Thom Geshay is president and chief executive officer at Davidson Hospitality Group, where he has served in leadership roles since 1988. As such, he brings a valuable management company point of view to the work he will undertake with 2026 AHLA Chair Liam Brown. But Geshay has also become enthusiastic about all aspects of the industry during his hospitality journey, as he shared with LODGING. In addition, he touched on industry trends, leadership best practices, and the outlook for AHLA’s advocacy efforts this year.
What initially attracted you to the hospitality industry?
I am what one might call an accidental hotelier. My career trajectory was notin hospitality originally; I attended college to be an engineer. But the summer before I went to school, I got a job as a bellman with a Holiday Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. And then I kept working part-time while I went to school, moving through almost every part of the hotel—from bellman to front desk to night auditor, with stints as a dishwasher, a cook, a bartender, and a DJ. I loved the variety and finding ways to create more value.
After college, I landed at IBM, but then Gregg Adams, who oversaw all of the hotels in the region for Davidson at the time, offered me a job managing the nightclub where I had been a DJ. I started with the title of beverage director, but within two years, I had the opportunity to ascend to general manager. From there, I set out to learn as much as I could about the industry. For more than 30 years, this has been an industry that’s allowed me to learn and grow as fast as the company I work for—a transformative process that is hard to imagine in any other sector. I’m a hotel enthusiast—I just love hotels.
How and why did you decide to take an active role within AHLA?
AHLA is the national voice of our industry, and as the landscape continues to evolve, hoteliers have an opportunity to reinvigorate and refresh the narrative. While we offer temporary lodging, hotels themselves are deeply rooted in their communities and their local economies, playing tremendously important roles as stewards both there and nationwide. We have the privilege of being advocates for ourselves at all levels. I’ve seen the difference that direct engagement makes in policy-setting in Washington, in statehouses, and in city halls. AHLA is leading that engagement, and I am honored to continue to be part of the leadership group that guides this meaningful and positive work.
From your vantage point as CEO & president of Davidson Hospitality Group, which are the most important recent trends in hotel management specifically?
Looking at the industry’s recent numbers, we are seeing a divergence in performance between upper/upscale and luxury segments and the economy and select-service segments. We’ve also seen a slowdown in transactions as margin pressures have made deal underwriting more difficult, creating a large bid-ask spread. The segment performance trend is important to Davidson because we’ve distinguished ourselves as a highly specialized operator of full-service, complex properties, so that’s an opportunity for us. That said, midscale and economy hotels are critical to the overall health of the industry, which is why AHLA is so focused on all industry segments.
The growth of sustainability throughout operations continues to be a notable trend within the industry. At Davidson, we’ve focused on identifying areas to save, reuse, and conserve, and you’re seeing similar changes industrywide. Sustainable practices have become more mainstream as a guest expectation. AHLA has done a great deal to bring the entire industry together in this area, and that’s only going to accelerate through programs like Green Key Global certification and Responsible Stay.
What are your top leadership best practices, and how do you expect they will come into play in your new role?
When it comes to driving performance and delivering one-of-a-kind guest experiences, our core values at Davidson are the blueprint for enduring success. Our core values are: (1) Be passionate about what you do, serve others with love; (2) Always do what’s right; (3) Create value in all that you do; (4) Have each other’s backs; (5) Be inclusive—we’re stronger together; (6) Stay hungry, stay humble; and (7) Greatness requires risk.
All of those will certainly apply in my leadership role at AHLA. One of the most important leadership skills I’ve learned along the way is to build a strong team around you and give them the support they need to thrive. That’s what we’ve proudly built at both Davidson and AHLA.
As vice chair, how do you plan to support Liam’s mission in 2026?
AHLA has fantastic momentum coming out of 2025. The mega-events of 2026 will put the spotlight on our industry in a way that will give us even more opportunity to tell our story. I am excited about working with Liam and the officers of AHLA as we build on this momentum, identify areas to be more proactive on behalf of the industry, and involve more of our members in advocacy. We’ll collectively tackle challenges as well as embrace opportunities, and I’m looking forward to seeing how effective we can be when we’re aligned and engaged. AHLA is the one voice that unifies our industry, and we will work diligently to advocate for issues that move the entire industry forward, while continuing to tell our stories on the positive impact hotels have on communities and team members from coast to coast.
What is your overall outlook on the lodging industry going forward?
Travel is the great unifier, and that’s why I’m genuinely excited about the year ahead. We have dynamic opportunities with the World Cup, America250, and other major events in 2026. These moments will bring people from around the country and around the world to cities across the country. The entire industry is delighted to welcome them to our destinations and hotels. We need our host cities to show well and provide an experience that excites visitors in a safe and pleasing environment that creates more demand for our great country.
