Posts by Sarah McCay Tams
A Hospitality Journey: Ditching Wall Street for Warm Welcomes
Charles Oswald is CEO of Aperture Hotels, but his career nearly took a different turn. While working for Hyatt in college, he had his sights set on Wall Street. That was until a friend pointed out how great he had it working in hotels. Now, he’s passing his love of hospitality onto the next generation,…
Read MoreActabl Launches Integration Connecting ProfitSword Budgets with Hotel Effectiveness to Streamline Hotel Portfolio Labor Planning
Atlanta, GA — March 24, 2026 – Actabl, the leading hospitality software company dedicated to empowering hotels with actionable insights to drive profit, today announced a new integration that seamlessly connects ProfitSword labor budgets with labor plans in Hotel Effectiveness. Coming at a time when operators face increasing pressure to control labor costs amid rising…
Read MoreHotel Labor Costs Jump 12.8% in 2025, Squeezing GOP Margins
Labor remains the defining variable in hotel profitability. The latest HotelData.com by Actabl report shows a clear pattern in 2025: wage-driven cost pressure accelerated, productivity improved in pockets, and margin outcomes depended on how precisely operators aligned labor to demand. The headline figure tells the story. In Q4 2025, Wages Cost per Occupied Room (CPOR)…
Read MoreActabl Introduces Digital Itineraries to Deliver More Seamless, Sustainable Guest Experiences
New Alice feature replaces static PDFs with interactive, real-time itineraries guests can access from any device. Atlanta, GA – March 3rd, 2026 – Actabl, a leading hospitality software company focused on helping hotels operate more efficiently and deliver consistent guest experiences, today announced the addition of Digital Itineraries within its Alice hotel operations platform. Digital…
Read MoreProfit Protection in a Slower Market: What Q4 2025 Data Reveals About Hotel Margins
Hotel profitability tightened in the final quarter of 2025. According to the latest HotelData.com report, Q4 2025: The Profit Squeeze That Followed Peak Season, the industry shifted from holding rate to protecting margin as demand softened and revenue growth slowed. While ADR declined modestly and RevPAR fell more sharply in Q4, the deeper story sits…
Read MoreHotel Forecasting: How to Win In 2026
Want to unlock the secrets to success in hotel operations in 2026? We asked a hotel data scientist, financial coach, and hotel visionary how to win in 2026 on our latest thought leadership webinar on hotel forecasting and portfolio reporting, which took place on February 5, 2026. We wanted to help our webinar participants learn…
Read MoreHow Hotels Can Streamline Labor Planning Across Finance and Operations
When labor budgets and labor plans live in separate systems, hotel teams lose time, accuracy, and alignment. When budgets are built in one system and labor standards in another, on-property teams end up working from incomplete or inconsistent information. The result is a fragmented labor story unable to scale across a multi-property portfolio. Connecting Workflows…
Read MoreUnderstanding How Hotels Adapted To The Labor Challenges of 2025
Hotel leaders found themselves caught between revenue reductions and cost challenges in 2025, with both putting pressure on profit. Rising wage levels, higher headcounts, increased overtime, and pressure to improve productivity per occupied room all tested hotel operators. Entering 2026, many of these challenges look set to follow hotel leaders into the new year. We…
Read MoreA Hospitality Journey: Eric McCarthy-Zink on Disney Lessons, Leadership, and Scaling With Purpose
From washing dishes at his local Chinese restaurant to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a global hospitality company, Eric McCarthy-Zink’s career is a shining example of the opportunities that can come from a career in hospitality. He caught up with Josiah Mackenzie, VP of Marketing at Actabl, to talk about his career path, how Disney’s…
Read MoreHow Hotels Used Labor Efficiency to Protect Margins in 2025
The 2025 Labor Costs and Trends Report from HotelData.com by Actabl examines how hotels navigated labor costs during the first nine months of the year. It reveals a year shaped by clear labor realities: wages remained high, forecasting accuracy mattered more than ever, and operators leaned on efficiency over headcount cuts. The data covers 5,000…
Read MoreHow Hotel Labor Management Will Evolve in 2026
Labor will remain the largest and most complex cost for hotels in 2026. Rising wages, ongoing staffing shortages, and demand for flexible scheduling place pressure on operators to manage teams more accurately and with less administrative work. The next wave of labor management technology will give hoteliers stronger control over costs, better insight into workforce…
Read MoreThe Future of Hotel Business Intelligence: 4 Key Shifts to Watch in 2026
Hotel operators will enter 2026 with sharper expectations around data, speed, and system alignment. Business intelligence has moved from a supportive function to a core requirement for commercial and operational performance. Fragmented systems, shifting demand, and leaner staffing models create pressure for clearer, faster insight across every property. The hotels that invest in connected intelligence…
Read MoreA Hospitality Journey: How Hospitality America’s CEO Ben Campbell Makes Work a Team Sport
In hospitality, growth is never just about adding more properties—it’s about building a culture that attracts talent, inspires teams, and supports exceptional guest experiences. Few leaders embody this balance as clearly as Ben Campbell, CEO of Hospitality America. In this conversation with Josiah Mackenzie, VP of Marketing at Actabl, Ben shares his journey from college…
Read MoreQ3 2025 Hotel Profitability: Margins Hold as Costs Rise
U.S. hoteliers demonstrated once again the growing complexity in managing the delicate balance between revenue growth and cost control, as revealed by the latest HotelData.com’s Q3 2025 Hotel Profitability Report. Based on performance insights from thousands of hotels using Actabl, the report shows that while top-line performance softened in some markets, profit margins remained resilient,…
Read MoreUnderstanding The Hotel KPIs That Drive Profit, Efficiency, and Guest Experience
Hotel industry leaders rely on clear, accurate data to guide decisions that shape profitability and guest satisfaction. Understanding and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) helps hotel operators measure success, forecast effectively, and make confident decisions that drive performance. Whether you are new to hospitality or a seasoned professional, it’s easy to get lost in the…
Read MoreA Hospitality Journey: How Frank Morris Built a Career on Pizza, People, and Profitability
With nearly three decades in hospitality, Frank Morris has built a career grounded in growth, mentorship, and a love for the industry’s people-first culture. Today, as Regional Manager at Raymond Management Company, Frank oversees nine hotel properties while supporting profitability initiatives and guiding teams through daily challenges. In this conversation with Actabl’s Head of Editorial,…
Read MoreHow Hospitality America Streamlined Operations and Strengthened Culture with Actabl
Case Study How Hospitality America Streamlined Operations and Strengthened Culture with Actabl Key results included increased efficiency, improved preventative maintenance oversight, and stronger employee engagement across 20 hotels. DOWNLOAD CASE STUDY Why It Matters Hotel operators face mounting pressure from labor shortages, rising costs, and shifting guest expectations. Hospitality America, a management company operating 20…
Read MoreDestination AI Summit 2025: A Turning Point for Hospitality
By Drew Potter, Account Executive at Actabl The Destination AI Hospitality Summit brought together hoteliers, technology leaders, and innovators to discuss the future of artificial intelligence in our industry. The energy was unmistakable: AI is no longer an abstract possibility. It is here, shaping how we engage with guests, optimize operations, and compete in a…
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