Today’s guest bought a roadside motel in a town of 900 people and turned it into a thriving hospitality brand.

In this episode of the Hotel Investor Playbook, Mike and Nate sit down with Austin Phippen, a 26‑year‑old owner of Chama Trails Motel, a portfolio of 12 short-term rentals and a scenic wedding venue in Chama, New Mexico.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• The “Motel Hack” mindset: How Austin got in with seller financing and turned the motel into both home and business
• Scaling without overbuilding: Why he ran it “as-is” in year one and focused on reviews before renovations
• Bundling to build a team: How combining the motel, STRs, and a venue created enough revenue for full staffing
• Remote operations, done right: What you must know before investing in a rural town you don’t live in
• Marketing that works: Why Google reviews and great operations now drive over 85% of bookings directly

If you’re serious about hospitality investing, especially in rural or seasonal markets, this episode is a must-listen masterclass in bootstrapping, brand-building, and sustainable growth.

About Austin

Austin and Karlee Phippen are the powerhouse couple behind Turquoise Antler Hospitality, a growing portfolio of boutique rentals, a 16-room motel, and a stunning wedding venue in Chama, New Mexico. Since launching in 2019, they've transformed a small-town motel into a thriving hospitality brand with a team of 20 and over a dozen co-hosted properties. With Austin’s background in construction and Karlee’s roots in hospitality, they’ve created unique stays that blend rustic charm with modern comfort. In this episode, they share how they scaled their business, built community partnerships, and navigated the wild world of rural hospitality.

Connect with Austin

Email: austin@turquoiseantler.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-phippen-730569124/

Instagram: @chamavacationrentals and @phippenout

Website: https://chamavacationrentals.com/

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

In this episode of the Hotel Investor Playbook, Mike and Nate sit down with Brian Linton, co-founder of Finding Promised Land, Camp Ferncrest, and The Rex Hotel. Brian shares how he transitioned from building a $20M apparel company to launching one of the fastest-growing outdoor hospitality brands in the U.S.

Key Topics:

• How a rundown motel purchase during COVID led to a hospitality empire
• Navigating zoning issues, STR restrictions, and neighborhood pushback
• What to look for in land: acreage, utilities, proximity to population, and state parks
• Why owning your business outright may beat raising capital
• How Brian is using a franchise model to scale Ferncrest to 100+ sites
• The power of social media: growing to 350K+ followers and millions in revenue

Whether you’re an investor, a landowner, or just glamping-curious, this episode is packed with insights on how to scale a meaningful hospitality business without sacrificing ownership or creativity.

Got a deal you want to discuss? Send it our way here: https://link.apisystem.tech/widget/form/28iLM67xiWWNkekg8ONt

About Brian

Brian is the founder of Finding Promised Land, a hospitality and education company helping landowners turn underutilized land into profitable glamping retreats. After building United By Blue into a $20M sustainable apparel brand, he transitioned into outdoor hospitality with The Rex Hotel and Camp Ferncrest. Now focused on scaling Ferncrest through a franchise model, Brian is on a mission to make nature-based stays more accessible, profitable, and thoughtfully designed.

Connect with Brian

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianlinton/

Website: https://findingpromisedland.com/

Instagram: @findingpromisedland & @campferncrest

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

Not sure if your tax advisor is actually optimizing your returns, or just filing forms? In this episode of the Hotel Investor Playbook, we’re joined by Kelly Tate, a CPA with over two decades of experience helping real estate and hospitality investors navigate the tax code with confidence.

We dive into key strategies like bonus depreciation, Section 179, and cost segregation, and explore how to structure your entities to maximize tax efficiency, especially when you’re juggling both real estate ownership and active operations.

Whether you’re an experienced sponsor or just scaling into your first hotel deal, this conversation will help you ask better questions, avoid common pitfalls, and gain peace of mind that your CPA is adding real value.

Topics Covered:

• The difference between Section 179 and bonus depreciation
• How cost segregation works and when to use it
• Why your entity structure matters more than you think
• How to know if your CPA is the right fit for real estate investing
• When to consider getting a second opinion on your tax strategy

About Kelly

Kelly Tate is a seasoned CPA, entrepreneur, and Co-Founder/CFO of KTA Financial Services, a Las Vegas-based firm specializing in bookkeeping and tax preparation for franchise owners. With over 15 years of experience, Kelly has built a reputation for helping clients navigate taxation, deal structure, and financing. Through KTA and his own firm, Kelly Tate CPA, he serves hundreds of businesses with innovative financial solutions and proprietary technology. His mission: to simplify and elevate financial operations so business owners can focus on growth.

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

We're proving why hostels are one of the most powerful investment models in real estate. In this episode, Mike and Nate break down exactly why they’re going all-in on hostels and how they turn underperforming assets into award-winning hospitality destinations.

You’ll learn:

• Why the U.S. hostel market is ripe for disruption
• The revenue model that turns $100 rooms into $300 cash machines
• How their guest-first brand became a marketing engine
• Why “flawed” properties are actually a goldmine for this model
• What Gen Z travelers are demanding and why hostels deliver
• Plus, some hints on what they're building next in Los Angeles

If you’ve ever considered buying a boutique hotel or investing in experiential hospitality, this episode will give you a whole new lens.

Listen now and learn why hostels might be the highest-ROI play in the game.

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

You don’t need to be an expert in everything to scale in hospitality, just need to align with the right consultants, operators, and partners who’ve done it before.

In this episode, we sit down with Bryan Fish, CEO of Reliance Hospitality, to unpack how third-party operators help investors go from scrappy operators to institutional-level players. Bryan shares what most owners get wrong during acquisitions, how franchise agreements really work behind the scenes, and why your ability to scale comes down to the team you build around you.

If you’re trying to grow beyond single assets and build a serious hospitality portfolio, this episode lays out the roadmap.

About Our Guest:

Bryan Fish is the CEO of Reliance Hospitality, a full-service hotel management, development, and consultancy firm with a growing portfolio across the U.S. and Europe. With experience opening and operating over 100 hotels, Brian brings deep expertise in brand strategy, operational efficiency, and investor alignment. Through Reliance, he helps owners optimize performance, navigate franchise relationships, and scale with confidence—whether they’re launching their first boutique or repositioning a $50M asset.

Email: bfish@reliancehospitality.com

Website: www.reliancehospitality.com

Instagram: @bryan.fish

LinkedIn: Bryan Fish

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

After helping scale a family office real estate portfolio from $3 million to over $320 million, Reilly Brennan walked away from the comfort of a W-2 job to carve his own path in boutique hospitality.

In this episode, we sit down with Reilly to unpack how he sourced and acquired two independent hotels in Duluth, Minnesota, one through creative seller financing, the other straight off LoopNet. We break down his underwriting process, deal structure, construction strategy, and how he’s building a brand that reflects his values, not someone else’s investment thesis.

You’ll also hear:

• Why Reilly left the multifamily world for experiential hospitality
• How he underwrote a $700K deal in real time, then moved fast to close it
• His approach to FF&E, design, and building a team from scratch
• What it actually feels like to go all-in on your own vision
• The hidden value of small deals when you’re playing a long game

Whether you’re just getting started or thinking about scaling, this episode is full of honest insight about the hard work and fulfillment that come with betting on yourself.

Connect with Reilly:

Website: https://www.thetrailsidehotel.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.brennan.buzz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reilly-brennan-258968172/

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

In this episode, we dive into an uncommon but powerful financing strategy that could change how boutique hospitality projects get funded. Ian Joseph, founder of Branch, shares how he’s leveraging a USDA Rural Business Development loan to finance a $6M micro resort buildout in West Virginia - with just 3% down.

We break down the entire capital stack, how USDA loans work for ground-up hospitality development, and why this financing tool is often overlooked by small to mid-size investors. Ian also shares his approach to designing high-ADR resort cabins, partnering with local economies, and building a scalable brand without taking on unnecessary overhead.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why USDA Rural Business Development loans are a hidden gem for hospitality developers
• How Ian structured a potential 97% LTV loan for his $6M project
• His step-by-step process for identifying profitable “hidden gem” towns
• How to market a boutique resort before it’s even built (and pre-sell stays)
• The economics behind luxury micro resorts vs. short-term rentals
• How to scale hospitality assets while staying community-focused

Whether you’re an aspiring boutique hotel investor or looking for creative ways to finance your next project, this episode is a masterclass in using leverage the smart way.

Connect with Ian:

Email: ian@staywithbranch.com

Website: https://staywithbranch.com

Instagram: @staywithbranch

Facebook: Staywithbranch

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com

In this episode of the Hotel Investor Playbook, we sit down with Suraj Desai, a hospitality finance expert who has helped close hundreds of hotel deals, to unpack everything you need to know about financing your next acquisition, renovation, or ground-up development.

Suraj breaks down the full capital stack, from SBA 7a and 504 loans to bridge, CMBS, and mezzanine debt. He explains which types of financing work best for boutique hotels vs. flagged assets, why banks are pulling back, and what it really takes to get a deal funded in 2025.

We also cover:

• The difference between good collateral and great sponsorship (and why you need both in today’s market)
• How to use bridge and mezzanine loans to scale faster, even with limited equity
• The truth about SBA loans: how they work, who they’re for, and the major difference between 7a and 504
• What CMBS lenders really look for (and why they’re not always the bad guys)

If you’re serious about buying your next hotel or just want to understand what lenders are looking for right now, this episode is a must-listen. It’s a masterclass in real-world hotel financing.

About Suraj:

Suraj Desai leads the hospitality practice at Black Bear Capital Partners, a nationally recognized capital markets firm that has closed over $28 billion in commercial real estate financing. With more than a decade of experience and over $800 million in hospitality debt and equity transactions, Suraj specializes in structuring creative and competitive financing solutions for boutique hotels, lifestyle assets, and independent operators. His team brings deep lender relationships across all major platforms including banks, credit unions, SBA, non-recourse lenders, bridge lenders, and mezzanine providers. Suraj is widely regarded as one of the go-to brokers for hospitality financing and has helped secure funding for properties ranging from $3 million to $50 million nationwide.

Connect with Suraj:

Website: https://bbcp-llc.com/

Email: sdesai@bbcp-llc.com

Phone: 773-314-7659

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-desai-4276ba24

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: info@hotelinvestorplaybook.com