and increase profitability.
For hotel investors, this podcast is invaluable for understanding what separates successful hospitality operations from mediocre ones. You’ll gain insights into service excellence, revenue management strategies, technology implementations, and industry innovations that can significantly impact property values and cash flow.
The show features interviews with hotel executives, boutique hotel operators, hospitality consultants, and industry innovators. Recent episodes have explored topics like AI integration in hotels, luxury hospitality service standards, creating exceptional guest experiences, and building strong hospitality teams.
Why Listen: Successful hotel investing isn’t just about acquiring properties—it’s about operating them profitably. This podcast helps investors understand the operational side of hospitality, which is critical for accurate underwriting and value-add strategies.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
6. BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
Host: David Greene & Rob Abasolo
Best For: Real estate investors at all levels, with occasional deep dives into hospitality investing
The BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast is one of the longest-running and most popular real estate investing podcasts, with over 600 episodes covering virtually every investment strategy imaginable. While not exclusively focused on hotels, the show regularly features episodes on boutique hotel investing, short-term rental strategies, and vacation rental properties.
What makes BiggerPockets especially valuable is the depth of their archive and the diversity of guests they bring on. You’ll hear from investors who’ve successfully transitioned from single-family rentals to boutique hotels, developers who’ve converted old buildings into unique lodging experiences, and operators managing profitable hospitality portfolios.
The podcast’s hosts, David Greene and Rob Abasolo, are both successful real estate investors who bring practical, tested strategies to every episode. Their interview style focuses on extracting actionable advice and real numbers from guests, making the content immediately applicable to listeners’ own investing journeys.
Why Listen: If you’re newer to real estate investing and want to understand how hospitality properties fit within the broader real estate ecosystem, BiggerPockets provides excellent foundational knowledge alongside more advanced strategies.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
7. The Proven Principles Hospitality Podcast
Host: Various
Best For: Understanding hospitality operations, technology, and guest experience optimization
The Proven Principles Hospitality Podcast delivers 116+ episodes focused on the operational and technological aspects of running successful hospitality businesses. While it leans toward operations rather than acquisitions, this knowledge is crucial for hotel investors who need to understand what drives occupancy rates, average daily rates (ADR), and overall property performance.
The podcast features interviews with hospitality technology providers, hotel operators, short-term rental developers, and industry innovators. Episodes cover topics like automation in hospitality, labor management, revenue management systems, and the evolving guest experience in the digital age.
For investors, understanding these operational nuances is essential for accurate underwriting and identifying value-add opportunities. If you can implement better systems and technologies than the current owner, you may be able to unlock significant value in an acquisition.
Why Listen: Hotel investing success depends on operational excellence. This podcast helps investors understand the systems, technology, and processes that drive profitability in modern hospitality businesses.
Listen on: Website
8. The Deal Ranch
Host: Matt Lutz
Best For: Commercial real estate investors interested in hospitality and REIT-level investments
The Deal Ranch is a bi-weekly podcast showcasing interviews with successful real estate investors and executives in the hospitality space. Recent guests have included executives from VICI Properties Inc. (the largest real estate owner on the Las Vegas Strip) and leaders from major regional economic development corporations focused on hospitality development.
The podcast provides insights into larger-scale hotel investments, REIT strategies, and commercial real estate trends affecting the hospitality sector. Episodes explore topics like hotel acquisition strategies, regional market analysis, and how institutional investors approach hospitality assets.
Why Listen: If you’re interested in understanding how institutional capital flows into hospitality real estate and want to learn strategies from larger-scale operators, The Deal Ranch provides that perspective.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
9. Hospitality Mavericks
Host: Michael Tingsager
Best For: Innovative hospitality strategies and learning from industry disruptors
Hospitality Mavericks features interviews with hospitality industry leaders who have taken unconventional paths to success. Host Michael Tingsager speaks with founders, executives, and experts who are driving innovation in the hospitality space.
Recent episodes have featured leaders from boutique hotel groups, unique lodging concepts, and hospitality entrepreneurs who are redefining what hospitality means in the modern era. The podcast explores innovative business models, marketing strategies, and operational approaches that can give investors an edge in competitive markets.
Why Listen: Innovation and differentiation drive premium pricing and strong occupancy in hospitality. This podcast helps investors understand emerging trends and unique positioning strategies that can maximize returns.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
10. Skift Podcast
Hosts: Rafat Ali & Colin Nagy
Best For: Understanding macro travel and tourism trends affecting hotel demand
The Skift Podcast explores innovation and trends in the travel industry from a media and journalist perspective. As one of the leading travel industry news sources, Skift brings unique insights into consumer behavior, travel patterns, and industry disruptions that directly impact hotel performance.
For hotel investors, understanding these macro trends is essential for market selection, positioning strategies, and long-term hold decisions. The podcast features interviews with travel journalists, hospitality leaders, and industry analysts who provide context on where the hospitality sector is heading.
Why Listen: Successful hotel investing requires understanding not just real estate but also the travel and tourism industry. This podcast provides that broader perspective, helping investors make more informed market and timing decisions.
Listen on: Skift Website | Spotify
Why Hotel & Hospitality Investing Deserves Your Attention
Hotel and hospitality real estate represents a unique intersection of operating business and real estate investment. Unlike traditional buy-and-hold residential rentals, hospitality properties offer several distinct advantages:
Higher Cash Flow Potential
Hotels can generate significantly higher revenue per square foot than traditional residential or office properties. Daily rate structures mean you’re essentially re-leasing the property every single day, allowing you to capture maximum market rent in real-time rather than being locked into annual lease agreements.
Multiple Value-Add Strategies
Hospitality properties offer numerous opportunities to force appreciation through operational improvements, rebranding, repositioning, and physical renovations. Investors who understand both real estate and operations can create substantial value through strategic enhancements.
Experiential Economy Trends
The shift toward experiential spending, the growth of boutique and lifestyle hotels, and the rise of digital nomadism all create tailwinds for well-positioned hospitality investments. Younger generations prioritize experiences over possessions, driving strong demand for unique lodging options.
Diversification Benefits
Adding hospitality properties to a portfolio of traditional multifamily or commercial real estate provides diversification benefits. Hotels have different demand drivers, operating characteristics, and risk profiles that can balance out portfolio exposure.
How to Get Started in Hotel & Hospitality Investing
If you’re ready to explore hotel investing after listening to these podcasts, here are the key steps to get started:
1. Educate Yourself Thoroughly
Start by consuming content from multiple podcasts on this list. Focus on understanding hospitality-specific metrics like RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room), ADR (Average Daily Rate), occupancy rates, and operating expense ratios. Learn the difference between limited-service and full-service hotels, branded versus independent properties, and various lodging formats.
2. Analyze Your Local Market
Research hotel performance in your target markets using STR (Smith Travel Research) data, state tourism board statistics, and local hospitality associations. Understand occupancy trends, rate trends, and new supply coming to market. Visit properties in person to understand quality levels and guest experiences.
3. Build Your Team
Successful hotel investing requires a specialized team including hospitality-specific lenders, hotel operators or management companies, hospitality consultants, and attorneys experienced in hospitality transactions. Start building these relationships early.
4. Start Small or Partner with Experts
Consider starting with a small boutique property, partnering with experienced hotel investors through syndications, or converting an existing property you own to short-term rentals as a stepping stone to full hotel ownership.
5. Underwrite Conservatively
Hotel underwriting requires understanding both real estate and operating business fundamentals. Account for seasonality, economic sensitivity, capital expenditure requirements, and operating complexity. Always stress-test your assumptions.
The Future of Hotel & Hospitality Investing
The hospitality sector is experiencing significant transformation driven by technology, changing traveler preferences, and evolving business models. Several trends are reshaping hotel investing:
Experiential and Lifestyle Brands: Travelers increasingly seek unique, locally-inspired experiences rather than cookie-cutter hotel rooms. Boutique hotels with strong design, F&B concepts, and community spaces are commanding premium rates.
Technology Integration: Contactless check-in, AI-powered guest services, revenue management systems, and operational automation are becoming standard. Investors who understand and implement these technologies can significantly improve margins.
Alternative Lodging Formats: The lines between hotels, vacation rentals, serviced apartments, and coliving spaces are blurring. Hybrid models that combine the best aspects of each format represent emerging opportunities.
Sustainability and Wellness: Eco-conscious design, wellness-focused amenities, and sustainable operations are increasingly important to guests and can command rate premiums while reducing operating costs.
Final Thoughts: Building Your Hotel Investing Knowledge Base
Success in hotel and hospitality investing requires continuous learning, staying current with industry trends, and learning from those who have successfully navigated this specialized sector. The podcasts featured in this guide represent your best opportunity to accelerate your education and avoid costly mistakes.
Start by subscribing to 2-3 podcasts that resonate most with your current investing goals. Listen consistently—make it part of your daily commute, workout routine, or evening wind-down. Take notes on specific strategies, resources, and contacts mentioned. Join the communities and platforms these podcasts recommend. And most importantly, take action on what you learn.
Hotel and hospitality investing isn’t for everyone—it requires more active management and industry knowledge than traditional buy-and-hold real estate. But for investors willing to put in the work to understand this dynamic sector, the rewards can be substantial. These podcasts provide the roadmap; you just need to take the first step.
Additional Hotel & Hospitality Investing Resources
Beyond podcasts, here are additional resources to deepen your hospitality investing knowledge:
Industry Organizations:
- American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA)
- International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA)
- Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA)
- Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA)
Market Data & Research:
- STR (Smith Travel Research) for hotel performance data
- CBRE Hotels Research for market analysis
- HVS for valuation and consulting
- PKF Hospitality Research for forecasting
Educational Programs:
- Cornell School of Hotel Administration courses
- CCIM Institute commercial investment education
- Hospitality-specific MBA programs
Books:
- “Investing in Hotels: A Guide for Investors” by Jan A. deRoos
- “Hotel Asset Management: Principles and Practices” by Paul Beals and Greg Denton
- “The Boutique Hotel Playbook” for small property investors
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