Roman Pedan doesn't fit the typical hospitality mold — and that's exactly the point.

Born in Soviet-era Ukraine, immigrated to the U.S. at age two with parents who arrived with $1,000 and a great education, Roman built Kasa into a 150M+ booking platform with 85+ properties — and just completed a major acquisition adding 1,000 units with the Minthouse deal. Kasa - Minthouse Deal News

In this episode, we go deep on:

• Why Kasa is different — they built their own proprietary PMS from scratch (and are quietly licensing it to other brands via "Powered by Kasa")

• The Sonder autopsy — Roman's sharp, no-BS breakdown of exactly how and why the lease arbitrage model collapsed

• Blending old-school hospitality with new-school tech — margin for owners, great experience for guests

• Immigrant grit & entrepreneurship — a raw conversation on risk, resilience, and what it really takes to build something from zero

• What he'd do differently if starting Kasa today

Roman's one-liner on Sonder's biggest mistake alone is worth the listen. Check it out on Spotify or Apple.

ELEVATE: 5 Tenets I Live By

This week I had the privilege of keynoting Choice Hotels' annual Sales Leadership Conference in front of 100+ of their top field account managers and leaders. The theme was ELEVATE — talent, business acumen, ambition. Here's the framework I shared:

I walked away from being CEO because I knew I wasn't done.

Not done learning. Not done building. Not done betting on myself.

Here are the 5 tenets I shared with the room that keep me focused, grounded, and moving forward.

#1 - Context Is Everything

Simon Sinek nailed it: people know what they do and how they do it. But most never understand why. When you understand the "why," you work differently — with more intention and ownership. Great leaders take the time to share the “why” with their associates & teams.

During COVID, the Remington Leadership team held bi-weekly company-wide webinars with all associates including those furloughed. Not because we had all the answers. Sometimes I literally said, "I don't know." But showing up with transparency gave people context — and context gave them purpose. If you're a leader, give context generously. If you're an individual contributor, go seek it. Don't wait for it to find you.

#2 - Control the Controllables

The thief of joy is comparison. Humans looove comparison. Hoteliers love STR reports.

Depression is living in the past. Anxiety is worrying about tomorrow. Greatness lives right here — in what's in front of you today. Be Present.

Context is powerful. But if you're not disciplined, it becomes a distraction. The leaders I admire most aren't obsessing over the scoreboard. They're obsessing over the process. Discipline wins.

"Those times when you get up early and you work hard... That is actually the dream". - Kobe Bryant

#3 - Be 1% Better Every Day

Roger Federer — widely considered one of the greatest tennis player of all time — won 80% of the matches he played in his career. Yet he won Only 54% of the points played. The margin between great and average is razor thin. Progress, not perfection. Check out the video I played for Choice:

Roger Federer | You Won’t Win Every Point, Keep Moving Forward

When I sat down with the CEO of Booking.com over a decade ago during an interview for a new global role, he told me that their #1 competition is not Expedia, not Google. It was themselves. I think Booking.com’s market cap over the last decade tells how powerful that answer actually is. I think about his answer often… If you are only competing against yourself, then the gains are endless. If you are simply competing against competition, then your gains are capped. True category killers like Booking, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, etc. do not compare themselves to others. They are simply focused on being 1% better every day, and you should too.

#4 - Culture Happens Through You, Not To You

Culture isn't a monthly happy hour. It's not free lunch. It's the space between people.

Everyone wants a great company culture but waits for leadership to deliver it. Here's the truth: you are the culture. Every interaction is a vote. Every associate is an ambassador of the culture.

When coaching an underperformer, a low-culture company says: "Get your numbers up or you're gone." A high-culture company asks: "I'm concerned about you — what's going on?" One is a threat. The other gets to the root cause. Everyone knows the stakes. You don't have to state the obvious. Lead with curiosity first. Empathy is not weakness. Nor is accountability & high culture mutually exclusive. High culture companies are also highly accountable but the accountability is attained through partnership, trust & commitment not titles & threats.

“I simply keep my head down and do my job,” is a complete cop-out by the way.

#5 - What You're Not Changing, You're Choosing

“You don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

Most people write 10 goals in January and revisit them in December wondering what went wrong. The gap isn't ambition — it's architecture. What does your goal look like broken down into weekly habits? Into daily calendar blocks? If it's not on your calendar, it's a wish. If you want to make it to the gym, then make sure it is blocked on your calendar.

Jocko Willink "GOOD" (Official)

Staying stuck is the path of least resistance. It's comfortable, familiar, and completely within your control to change. The moment you stop blaming the job, the boss, or the market — and start owning your next move — everything shifts.

So here's my challenge to you:

When you leave this newsletter, ask yourself one question: What am I building here? What is my why?

Then go build something worth noticing. Elevate your talent. Elevate your ambition. Elevate the people around you. Be the person that NO ONE can ignore.

Because I promise you — you're not done.

Have a great week.

Cheers, Sloan