Stephen Hennis has over 25 years of experience in the analysis of lodging real estate investments. Over his career, he has appraised and evaluated over 1,000 lodging facilities, and has been involved in the underwriting, negotiation, acquisition, and disposition of over $1 billion in luxury hotels and resorts.
How I got started in the travel industry

As a youngster, I would make the annual trek along I-95 from New Jersey to Florida with my folks. It wasn’t glamorous travel by any means. The car only had AM radio and no AC (and certainly no iPod, smartphone, or DVD player). Most of the time, I would sit between my mom and dad with a suitcase as my car seat and God as my seat belt. We typically stayed at Days Inns to take advantage of their “Kids Eat Free” deal. Taking the same trip every year never got old. I looked forward to eating fresh corn we’d buy in Delaware; reading all of the South of the Border billboards in the Carolinas; picking up invisible ink books at rest stops; and flipping through the AAA Trip-Tik map all the way to our destination. Howard Johnson’s restaurants were highlights along the way. The “orange roof” with its unique architecture was so alluring. I would enjoy chocolate milk at almost every stop. Pancakes for breakfast, a “Fearless Fido” at lunch, or perhaps a treat in the afternoon (the logoed cookie placed in every ice cream sundae was ingenious).

Background
Prior to establishing Hotelogy, Steve oversaw the successful launch and expansion of STR’s consulting arm. During his tenure at STR, Steve developed several new products, including the Custom Forecast and DataCast reports. Previously, he was Managing Director of Hospitium, a lodging advisory firm specializing in acquisitions and developments of luxury properties. Steve also served as Vice President of Hospitality Investments for Lowe Enterprises and Destination Hotels & Resorts where he worked on acquisitions, dispositions and development projects. Steve managed transactions through the underwriting, negotiation, due diligence and transition process. Steve began his career at HVS where he was Vice President and Director of Research.

Steve is a graduate of the University of Denver’s Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, and also serves on the Executive Advisory Board for the school. He is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and sits on the organization’s executive board. He is an MAI designated member of the Appraisal Institute, and he is a Certified Hotel Administrator and holds a Certificate in Hotel Industry Analytics from the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Steve is a frequent presenter and panelist for lodging organizations, advisory boards, company meetings, convention and visitors bureaus, as well as major industry conferences, including:

• Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS)
• Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS)
• Caribbean Travel Marketplace
• Hospitality Law Conference
• Hotel Data Conference
• Lodging Conference
• Meet the Money
• NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference
• Shared Ownership Investment Conference