How can investors gain a competitive edge when seeking deals in the hospitality sector? How can hotels use AI to improve the guest experience? And how can hospitality operators use AI to run hotels more efficiently? AFIRE CEO Gunnar Branson explores the topic with the co-founder and managing partner of AWH Partners, Russ Flicker, about how his $2 billion hospitality platform leverages proprietary data and AI to make smarter decisions. When used correctly, Flicker says, AI can help investors to focus on the right deals, optimize operations, and enhance the guest experience. The idea is to turn information into actionable insight and competitive advantage.
LINKS
Visit the AWH Partners website
https://www.awhpartners.com/
To hear the globe’s top experts discuss opportunities in US property markets, register for future AFIRE conferences:
Summer Conference 2026 in Tokyo
https://www.afire.org/events/tokyo26/
KEY MOMENTS
00:00 Introduction
00:57 Russ Flicker on AWH Partners
01:45 AI and data-driven hospitality investing
02:56 Submarket focus vs. traditional comp sets
05:00 Evaluating hotel metrics and amenities
06:33 Balancing gut instinct and data
09:14 Building a data-first culture
12:28 Hospitality market trends
15:05 Transaction constraints and rising costs
16:59 AI for deal focus and operational efficiency
18:22 AI in revenue and guest experience
21:36 Understanding customer behavior
24:40 Privacy, data protection, and AI tools
27:45 Future outlook for hospitality
29:43 Closing remarks
