Among the noteworthy quotes from stories this week was Starwood Hotels Barry Sternlicht talking about launching a brand via social media.

“These new brands are much easier to launch through social media… People are willing to try things, and they can find them on social media. It’s not about your million-dollar marketing budget. It’s about connecting to the right people with a tight mission and then drawing that group into your property.” – Barry Sternlicht, Starwood Hotels   Read story

“Just anecdotally, what I’m hearing is if you haven’t broken ground, they’re going to wait and see what’s happening with tariffs before they do. I’m sure that’s not across the board for everyone, but most people are not putting things under construction right now.” – Amanda Hite, STR   Read story

“Have you been to Mexico City lately? It’s aching for a great set of boutique or lifestyle hotels. We have a little bit of the experience in Hawaii doing that.” – Ben Rafter, Hotel Equities   Read story

“We’re looking ahead to a second half of the year with consumers facing higher prices and a weaker labor market, businesses tapping the brakes on investment, and soft international visitor volumes. While recession risks have eased, the economy — and the travel sector — will walk on a tightrope through this period.” – Aran Ryan, Tourism Economics   Read story

“The kiosk check-in that they’ve [citizenM] done is as good as I’ve seen in our industry. Many of us have struggled to check into a room with some sort of keypad to control everything and either it’s broken or you can’t figure out how to make it work. They’ve got a very elegant, simple solution that works quite well.” – Tony Capuano, Marriott International   Read story

“Major wellness assets in the upscale segment are now outperforming even luxury properties in total revenue per room — a clear sign that traditional assumptions about service levels and positioning are being challenged. This shift could have significant implications for how capital is allocated and how future developments are designed.” – Rachael Rothman, CBRE   Read story

“As my father says, we used to be a small company from a small country with a big dream. We have been able to achieve, in our own modest and humble way, to be a one-stop shop. We are operators, investors/developers and asset managers. We would like to be known as an upcoming global growth player in the hospitality sector and I think we are getting there.” – Rahul Chaudhary, CG Hospitality   Read story

“NoMad has built a reputation for developing hotels that take inspiration from the history, art, design and culture that make a place unique, and NoMad Detroit is poised to be no exception.” – Andrew Zobler, Sydell Group   Read story