How to Buy a Hotel (Without Being Rich)

On this episode of Suite Success, host Katie Cline sits down with Davonne Reaves—hotel owner, asset manager, and founder of The Vonne Group—to break down how hotel deals actually get done. From her start at the front desk to managing over $1 billion in hotel assets, Davonne has built a career rooted in understanding both the operational and financial sides of the business. Today, she’s focused on making hotel ownership more accessible and showing others what’s truly possible. This conversation goes beyond surface-level advice. Davonne unpacks the realities of the capital stack, how investors play a role in funding deals, and why most people are thinking about “affordability” all wrong. She also shares why starting smaller is often the smartest move, and how building the right team can make or break a deal. The result is a clear, honest look at what it really takes to buy a hotel—and why it might be more within reach than most people think. This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠Lodgify⁠⁠ &⁠⁠ Bilt⁠ 00:00 Welcome to Suite Success 00:38 Meet Davonne Reaves 03:04 Path to Ownership 05:10 Asset Management Lessons 08:39 First Hotel Deal 12:25 Capital Stack Basics 17:27 Crowdfunding  22:36 Asset Management Explained 25:52 Hotels Need Humans 26:57 Service Scores Collapse 28:37 You Cannot AI Hospitality 29:50 Start Small Strategy 32:06 How to Pick the Right Investment 33:58 Big Brands versus Independent 35:13 Pitching Lenders 37:05 Build the Right Team 39:39 First Deal Fundamentals 40:44 Passive Investing  49:14 Suite Summary ⁠Connect with Davonne:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Davonne's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davonnereaves ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Vonne Group's Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://thevonnegroup.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vesterr's Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://vesterr.com/ Links: Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Suite Success Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Katie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠