Justin Knight, CEO of Apple Hospitality REIT (NYSE: APLE), participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITworld: 2022 Annual Conference held in San Francisco on Nov. 15-17.
Knight said that Apple Hospitality REIT is focused on the services and amenities that are most important to their guests, and that not having very large lobbies or a lot of meeting space allows the REIT to “operate significantly more efficiently.”
“Guests who come to our hotels can expect a clean room that’s well-designed and well laid out, and amenities that are important to them, which typically include a nice fitness center and a free or reasonably priced breakfast,” Knight said.
Turning to Apple Hospitality’s corporate responsibility plan and the ways in which the company is committed to minimizing its environmental impact, Knight said the REIT’s hotels are efficient by design.
“We’re focused on a more efficient building which uses fewer resources, and then we’ve added to that by pursuing initiatives like energy efficient lighting, energy management systems, [and] water and waste management systems,” he said.
Looking ahead to trends within the lodging/resorts sector heading into 2023, Knight said individuals are prioritizing experiences over things and that business travel has increased over the past year, which will impact the sector positively.