The Hotel Investor Playbook

The Hotel Investor Playbook

Welcome to The Hotel Investor Playbook, hosted by real estate investor and hospitality operator Michael Russell. Michael is the co-founder of Malama Capital and Howzit Hostels, where he has built and scaled a portfolio of boutique hotels, hostels, and experiential lodging properties.

With over $30 million in real estate investments across hospitality, short-term rentals, long-term rentals, and commercial assets, Michael brings a practical, operator-first perspective to hotel investing. On this podcast, he breaks down what it actually takes to move beyond traditional real estate and into boutique hotels, from sourcing the right deals to navigating operations, capital, and risk.

Each week, Michael shares real lessons from the field as he builds toward a $400 million real estate-based business, giving listeners a clear, honest look at the decisions, challenges, and strategies behind the growth. Subscribe and follow along as he documents the journey in real time.

Recent Episodes

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How Small Hotels Use Staff Content to Drive Direct Bookings | Scott Eddy E68
Jan. 27, 2026

How Small Hotels Use Staff Content to Drive Direct Bookings | Scott Eddy E68

Most hotel owners think the only way to reduce OTA dependency is to throw more money at Facebook ads or hire expensive marketing agencies. But the real solution isn't more budget, it's leveraging what you already have: authen...
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How an Ex-Space Force Engineer Bought a $2.45M Motel With 10% Down | Jordan Malara E67
Jan. 20, 2026

How an Ex-Space Force Engineer Bought a $2.45M Motel With 10% Down | Jordan Malara E67

Most first-time motel buyers don't lose money on the purchase price. They lose it by underestimating CapEx, guessing on underwriting, and assuming they can "market" their way to higher occupancy. That's how people get smoked. In this episode, you'll learn a simple, real-world way to sanity-check a …
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How a Pilot Bought a $10M Hotel Without Managing a Single Employee | Curt Marker E66
Jan. 13, 2026

How a Pilot Bought a $10M Hotel Without Managing a Single Employee | Curt Marker E66

Think you need hotel operations experience to invest in boutique hotels? That belief may be the only thing standing between you and building serious commercial real estate wealth. In this episode, you'll discover how a Gulfst...
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Securities Attorney Reveals Why Most Hotel Syndicators Are Breaking the Law | Bethany LaFlam E65
Jan. 6, 2026

Securities Attorney Reveals Why Most Hotel Syndicators Are Breaking the Law | Bethany LaFlam E65

Most first-time hotel syndicators are already breaking the rules; they just don't know it yet. If you've ever taken money from friends and family without the right structure, you may have accidentally sold securities. And if you're paying someone just to raise capital? That's another violation wait…
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Stop Treating Your Front Desk Like An Expense. It's A Profit Center | Geoffrey Toffetti E64
Dec. 30, 2025

Stop Treating Your Front Desk Like An Expense. It's A Profit Center | Geoffrey Toffetti E64

Stop treating your front desk like an expense; it's costing you hundreds of thousands in property value. The biggest mistake boutique hotel owners make isn't about the property itself. It's ignoring the untapped revenue sitting right at your check-in counter. In this episode, you'll discover how to…
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Why Most Investors Never Buy Their First Hotel (And How You Actually Can) | Brian Resendez E63
Dec. 23, 2025

Why Most Investors Never Buy Their First Hotel (And How You Actually Can) | Brian Resendez E63

Why do so many people dream about buying a hotel but never actually close one? In this episode, Michael sits down with Brian Resendez, CEO of SVN Northwest Hotel Advisors. Brian has been involved in hundreds of hotel transactions across the Pacific Northwest and brings rare insight into what separa…
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