Apr 16, 2026
Public-private hotel deals don’t run on a private equity playbook. Cities use them to create demand and pull outside dollars into the market.
Suzanne Bagnera, PhD, CHA, CED joins me, and we talk with Walter Peseski, Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Garfield Public/Private, about how these projects get financed and why brands matter.
🏛️ Why cities build headquarters
hotels and convention-adjacent product
🏨 Why bondholders and ratings agencies push projects toward branded
hotels
📈 Abilene example: a DoubleTree plus a demand curveball from the
Stargate data center
⏳ The real friction: public timelines, extra stakeholders, and
council calendars
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