Tell Me More: A Hospitality Data Podcast

This is real growth

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:09:45 -0400

Podcast hosts Isaac Collazo from STR, Jan Freitag from CoStar and Stephanie Ricca from CoStar News dive into the data showing rising hotel demand in the U.S. across all chain scales. The hosts also talk group demand trends and the global headwinds affecting travel as the first quarter approaches its close.

Finding the lucky moments in 2026, from the Hunter Conference

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0400

CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo join CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca for a bonus episode recorded at the Hunter Conference in Atlanta on St. Patrick's Day. Collazo shares a preview of positive February hotel performance results, and the co-hosts debate how long the strong K-shaped economy will influence the hotel industry.

Demand is turning the corner

CoStar News Hotels — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Podcast hosts Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar Group join CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca to look at some highlights of 2026 hotel performance so far, namely, some demand green shoots. The group takes an early look at FIFA World Cup hotel performance expectations, and dives into the hotel data around data center construction.

More of the same

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In a conversation at the recent Americas Lodging Investment Summit, STR's Isaac Collazo unpacked the most recent hotel forecast.

We're not nostalgic for 2025

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Podcast hosts Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar Group join CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca to unpack December 2025's surprising hotel performance outcome. Freitag lays out his predictions for 2026, Collazo shares the latest data on hotel conversions and the trio join the #2016 trend, reminiscing about the year Marriott International bought Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and the US. enjoyed 3.2% revenue per available room growth. Referenced in this episode: Five expectations for the US hotel industry in 2026

No rain, no flowers

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Tell Me More: A Hospitality Data Podcast hosts Jan Freitag and Isaac Collazo wrap up 2025 with an analysis of their hits and misses when it comes to industry predictions. They talk about why cities and markets outside the U.S. were this year's real winners, and they give some early insight into what hoteliers might expect from next year's World Cup.

A decent month, all things considered

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500

There's always a story behind monthly U.S. hotel performance data and October was a perfect example of that, according to podcast hosts Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar Group. Learn why the data show that the U.S. government shutdown really had no meaningful impact on hotel performance. And they unpack what sets ultra-luxury hotels apart from their luxury counterparts and why that matters so much. In this episode, Freitag refers to the CoStar News article A tale of two hotel segments: Luxury vs. ultra-luxury.

Unpacking 2026's top travel trends and destinations

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 08:13:55 -0400

This month, special guest Brandon Ehrhardt from Expedia Group returns to Tell Me More to chat with STR's Isaac Collazo and CoStar's Jan Freitag about the travel giant's Unpack '26 report that explores the most intriguing travel trends for next year. Plus, Collazo and Freitag share September 2025 hotel performance highlights.

Find the Expedia Group Unpack '26 report here: https://partner.expediagroup.com/en-us/resources/research-insights/unpack-26-travel-trends

'Recessionary' is a tough word

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Buckle up, listeners: Podcast hosts Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar Group take a deep dive this episode into average daily rate. They unpack the percentage of US submarkets losing ADR and the number of hotels losing ADR to debate whether the US is sliding into a lodging recession.

Stuttering along

CoStar News Hotels — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400

July hotel performance in the U.S. continued a downward trajectory, but hosts Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar Group talked about some regional bright spots -- namely Canada and a handful of U.S. markets. Collazo and Freitag warn listeners to get ready for day-of-week and holiday shifts coming up in September and October that will affect big-picture hotel performance numbers.

Live from the 2025 Hotel Data Conference

CoStar News Hotels — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this special episode of Tell Me More: A Hospitality Data Podcast, hosts Stephanie Ricca, Jan Freitag and Isaac Collazo record live at the Hotel Data Conference in Nashville. This episode incorporates Q&A conversations with the audience, featuring AirDNA's Jamie Lane, Highgate Hotels' Ankur Randev and Sonesta International Hotels' Garine Ferejian-Mayo.

This special episode is sponsored by Expedia Group.

'Hope' is not a strategy

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Summer hotel performance in the U.S. has been underwhelming so far, thanks to low demand, still-high inflation and general leisure travel weakness. Tell Me More podcast hosts Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar get listeners prepared for a similarly lackluster fall. Mentioned in this episode is a Politico article published on July 15, 2025, titled Event Planners Are Cancelling on Trump-Era Washington. Is This a Sign of Things to Come?

Going down a rabbit hole

CoStar News Hotels — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

U.S. hotel performance in May was decidedly lackluster, but Tell Me More podcast hosts Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar point out some bright spots, like notable recent hotel transactions and the team's recent gold medal for best podcast at the National Association of Real Estate Reporters' annual conference. This episode also refers to this recent CoStar News Hotels podcast about summer travel trends with Deloitte's Maggie Rauch.

Special Episode: Unpacking the June Updated Forecast

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

In this special episode recorded on June 2, 2025, at the NYU IHIF conference in New York City, STR's Isaac Collazo and CoStar's Jan Freitag join CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca to talk about the latest U.S. hotel industry forecast revision from CoStar Group and Tourism Economics. Collazo and Freitag debate what might spur positive or negative deviations from this latest forecast as the rest of the year plays out, including changes in demand, consumer confidence and more. Visit www.costar.com/hotelnews.

Candy store

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 27 May 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Tell Me More podcast hosts Isaac Collazo, Jan Freitag and Stephanie Ricca look at how current news headlines are (or are not) reflected in the data. Collazo shares April hotel performance data highlights around the world, and Freitag unpacks the current hotel pipeline.

Don't say the "U" word

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Tell Me More podcast hosts Isaac Collazo, Jan Freitag and Stephanie Ricca try to get through an entire episode without saying the word "uncertainty." Collazo shares March and full first-quarter hotel performance data highlights around the world, and the two debate the influence airline performance has on the hotel industry, as well as whether or not consumer confidence can hold.

Listen to Ringo Starr

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Recording live from the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, Tell Me More podcast hosts Isaac Collazo, Jan Freitag and Stephanie Ricca discuss some new ways STR is unpacking hotel industry performance at a micro-market level, their impressions of the current macroeconomic environment and why there's always reason for hope.

Let's pretend it's sunny and warm

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 06:00:00 -0500

January 2025 posted high revenue per available room growth, but sometimes the numbers are not what they seem. Tell Me More podcast hosts Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar unpack the anomalies that made January's number look high, they talk about small movements in the hotel pipeline and they discuss the percentage of hotels around the world that have recovered 2019 occupancy levels.

Look up at 2025

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Tell Me More: A Hospitality Data Podcast returns in 2025 with a look at recent changes that are having an impact on hotels, like natural disasters and a new U.S. administration. Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca for more in-depth looks at 2024 in review and what to expect as 2025 begins. Mentioned in this episode: 'More peeks of sun' in 2025 hotel industry outlook. And visit Spotify for a bonus playlist of all the songs Collazo, Freitag and Ricca mention on the podcast from 2024 through now.

Bonus episode: Still cloudy, but with more peeks of sun

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca for this special bonus episode to make some predictions for hotel performance in 2025. Collazo and Freitag highlight key performance indicators to watch in the new year with renewed optimism. Mentioned in this episode: The skies will clear for hoteliers in 2024

A weird but good month

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0500

November 2024 was "a weird but good month" for hotels around the world, according to Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar. They join host Stephanie Ricca for the final episode of 2024 to talk about November hotel performance, which was influenced by the U.S. presidential election and a shorter period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Collazo shares new data analysis on hotel conversions, and Freitag anticipates some changes a new administration may bring. Mentioned in this episode: An early look at how Trump administration may affect US hotel industry. And visit Spotify for a bonus playlist of all the songs Collazo, Freitag and Ricca mentioned on this year's podcast episodes.

Anticipation

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0500

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca to unpack October U.S. hotel performance highlights, talking in detail about demand and revenue per available room trends that indicate leisure travel continuing to normalize. The hosts take a deep dive into what the forthcoming holiday season will look like, with Christmas and New Year's Day both falling on Wednesday.

Unpacking 2025 trends with Expedia Group

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 07:00:00 -0400

This month, Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar welcome special guest Brandon Ehrhardt from Expedia Group to chat about the travel giant's Unpack '25 report forecasting 2025's most intriguing travel trends. Plus, Collazo and Freitag share September 2024 hotel performance highlights.

Find the Expedia Group Unpack '25 report here: https://www.expedia.com/unpack-travel-trends/

Positive is a Positive

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0400

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca to discuss the U.S. hotel industry's turnaround in August, which signals the end of a summer that ended up having the third-highest room demand since STR began tracking data. The analysts share their predictions of what impact the U.S. interest-rate cut will have on hotel deals and the hotel pipeline. The discussion concludes with a look at the ever-expanding number of hotels around the world charging $1,000 per night or more.

Give Back the Medal

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0400

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca from HNN to unpack July's surprising revenue per available room drop into negative territory. Amid the choppiness of recent performance and continuing bifurcation between low-end and high-end hotels, Collazo and Freitag reassure listeners that group travel continues to regain ground, and August is shaping up well. Lack of new hotel supply continues to keep Collazo and Freitag optimistic, and weekend rates in the top 25 markets are another bright spot.

Live From the Hotel Data Conference

CoStar News Hotels — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0400

It's a first for the Tell Me More team as they record this special episode in front of a live audience at the Hotel Data Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo bring special guest Alex Cisneros, chief commercial officer of Mint House, on stage at the annual conference to talk about the latest trends in what guests really want when they travel, plus some color on the latest STR and Tourism Economics U.S. forecast revision.

This special live episodes is sponsored by Expedia Group.

Finding the Saving Grace

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0400

While hotel industry performance continues to improve at least marginally, CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo dive into what's keeping things from being worse than they current are, why the current environment is more stable than it feels and what the hotel industry has in common with the Summer Olympics in Paris.

Dog Days

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:31:14 -0400

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca to talk about U.S. hotel performance in May, and how inflation continues to factor in to otherwise good performance gains. International travel trends take the discussion spotlight, and Collazo and Freitag discuss San Francisco's continued recovery trajectory.

Special Episode: A Look at the Latest Forecast

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 10:03:22 -0400

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca for this special episode from the 2024 NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference to unpack STR and Tourism Economics' latest U.S. hotel industry forecast.

Hold on Tight

CoStar News Hotels — Wed, 29 May 2024 07:00:00 -0400

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca to talk about April's U.S. hotel performance, and the highs and lows by chain scales year to date. Extended-stay hotels take the discussion spotlight, and Collazo and Freitag debate the possibilities of stagnation.

We Are Very Much Alive

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0400

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca to unpack the effects this year's Easter holiday shift had on March and first quarter hotel performance. They talk about Top 25 market performance, particularly what's happening in New York City. They end the conversation with some indicators that hotel transactions are picking up.

Smooth Jazz and Bubbling Volcanoes

CoStar News Hotels — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0400

Tell Me More podcasters Isaac Collazo from STR and Jan Freitag from CoStar join host Stephanie Ricca at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference in Atlanta to unpack the latest numbers. Hot topics include evidence of a growing bifurcation between traveler groups, how much impact Las Vegas really does have on U.S. performance overall and Collazo and Freitag's takeaways from the investment conference.

Biggest and Best

CoStar News Hotels — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:05:59 -0500

CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo share data and anecdotes about Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, as well as other highlights from February hotel performance in the U.S. They unpack the latest round of public company earnings calls, share insight into transaction trends and offer their take on 2024's upcoming spring break season.

Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0500

This episode was recorded at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles. CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo share what they heard around the show and unpack the latest CoStar/Tourism Economics forecast. They also touch on trends that will shape the coming year and more.

Bonus Episode: Clearing Skies

CoStar News Hotels — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0500

Kick off the new year with CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo as they predict hotel industry trends for 2024 in this bonus episode. What does the U.S. economic picture mean for hotels? Will international inbound travel return? And what wild cards are on the horizon? Freitag and Collazo talk about all that and more.

The New Equilibrium

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 08:30:00 -0500

CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo break down the last two months of 2023 hotel performance, then they share their thoughts on the year in review.

Listener Mailbag: ESG, Surprises in 2023 and More

CoStar News Hotels — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0500

In this bonus episode, CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo answer reader questions that range from sustainability trends in the industry to when U.S. hoteliers can expect to see international inbound travel return. Plus, both answer a surprise question at the end.

New York State of Mind

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0500

CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo talk about how fourth-quarter hotel performance and economic trends in the U.S. have them in agreement that a recession won't happen this year. They also take a closer look at what's driving New York City's high occupancy and rate growth.

Opportunities, Not Problems

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0400

CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo unpack the current state of U.S. hotel classes and what a potential Choice Hotels International/Wyndham Hotels & Resorts combination might look like in hotel data. They cover how business-transient and group travel are picking up, why Top 25 cities are powering performance and where they stand on a recession.

Let AI Be Your Co-Pilot

CoStar News Hotels — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0400

CoStar's Jan Freitag and STR's Isaac Collazo share why there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic as a hotelier despite fears of a looming recession and why they believe artificial intelligence should be your friend, not your foe. Jan also shares one of the many things he has in common with Taylor Swift.

A "Stub-Your-Toe" Recession?

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 08:00:00 -0400

In this episode, recorded on August 11, 2023, Tell Me More's Isaac Collazo and Jan Freitag agree that a recession isn't necessarily in the cards, and even if it's a "stub-your-toe" type of recession that doesn't hurt much, the hotel industry is well-insulated against major disruptors. The discussion also covers Collazo and Freitag's takes on demand shifts at the low and high ends of travel, and what the eventual return of international inbound travel to the U.S. might look like. This episode contains references to sessions at the 2023 Hotel Data Conference. Click here for continuing coverage from that event.

Partly Cloudy Skies Ahead

CoStar News Hotels — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:22:56 -0400

In this episode, recorded July 20, 2023, Tell Me More's Isaac Collazo and Jan Freitag unpack hotel performance in the second quarter of 2023 and talk about how business, group and leisure travel are normalizing. The discussion also covers the latest "will we or won't we?" debate on the potential of a U.S. recession, and more.