The Modern Hotelier #220: Leading Red Roof: Insights from the Best Budget Hotel Brand | with Zack Gharib
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David M: Welcome to The Modern Hotelier, the most engaged podcast in hospitality. Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and let us know in the comments. What do you think about this episode. Steve, who do we have on the program today?
Steve: Yeah, David, excited about today we have on Zack Gharib, the President of Red Roof. Welcome, Zack, how we doing today? I am doing fabulous. Great to be with you guys. How are you? 
Zack Gharib: Great. Great. Thank you. We're good.
David M: So Zach, we're gonna go through, we're gonna do a quick lightning round, get to know you a little bit better, and then dive into some industry topics. Sound good? 
Zack Gharib: Beautiful. Let's do it. 
David M: All right, here we go. What's something you wish you were better at? 
Zack Gharib: Oh my God. Maybe calling my kids more than once a day. 
David M: Got it all. What's the most used emoji for you? 
Zack Gharib: The laughing emoji, for sure. 
David M: Got it. What's a luxury you can't live without? 
Zack Gharib: My suitcase.
David M: All right, so if you had a time machine, you can go into the future or back to the past. Which way are you going and what year are you going to? 
Zack Gharib: I'm always looking ahead, man. I'm a futuristic kind of guy. I would, I would love to go in the future, you know, with AI now and what's happening, you know, what will happen in 2050? My god, I would love to know what happened in 2050. 
David M: That is true. So what's the best piece of advice you've received? You know, 
Zack Gharib: I've gotten two of those, honestly, when I started my first career. I met Mr. Marriott at one of the, uh, the openings. I was at the full service Marriott in Indianapolis and he came and shook our hands and my, my housekeeping team hands and congratulations, all that stuff.
And he looked at me, he is like, you have one important, uh, task. Young man. He is like, always take care of your team. So I've always adopted that. So that was the first advice. And then the second advice is. When I started franchising, uh, while I was La Quinta and Wyndham, we had, I had the President of La Quinta, Rajiv Trivedi he would always say Relationship, relationship, relationship. And so those two advisors served me well and I live by them every day. 
David M: That's great. Alright, so last one. What is your favorite city and why? 
Zack Gharib: Austin, Texas. I lived there 20 years and it's just I love the city, you know, it was home. 
Steve: That's great. That's great. Well done, Zack. So now we're gonna dive into your personal details, where you grew up, what makes you tick a little bit more.
So, you grew up and correct me if I get this wrong, but it's Seda la Launa in Lebanon. Is that correct? Yes. Clo say it. I'm gonna let you pronounce that one correctly. No, no. I mean, it's actually SDA, you know, we go by that just, but okay. Yes. That's what I grew up. Absolutely. So how did growing up there shape you into who you are today?
Zack Gharib: You know, when you grow up in a place like this, America, United States is like a big dream. It's a big dream for everybody, and I always had that dream. And so when I joined, uh, you know, when I wasn't in college, I was playing basketball and then we took a trip to, uh, to, to Greece, to Essence on the basketball team.
And we were just playing different universities from different cities and countries. And I met the GM of that hotel and the staff. So we, we would come back from the games, would, you know, he would sit, sit down with us and we'd just talk and looked like he had a great time, man. He was having a great time.
Loved this job. It was my first hotel stay ever. It was my first hotel stay and I'm like, man, I could see myself doing this. So that actually, that trip and that that general manager transformed my life and let me take a step into coming to the United States to do my, my master's degree. And I'm just, you know, it's been a great journey from there, really.
So I joined great organizations from Marriott. Hamsa Highgate and now I'm at Red Roof. I couldn't be more proud and blessed was the journey for sure. That's awesome. 
David M: So you touched on it, but you went to Lebanese American University, you got your master's in hotel and restaurant management kind of maybe take us a little deeper on how did you decide that's what you wanted to do and what led you to that university? 
Zack Gharib: I actually went to the Lebanese American University, which was back in Beirut, Lebanon to do my business management. So that's what I did, my bachelor's. And so during that time is when I traveled to Athens, right?
I met the GM and I decided I'm gonna do my master's degree in the greatest country on earth and as a great hospitality program. That's when I came to United States. To continue my education. And that's how I got into hotels. You know, if you go back and ask my dad back in the days, you know, it's like, alright, well you're gonna be a doctor or engineer.
And so that was like, it was a preset plan. But look, you know, at, at the end of the day, I followed my passion. I could see myself doing something that I loved from the moment I experienced it. And it's been a great journey that way. 
Steve: That's awesome. So you are seem like kind of a bit of a foodie. You've said that your favorite dish of your mom's is chicken and rice, and like you said, you moved from Austin to now Columbus, Ohio. In a past interview you said you were excited to explore the restaurants in Columbus. So now that you've been there for about a year, any recommendations for restaurants in Columbus, Ohio that you've come across that you love?
Zack Gharib: First, I wanna give her a shout out to my mom because she's still, until today, she remains the best cook I've ever had in my entire life. And I think she'll always be that way. But this is a pleasant surprise about Columbus. It really has a lot of great food spots. There's a place called Butcher and Rose.
You know, Cameron Mitchell here is famous and he has, he has a lot of restaurants in the Columbus area. And those, I mean they range, and you know, they range on levels. But Butcher Rose is one of my favorite spots and I think a lot of people enjoy going there, but there's a lot of places, martini, which is an Italian food. I always actually have dinners there, eat business dinners at Martini, and I think everyone that's been there has always had a positive view, but there's a lot of also casual places. You know, I would say Hubbard Grill is one of 'em, and Mandrake Rooftop is always a good spot as well.
Steve: Look at that. A few options next time we're in Columbus. Now, were you able to find some good barbecue? If you wanna give, if you wanna give my email out, I can become a AI agent For what restaurant? Now? Were you able to find some good barbecue in Columbus? 
Zack Gharib: I know coming from Texas, that might be tough. 20 years of eating barbecue in Texas. I haven't missed barbecue enough to really do that yet, but I'm sure we will soon, but no, I have not. 
Steve: That's fair enough. Fair enough. Well, that's great, Zack, now we're gonna dive into your career how you became the president of Red Roofings. So you started out your career in hotels, mostly on premise for Marriott. What did those early days teach you that you still take with you today? 
Zack Gharib: You know, I think that was a really, a great foundation of leadership, of management that I've, that I've experienced. Uh, I think Marriott, to me is definitely. One of the top, uh, companies, organization in our industry, if not the top, really, and me spending seven years in different Marriott products from extended state residents and to courtyards to full service experiencing different level of, uh, leadership up to the experience I had was Mr. Marriott. That shaped up, uh, shaped my career and it always hel, you know, taught me to, to hold very high standards. The way we deliver our guest experience and the way we interact, you know, with our team members and our stakeholders collectively. So that really set my career. I think, on the right, on the right footing.
And from there I went to La Quinta by Wyndham, which honestly, I felt like what has one of the best cultures of really everyone is there to support each other, to help each other, you know, we were very, very supportive of our franchisee community. So that, that really shaped my relationship, relationship, relationship, culture, right?
We always say in real estate, location, location, location, when the franchise world was is the relationship is the, is the word, and it pays off. You know, I've, I have now long, long-term standing relationships with a lot of great owners and franchisees in the industry and they go a long way. I learn from them so much about business, about hospitality as much as I can give them also support and guidance whenever I can.
And then I went like I said, a Highgate, which is a great organization. And I took a detour to the Airbnb business from hotel business. So, uh, so that I joined Picasa, which is one of the largest vacation rentals in the industry. And, uh, you know, I learned that that part of it, which is a completely different model, right?
And but it was a great experience to learn it. And the Red Roof opportunity came along. One, the board members, uh, you know, uh, I knew one of the board members and I, I decided to put my name in the hat and here I am. I got the lucky number, the lucky call. That's great. That's great. 
David M: Yeah. So take us a little deeper into that. So from Lata, which is part of Wyndham, then to Vac Casa, you were at Vac Casa when it went public during that time, what was that like for you that, that change from the, the hotel side to being at Vac Casa? 
Zack Gharib: So there are two, two main changes that happen. One is after being 10 years on the road every week, you know, joining Vac Casa, I started working mostly from home.
So that was, and I'm like, wow, I did not know that working from home was a, was such a comfortable thing because you, you get the routine of travel, so it's like it becomes part of your, your life. So that was, uh, that was a major thing. Look, I think operating within the walls of a hotel. Well, you know, your housekeeper, you know, your maintenance, a GM is there it's a different kind of operation where on the vacation rental side, you've got one person that's really going to different houses, making sure that these houses are good and set up for the guest experience. So I think the type of management and, and oversight is a completely different operation from that way.
I would say this is the main difference in that aspect, but COVID put a spotlight on vacation rentals, as you guys remember. I mean, it, you know, people couldn't go and, and share the breakfast so they wanted they wanted a private area where they can cook or they can have a backyard.
But you know what, that was six years ago. And now, now honestly, I feel like hotels our back was, uh mm-hmm. Very strong. People wanna go interact with other people, other, in the lobby or at breakfast and see that, see that you know,  environment of high energy. And I think hotels offer that. And so I think that's where we are.
Steve: That's great. And so from Vac Casa, as you kind of mentioned before, you went to Highgate as the vp, as Senior Vice President of Operations, and then for the past year and a half, you've been the president at Red Roof. Can you tell us a little bit more personally what it means to be the president of Red Roof?
Zack Gharib: Well, first I'm gonna say what it means to, to me to be a part of Red Roof itself. I mean, it's Red Roof is an iconic brand. I mean, even when I was with different organizations, you know, before Marriott or La Quinto, it doesn't matter. You always had heard the, the word Red Roof. It was a household name. A lot of people used to travel, you know, road trips, uh, the station wagons back in the days.
Oh yeah. People, you know, pack their kids and, and luggage and they go and, and Red Roof was. Was there for them across, across the country to welcome them and people had great experiences. So for me to be part of that company right, is already by itself. Amazing. Obviously as a president, it allows me a chance to really serve our employees and provide 'em a, you know, a a way that they can thrive and this can, they can grow and as, as importantly, serve our franchisees, our guests, and a much, you know, higher caliber.
So our goal is, our vision is to have a great guest, uh, a great experience for all our stakeholders. And as a president, you know, my goal is to make sure we have a culture. It means to me a lot that we have a culture that we built from the bottom up, from, you know, all our employees were involved in creating the culture and our core values to go serve our franchisees and guests and the communities, you know, alike at the, at the highest level we can.
And so we're working hard at a day, day in, day out, and hopefully we'll keep improving that, uh, that experience even more. 
David M: You hit me kind of hard there and you said it's been six years since COVID, where I didn't, haven't really thought about it that way, but it really puts everything into perspective. So we're about to approach the fourth quarter of 2025, 2026 is right around the corner. So what initiatives are you working on for Red Roof? 
Zack Gharib: Absolutely. So I'll tell you the last two years have been transformational for the brand. Some of it started before my arrival. So like last year we went through a big initiative that hotels organization go through, which is we changed our hot property management system.
Right. Which is a big undertaking. Oh yeah. So we adopted Hotel Key, uh, which is now, you know, popular in the, in the industry. But that transition was really important and key for us to integrate a lot more technologies with our, uh, prop, with our PMS system. So, so now as we look, look ahead, couple of things that we are really working on is Hotel iq, which is our AI driven revenue management system, right?
That's gonna really optimize pricing, uh, allow us to take all factors into consideration. Uh, that really puts the best price at the right time for the right guests, and it serves well for the franchisees. It serves well for, for our guests that way, and that's really. A big driver is our new revenue management system, but the guest experience is extremely, extremely important.
So we, we partnered with surgeon who is a great partner with guest analytics. It tells us how the guests are doing, what is working with them. For them, what's not working? How can we improve that, that, uh, that experience? What hotels do we need to focus on to really improve that experience? So, and the analytics are amazing, and now we are, we just concluded the second phase of that technology, which is our in stay guest survey.
So as soon as the guest checks in. We send them a text of the survey, you know, they score us, and then it starts, uh, starts that communication to ensure that we're taking care of the guests. Those are two big initiatives that the guest experience and AI driven technology. Obviously we, we, we have other things.
We just launched our new app. Which has been wildly successful. I think our guests are, are enjoying interacting with the, with the app, you know, easier bookings, better communication. And uh, we're also partnering with Freedom Pay, let's say, payment processing system, which allows our, uh, you know, better, uh, payment efficiencies and operational efficiencies for our franchisees.
So those are key aspects that we are working on. Loyalty is very important as we all know. I think. A lot of people wanna, uh, wanna be part of a, an important loyalty program. And while our loyalty program right now is, is really, uh, very generous, very rewarding, we wanna continue evolving that to ensure it's even more robust and more rewarding for our, and offers, uh, more options for them as we go into future.
So those are the initiatives that we're working on from a technology perspective. 
Steve: That's great. And for some of our listeners, I mean the Red Roof logo, obviously familiar and stuff like that, but they might not know a little bit more deeper about Red Roof. Can you share a little bit more about the company and the hotels and kind of a little bit more, a deeper dive on, on Red Roof itself?
Zack Gharib: Absolutely. So one is when I first, when I first joined Red Roof, I learned the motto of Red Roof, which is Genuine relationships, real results. I think that was really important because I, I love it. You know, I embrace it. I think whoever, the team that actually put that in place way prior to me really was forward thinking because we continue to make sure that model really stays strong and alive on the organization for the future.
But we pioneer the economy upscale segment category. Uh, so we're gonna offer comfortable clean hotels. But with less amenities, right? Guests are looking for comfort, convenience, and clean. And that's what we are striving to, to offer at Red Roof, right? So you're not gonna go there and see the breakfast or the gym, but you're gonna go there to see, make sure that you have, you have a comfortable room, you have a, a smile at the desk, right?
So you can get your, your business done or whatever is the purpose of your trip done efficiently that way. At the right price because that offers value. But we have a portfolio of hotels. So we have a Red Roof Inn, which is how we started as an organization, but then we elevated that too. So we have Red Roof Plus, which our red roof pluses have a little bit more extra amenities of a little bit more value.
And then in 2018, we introduced two different types, hometown Studios, which is our extended stay business prototype. And then, so anybody who wants to stay like a week or two weeks or a month, hometown studios as part of it. And we introduce also the red collection, which is more of a boutique Midscale hotels that, you know, you see in urban cities and such.
And those are great hotels that we have. So that's the portfolio. Now we can do dual brands. So you some, some guests may go and experience one building. We have hometown studios on one end for extended stay segment and red roof on the other end. So they share, they share the same lobby, but depending on what your purpose is, you'll find you'll find an experience.
So we talked about value and affordability. That's important. Our loyalty program is robust, it's generous. So we, we offer a lot of great benefits for it now. So you can, you can actually use your points to get free nights to get gift cards. Or buy merchandise, whatever it is. So that, that loyalty program is, is very important.
And so that's really, uh, who we are today. We have 715 hotels in the US and in Japan. So for the most part, we're not in Port Collins yet. Steve, I'm keeping an eye out. Yes. But for the most part really, if I guess. Wants to travel across the country, they will find a red roof and, and, and wherever they're staying and we welcome them that way. That's awesome. 
Steve: So, Zack, that sounds great. Now we're gonna dive into the thought leadership side of things. So you mentioned you've gone through a change recently with, uh, different technology systems like your PMS. How is technology reshaping the guest experience and how are you incorporating this into Red Roof?
Zack Gharib: Yeah, look, AI is moving really fast. I think the guest expectations have changed, are evolving, understandably so. AI is moving really fast and we wanna make sure that we have a great balance between the guest expectation and the guest journey and experience, and also the franchisee expectation and journey and experience.
So everything we do at Regroup now, we take into, we study the return on investment from a guest perspective, what's the value proposition? And from a franchisee perspective. So we go, we really evaluate the cost of anything We wanna introduce at the hotel level as a, at a brand standard, what is the cost to the, to the owner and what is the value to our guest?
So Surgeon Partnership really helps us understand that dynamic very well. One of the things that, uh, I am doing. That I've started doing in 2025 is go on the Elevate Tour, where I personally travel to different markets, speak with different owners, and speak with different guests in the lobbies as I'm checking in, or even I'm walking the hotels.
So all that, you know, I ask 'em, you know, how's the experience? What can we do better? So I'm personally invested in this, you know, from Human capital. Obviously our team does that on a regular basis. That social experience really helps us, you know, target the guests very well of what they need.
We partner also with Zeta, which is a, a marketing engine that understands the analytics of, you know, who is our target audience, so we can make sure we are offering their best promotions for them. We're offering the best value, right. Inviting 'em to say our red roof is that way. So, so Zeta has been also a great player with us to improve that, that guest experience that way, and give them the best, uh, proposition we can. So those are from a guest experience perspective? 
David M: No, that's great to hear. We were just talking recently in Miami about how a lot of, let alone presidents of companies, GMs don't get out and kind of interact with the, with the, the guest and things of that nature. 
Zack Gharib: So along those lines. I'll tell you David. Last week I was in Nashville, right. So I spent a couple days in Nashville and this week I spent, uh, you know, I actually traveled around our hotels in Columbus, here, Ohio, where our headquarters are, where I'm based. And, uh, we also traveled two days in Chicago and it's an amazing getting out there.
Speaking with our franchisees and our guests. It may, you know, I mean, it's probably, honestly, you know, other than also speaking with our team members at the corporate office where I go in, I speak to them in the, every morning I get my cup of coffee and go speak with our team members, see how their night was going, how their morning going. But also being out there, it's, it's just an amazing, amazing. 
David M: Yeah, I agree. And so along those same lines, like how are you, red Roof, approaching staffing, training, retention, and what obviously has become more and more difficult labor environment. 
Zack Gharib: Yeah, so, so we are a franchising company, so we don't own and, and manage hotels ourselves, right? All our 715 hotels are owned and managed by hardworking franchisees that are really, uh, delivering the guest experience that way. So the, the in hotel staffing is, they are working hard on it from that aspect. Now, obviously from a corporate perspective, we wanna have the staff to support all that, so. I think it all goes back.
The first thing we focus on is the culture. So when we built our culture, our core values, we built them from the bottom up. Really. We asked all our employees at the midyear meeting where everybody was there, what's important for you and, and, and, and the culture and the core values. They all put words and sentences.
We gathered all them up. We, we took really the core ones and create our core values, which we call our habits. H for hospitality, a adaptability. B, belonging, I impact T Trust and S success. So I think the first thing we do is really, we try to live our core values and our culture, uh, day in and day out, to make sure that people feel appreciated, people feel heard, people feel respected.
People feel incentivized and recognized. So I think really it has to start with that aspect. So you can really make sure that people have the buy-in and see their vision and work. We are working collectively as a team, you know, to serve our communities and, and owners and guests. So we are definitely focused on this.
That's why our turnover is very minimal. Uh, here, because I think people love being part of this culture. So that's really what we do. But on top of this, we have a robust recruiting team that's been doing this for a while. So they use, uh, you know, different recruiting, recruiting metrics to ensure that we attract, uh, great talent, which is definitely out there.
Steve: That's great. That's great. One thing that I constantly ran across while doing research for this episode was people always commenting how clean. Red roof and rooms were, how do you maintain that quality of service and making sure that the stays are clean and enjoyable while keeping costs low for hotels and travelers for that matter.
Zack Gharib: Yeah, I mean, going back to the point earlier about staffing, right? It is not getting easier out there. To really attract, especially, you know, housekeeping staff or maintenance staff or, uh, you know, it gets, it's getting harder and harder. I think the, the, the, the environment overall, uh, you know, uh, is, is tough from that aspect.
But I can tell you that a lot of our owners have come from a lot of families or situations where they have worked themselves at their parents, at their parents, uh, uh, hotels or, or, or families or whatever it is. They roll up the sleeves and they get it done. Sure. And they make it happen. And they are so invested in that guest experience.
So it's important for them to ensure that the cleanliness is, is, is there, right. And uh, the guest is ha you know, the guest is having a very good experience that way. But with that, you know, we make sure that our brand standards are not adding cost to our franchisees where they don't have to increase the rates to our guests.
So it's all a full circle. You know, they work hard, they're invested in it, they own it. You know, we make sure only let's put brand centers that are common sense and give the best value at the best rate for our guests. And it all, it all ties in together. And that's, that's been a really winning formula, uh, for our brand that. That's great. 
David M: So Red Roof is a brand, you're trying to stay ahead of the curve. What are some of the major opportunities and challenges you're seeing right now? 
Zack Gharib: Look, the challenges are not necessarily Red Roof challenges, they're industry challenges. You know, COVID really changed the changed things, right?
So, I mean, we all know that inflation is not a secret. It's not a secret. So cost increases have been, uh, have been here for the last few years insurance cost keeps going up. Not because of lead roof or Marriott or anything like that, it's just because the entire insurance industry continues to really increase the rates.
I mean, we know all the national disasters and, and, and things like that. So, you know, rising cost, uh, labor shortages. You know, interest rates have been, have been high for a while. So transactions and getting lend, uh, access to capital and lending has been tough from that aspects. So from a transactional perspective, uh, you know, those are the challenges that we see, right?
So, but during challenging times, this is really the time that we as a brand, we can capitalize on that time to transform, transform the company into the future. When the rebound starts happening, we are ready. So we continue to working with our franchisees and gaps to make sure costs and rates are affordable and manageable for both, right?
And that's really important for us to keep an eye on going forward. I really think that's, that's the main thing right now from an perspective. Now I spoke about technology. What we have going on, on the horizon to improve the guest experience, to drive revenue for our employees to drive best value to our guests.
But we're looking beyond that. I mean, I mentioned AI is moving very fast, so we are looking at areas where, you know, we really, our website. Becomes a lot more robust and AI driven as well, which is, that's, that's going pretty fast. So because that, that impacts the guest experience and the franchisees, uh, profitability.
Steve: That makes sense. That makes sense. So Zack, you mentioned how kind of important those words were from Mr. Marriott when you met him. What advice would you have to the younger generation or somebody who's aspiring to be the president of a hotel group? 
Zack Gharib: You know, I followed my passion. I followed my passion, and it worked. You know, but passion alone doesn't make you successful. That's true. You know, I think passion, if you coupled with working hard and being good at it, like you got, you gotta put in the time, especially in the beginning years. I mean, I worked 12 hour days, 16 hour days, sometimes 6, 7 days a week.
All that really makes you a better character, a stronger, a stronger, more knowledge, right? So prepare you for the better year ahead in your career. So passion is good. Look at your passion, but also understand what are you good in. Because I think when you become an expert of something, just things think doors open up a lot easier.
And then the, the other piece that I always say is curiosity. I think some of us, and sometimes we get crippled by fear. Mm-hmm. You know, what if I do this, but it doesn't work, you know, it doesn't work out. You know, I would have, you know, I mean, I'll tell you a story. It's a personal story.
When we had my daughter, our daughter Julia, and we moved from, uh, the Bay Area to Austin to be with my, uh, you know, to be with family in Austin. We left Marriott at the time and we sold our house and we left to Austin not knowing what's gonna happen. So I interviewed for, for a job because we felt it's the right thing.
So I interviewed for, for jobs and I got two offers. One assistant, uh, director of finance for the Omni, the full service Omni, and the other one was a general manager at the La Quinta. That was back in 2005. And so a lot of people started telling me, you know what, you know, the Omni is full service assistant.
You know, you can, you can take your your career that way. But I was curious, you know, with La Quinta as a GM, La Quinta was a growing company where can, where can I fit better, where I can go and I end up following Yeah. You know, uh, taking that route. You know, just because of that curiosity, because I, you know, I felt like La Quinta can really have a bright future and it's worked out great. You know, I think sometimes take takes that risk. Look behind the door and things, things can work out. Don't be always afraid to take a risk. I love that advice. 
Steve: That was some great advice.
Zack Gharib: Thank you.
Steve: Thank you. Thanks for sharing that story as well. Well, that was all great, Zack, we've been asking you questions this whole time, so this is where we're gonna turn the tables and let you ask David and I a question.
Zack Gharib: Okay. So I'm gonna do a, you know I'm gonna do a fire drill then. What is your favorite food? 
David M: Well, I think it's tough. It's football season and my, my wife and one son were just back in Philadelphia, so if I could have right now a good cheese steak, I would really, I would really enjoy that. Probably more than a good steak. 'cause I eat a lot of steak to begin with. So I'll take a cheese steak would be my, uh, my, my favorite food right now, at least today. 
Zack Gharib: You can never go wrong with that
Steve: Yeah, nice man. I like anything on the grill. Um, I, I'm a steak, steak and potatoes guy. I grew up in Wisconsin, so that's, you know, anything on the grill, but a good steak on the grill, I'm never gonna complain about that.
Steve: Can wrong go wrong with that too.
Zack Gharib: Alright, so other than Red Roof, what is your favorite hotel that you have stayed at before?
Steve: I give the same answer, but I'm gonna switch it up today. The one that I recently talked about, which I kind of reflected on this day, and I'm like, man, that was really cool.
It was the Lafayette in San Diego. We went there for filming purposes and. Just had an overall awesome stay. It's one of the most unique hotels I've been to and was kind of reminiscing about it recently to somebody else in San Diego. So that one is, is always one of my favorites. But just an incredible, incredible hotel.
David M: Yeah. And for me, I think I would say, you know, probably 'cause it was the first time I experienced it, but, you know, probably about 10 years ago I got to stay at the, the Ritz Carlton in Berlin. And that was just a very unique, they had a very unique bar where. As you entered the bar, there was all these different types of flowers and spices, and what you were supposed to do is you were supposed to go and smell them and then go to the bartender and say, Hey, like, I like the smell of this or that, and then it'd make you a drink.
And the service was just great. And it was a, it was, it was a good stay. So it was a, my first, first time at a Ritz Ritz-Carlton, which was pretty cool. 
Zack Gharib: And in a great city. Very correct. 
David M: Yeah. Agreed. Yeah. 
Zack Gharib: Alright, well, one last question for you guys. Oh boy. You, you, you've been around a lot. You've interviewed a lot of people.
Obviously you've had tremendous success. Congratulations to both of you. Thank you. Thank you. You know, if you have to give a person like me some advice or some final words that I can take away from this, what would that be? 
Steve: Oh man. Just keep being you. You are a joy to speak to today, and you obviously have a great outgoing personality. I can clearly see why you're the president of Red Roof, and I love that you've talked about not only culture inside. Inside a red roof, but also talking about the guest experience. It seems like those two things are really top of mind for you. Just keep being you, you, you've been a joy to talk to today, and I, I, you're one of our guests, you know, that I'd love to grab a beer with and hang out with even more. So just keeping you, Zack, thank you so much.
David M: And what I would say is. You know, we, we, we kind of serve a purpose in the industry, in our eyes to really educate people and to connect people. And I think that a lot of hoteliers aren't, aren't taking as much time to do what you're doing.
So we appreciate the time you're taking today to educate people and to kind of, you know, we always talk about hospitality being more of a career. Than just a job. And I think the more people like you that we can interview and get your message out there on how you started and how you approach it, it's just super important.
And this is not something we had, you know, 10, 15 years ago. You know, podcasts weren't really a big deal and people would maybe get an article in a, in a magazine that you'd have to, to read or maybe it'd be online. But this human touch of our industry and being able to talk to people like you, I think is.
That would be my advice. Keep doing what you're doing. Kind of echo what Steve said. Just keep getting your message out there. 'cause that just will, I think, enhance or promote to the next generation of hotels. 
Zack Gharib: David, that very well taken. Thank you so much for these words, I can tell you, I mean, I just wanna say a last thing.
These are the opportunities that I love. You know, obviously outside of traveling, because look, I mean, in 2025. We were voted number one. You know, we got the number one spot on us, a today's reader's choice for best budget friendly hotel in, in the United States. So we're very proud of that. The team has worked really, really hard, right? But it's these opportunities that allow us to really mention these kind of things and put us out there and we are grateful and, uh, I appreciate the opportunity. 
Steve: We appreciate you, Zack. So. Our producer, Jon, he's been listening to this whole episode. We're gonna kick it over to him for one more question and then we're gonna get you outta here.
Jon Bumhoffer: Very good. It's been a pleasure listening to you guys' conversation and kind of building off of what David had mentioned in his last answer about, uh, this platform to educate and inspire hoteliers. My question to you is kind of along those lines, as somebody, you have visibility across a lot more hotels than probably any of our guests have had.
So my question is, what do you see if you can think of some, uh, like common denominators or things like that. What do you see the best franchisees or owners doing to set that transition to translate into success for them and their property? I think that's a great question, John. Look, I think 
Zack Gharib: when I talk to our owners and franchisees that are successful, and you ask 'em, you ask a question, why are you doing this?
And there's always a common denominator, a common answer if they answer it. You, you know that they're successful and they tell you because we are, we love to serve our guests. And I see that like you look at a lot of the hotels that are really successful, that is the main thing. It's not, I mean, obviously every business, every business wants to be profitable.
Every business business on drive revenue, every business wants to grow different things. But in hotel, in our industry specifically, that's what you see as a recipe for success from our owners, and they all deliver. That's the one thing. The second thing is I don't have to do it by myself. I use the resources and the help that, that are available to me.
So a lot of 'em use our brand resources like revenue management services or, or, or sales services, whatever it is. Right? Or even call center services. Because they takes it away from them and they know experts are really delivering that results for them. So those are the two common denominators for really successful franchisees.
And it's almost, it's almost always that they achieve success when they, when they have these two things. 
David M: Very cool. That's great. Great. Well that does it for another episode of The Modern Hotelier. This is where you, Zack, get to let people know how they can get in touch with you, how they can learn more about Red Roof. So plug away. 
Zack Gharib: Yeah, so look, I'm on LinkedIn. So I'm on LinkedIn, you know, feel free to reach out to me in that aspect. redroof.com is our website. We have opportunities there for every guest, wherever you're traveling to go on Red roof.com experience our, our brands, our, our multiple brands that we discussed, and hopefully try to stay at one of our hotels to have a great memorable experience. So we look forward to welcoming you across the nation. 
David M: That's great. Well, that does it for another episode of The Modern Hotelier, the Most engaged podcast in hospitality. Whether you're watching or listening, we appreciate you and hope to be with you again soon. Thanks for joining us, Zack. 
Zack Gharib: Thank you so much, guys. I appreciate it.