�During this latest economic adjustment, hotel owners and lenders have come to appreciate the value of a competent, trusted management team, not only to a property�s bottom line but to its very survival,� said Morris Lasky, Lodging Unlimited chief executive officer and founder.  �Owners increasingly are turning to experienced, seasoned operators who have the expertise to successfully operate in all phases of the economic cycle.

Morris Lasky

Lasky noted that in the company�s three-plus-decade history, Lodging Unlimited has positively impacted earnings for more than 250 properties and 50,000 guest rooms throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe.

Dubbed �the hotel doctor,� by a major Florida newspaper for his work on destination hotels in that state, Lasky and his company have effectively managed hotels with an asset value in excess of $5 billion, ranging in size from 50 to 1,500 rooms in nearly every state in the U.S.    Additionally, Lodging Unlimited has in-depth expertise with virtually every major brand and property type, as well as independent and boutique hotels.

�As a mid-sized manager, we pride ourselves on our ability to quickly respond to any situation that arises,� stated Richard Norton, president, a 20-year hotel veteran.  �We literally have put a full operating team into as many as 17 hotels overnight. 

�We enjoy the economies of scale in marketing and purchasing of larger companies but our senior management can still devote personal attention to each property,� he added.

�When we take over a property, our first emphasis is on marketing,� he noted.  �We bring in a �SWAT� sales team to do sales blitzes and typically make 500 to 600 sales call in the first three business days after we come on board.  We also bring in our yield management team and begin training to optimize rate immediately.   Concurrently, we begin an immediate analysis of operations to determine where to cut costs and what areas require investment.�

�We approach every hotel, even those generating acceptable returns, as a turn- around opportunity,� added Lasky.  �Our goal is to add value from day one.  Our expertise also includes construction oversight and pre-opening activities for hotels in development.� 

Lasky said that the success of his annual Lodging Conference, held in the fall in Phoenix for the past eight years, had made people think that he was no longer practicing his �other� business � management.  �Actually, it�s the other way around,� he pointed out.  �While the Lodging Conference has been a great success, it actually takes up only a small portion of my time.  I now have to reacquaint the industry with the fact that management remains my core business.�

Lodging Unlimited recently has been retained to manage two properties, including:
the 140-room independent hotel, currently under renovation, Petersburg, Va., and
the 85-room Wingate Inn, Harrisburg, Pa.

Founded in 1970, Lodging Unlimited currently manages 20 properties in nine states under 10 different brands, as well as four independent hotels.