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The Hotel Investor Playbook
Welcome to The Hotel Investor Playbook, hosted by real estate investor and hospitality operator Michael Russell. Michael is the co-founder of Malama Capital and Howzit Hostels, and has built a personal real estate portfolio exceeding $20 million.
With an operator-first mindset, Michael brings a practical perspective to hotel investing. On the show, he breaks down what it actually takes to scale from short-term rentals into boutique hotels, covering deal sourcing, operations, capital strategy, and risk.
Each week, Michael shares real lessons from the field as he builds toward a $400 million real estate business, giving listeners an honest look at the decisions, challenges, and strategies behind the growth. Subscribe and follow along as he documents the journey in real time.
The Hotel Investor Playbook
Latest Episodes
How 2 Women Turned a $1.2M Zillow B&B Into a $4M Treehouse Hotel (No Investors) | Ashley LaRocque E80
What if you bought a rundown bed and breakfast on Zillow, moved in the next day, and turned it into Colorado's first luxury treehouse hotel, all without raising a single dollar from outside investors?That's exactly what Ashley LaRocque a...
The $600K Treehouse Earning $200K a Year | Dustin Feider E79
In this episode, you'll discover how a single ultra-niche lodging unit can outperform a full hotel on cash-on-cash returns and what that signals for boutique investors paying attention.A treehouse designer whose work has been featured in...
The Hotel-to-Apartment Strategy That Turned $8.5M Into $18.9M in 19 Months | Ryan Sudeck E78
What if the most overlooked apartment deal in your market is already built, it's just flagged as a hotel?In this episode, you'll discover how a valuation gap between hotels and multifamily creates forced equity of 40 to 50% before you ch...
What a $75M Commercial Investor Wished He Knew Before Opening His First Boutique Hotel | Tyler Cauble E77
Experienced real estate investors make the jump into hospitality every year. Most of them underestimate what they're getting into.In this episode, you'll hear what it actually looks like when a seasoned commercial operator buys his first...
An STR operator's $4 million bet on building a boutique hotel in Colombia | Tim Hubbard E76
What does it actually cost to build a boutique hotel from scratch in a foreign country? More than you think, and not just financially.A short-term rental operator running 220+ properties across 40 cities is now three years into building ...
