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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
The Wellness ROI Audit Every Boutique Hotel Owner Needs to Run | Emily Johnson E86
In this episode, you'll learn how to diagnose whether your property is actually a candidate for wellness positioning, and if it is, how to implement it in a way that lifts ADR without blowing out your expense line.A hospitality strategis...
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The $0-Down Hotel Deal That Still Cost $1.5 Million | Christian Osgood E85
It took zero dollars of his own money to buy a $4.5 million waterfront resort. It took three years and over a million and a half dollars out of pocket just to keep it.In this episode, you'll discover the deal, debt, equity sequence he sa...
The Boutique Hotel Mistake Killing Your Occupancy (And the Fix That Took One Operator From 40% to 80%) | Hillary Folkvord E84
Most boutique hotel operators are leaving serious money on the table, not because of bad locations or bad products, but because of bad marketing fundamentals that nobody told them about.In this episode, you'll hear exactly how one operat...
From $50 in His Bank Account to a 140-Key Hotel in Italy | Emanuele Pani E83
What happens when you find a deal that could change everything, but you've drained your bank account just to close it?In this episode, you'll hear exactly how one operator went from cleaning parking lots to owning the building, and what ...
This Contractor Built a $6M Hospitality Brand With $90K and Zero Outside Investors | Chris Broomfield E82
Most people assume you need outside investors, a big budget, or a prime location to build a profitable hospitality brand. This episode proves otherwise.In this episode, you'll learn exactly how one builder went from working as a contrac...
