What does it take to shape the future of hotel development while staying true to your vision? In this episode of The Turndown, Richard Kessler, Founder of The Kessler Collection, shares his journey from building budget hotels to becoming a visionary in boutique luxury. From his first boutique hotel (before anyone really knew what that meant) to shaping the Autograph Collection with Mariott, Richard explains how art, music, and innovative design create guest experiences that keep people coming back. This conversation explores the realities of hotel development today and what it takes to succeed as an independent in a brand-driven world.

About Cloudbeds

Cloudbeds is hospitality's only intelligent growth engine - a unified platform trusted by the world's most ambitious hoteliers across 150 countries. Built to challenge the limits of outdated tech stacks, Cloudbeds connects operations, revenue, distribution, and guest experience in one powerful, intuitive system. At its core is Signals, hospitality's first AI foundation model, giving hoteliers the power to anticipate demand, run smarter operations, and craft more personal, profitable guest journeys at scale.

Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds has earned top honors from Hotel Tech Report (Top PMS, Hotel Management System, and Channel Manager, 2021--2025), the World Travel Awards (World's Best Hotel PMS Solutions Provider, 2022), and Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 (2024). For more information, visit www.cloudbeds.com.

Paula Carreirao
PR & Partner Marketing Specialist

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