Contrarian thinker on AI, leadership, and the future of hospitality.
3,000+ leaders subscribe · Free · No spam
BUILDING
WHAT
MATTERS.
Sloan Dean is a hospitality industry veteran, executive advisor, and podcast host who has spent his career proving that culture and performance are not competing forces — they are the same force. A Georgia Tech industrial engineer by training, he approaches every business problem with the same rigor he brings to the gym 5+ days a week.
As COO and then CEO & President of Remington Hospitality from 2018 to 2025, Sloan joined a company with zero third-party managed hotels and built it into a portfolio of over 100 properties — expanding across the US and into the Caribbean and Latin America. He was recognized as one of Dallas's most influential business leaders and named to the Dallas 500 multiple years in a row — one of the few hospitality executives to earn that distinction consecutively.
Today, he channels that experience into "Not Done" — a weekly podcast and platform for leaders who refuse to stop growing. His focus: AI, contrarian leadership, wellness as a performance edge, and the next era of business.
"I want to change the trajectory of hotel operations in the world. We are living at the intersection of yesterday and tomorrow with AI & Robotics set to change everything. I want to leave a legacy that reimagines the stay experience in hotels without losing the humanity in hospitality."
— Sloan Dean
HOW I
THINK.
Always a Student
You can be at the top and still be learning. The moment you stop being curious is the moment you start becoming irrelevant.
AI for People
AI is a tool that amplifies human potential — not a replacement for it. The leaders who understand this will define the next era.
Wellness as Edge
Fitness, sleep, and mental clarity aren't perks. They are the performance infrastructure that makes everything else possible.
Contrarian by Design
Playing safe is the fastest path to irrelevance. The best decisions are often the ones that make the room uncomfortable.
THE
WORK.
NOT DONE
Podcast Host & Executive Advisor
Contrarian thinking on AI, hospitality, leadership, and business. Weekly conversations with industry leaders pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
Remington Hospitality
CEO & President
Joined Remington with zero third-party managed hotels. In seven years, grew the portfolio to over 100 hotels — transforming the company's culture, expanding across the US and into the Caribbean and Latin America, and earning recognition as one of Dallas's most influential business leaders.
Remington Hospitality
COO
Joined Remington as Chief Operating Officer, building the operational foundation and leadership infrastructure that would fuel the company's rapid third-party growth.
Ashford Inc.
SVP, Underwriting & Revenue Optimization
Four years driving revenue strategy and underwriting across a diversified hospitality investment portfolio. Achieved Total Company Same Store RPI growth every year from 2014 through 2017.
IHG, Noble Investment Group, Alliance Hospitality & Interstate Hotels
Marketing, Revenue, Sales, Operations & Development Leadership
Built the operational and analytical foundation across IHG, Noble Investment Group, Alliance Hospitality, and Interstate Hotels — the diverse experience that would define a career at the intersection of hospitality and performance.
FRIENDS
OF SLOAN.
Outside the podcast, Sloan serves as a trusted advisor and convener — working directly with companies and bringing industry leaders together for the kind of honest, off-the-record conversations that actually move the needle.
Ponte
Advising the leadership team at Ponte — a next-generation AI recruiting agent for hospitality that automates hiring workflows for hourly roles. Ponte raised a $3M seed round led by Harlem Capital and is working with leading hotel groups to streamline hiring and improve candidate conversion.
Ponte Raises $3M Seed — Harlem Capital →Frontline Performance Group (FPG)
Serving as Chairperson at FPG, the hospitality industry's global leader in driving incremental revenue — present in 2,500+ hotels across 120 countries. FPG recently launched CheckMax, AI-powered F&B performance software that can double restaurant profits.
FPG Launches CheckMax with AI Insights — PR Newswire →Friends of Sloan — Thought Leadership Dinners
Curated, invitation-only dinners bringing together C-suite leaders, owner-operators, asset managers, and tech founders for honest peer-to-peer dialogue on where hospitality is headed. Held at ALIS, The Lodging Conference, and NYU.
NO PANELS.
JUST REAL
CONVERSATIONS.
Inspired by his experience co-founding YPO DFW, Sloan hosts curated, invitation-only dinners at major industry conferences — ALIS, The Lodging Conference, NYU — where C-suite leaders, owner-operators, asset managers, and tech founders gather for peer-to-peer dialogue on where hospitality is headed.
No keynotes. No panels. No pitches. Just the sharpest minds in the room, exchanging ideas that matter.
NOT
DONE.
Contrarian thinking with Sloan Dean — covering AI, hospitality, leadership, and business. Weekly conversations with the people reshaping industries.
Eight months in, the Not Done podcast has hosted some of the sharpest minds in hospitality, leadership, and technology. Along the way, patterns emerged — hard-won lessons about growth, culture, AI, and what it actually takes to lead at the highest level. This document distills the most important insights from the first season into one free read. No fluff. No filler. Just the ideas worth keeping.
Founder of Mews on how "It took 14 years to become an overnight success."
Richard Valtr, Founder of Mews, shares the story behind reshaping hospitality tech — from frustration to a $2.5B valuation.
From Bellman to Chief Development Officer: Brian Quinn's Journey
Brian Quinn, former CDO of Sonesta International Hotels, on his journey from bellman to the C-suite and the future of hotel brands.
CEO of Choice Hotels, Pat Pacious, on Leading the Economy/Midscale Segment
Patrick Pacious, CEO of Choice Hotels, on consumer demand, the World Cup impact, and Choice's bet on extended stay.
CEO of Kasa on the Sonder Fallout and Scaling the Next Gen of Hotel Management Companies
Roman Pedan, CEO of Kasa, on lessons from Sonder's collapse, tech-enabled hospitality, and the future of AI in hotel ops.
IN THE
PRESS.
Meet the Dallas 500: Sloan Dean, Remington Hospitality
D CEO Magazine profiles Sloan Dean as part of the Dallas 500 — recognizing Dallas's most influential business leaders. Dean discusses Remington's Caribbean expansion, wellness travel, AI in hospitality, and his approach to authentic leadership.
Frontline Performance Group Launches CheckMax with AI Insights to Maximize F&B Profits
Sloan Dean is quoted in the FPG CheckMax launch: "When I was at Remington, I brought FPG's front desk solution into every single hotel. Their F&B capabilities are not only amazing but also compelling and truly innovative."
Ponte Raises $3M Seed to Connect Hispanic Immigrant Workers with Employers
Harlem Capital leads Ponte's $3M seed round — the hospitality labor platform Sloan advises. Ponte has onboarded 60,000+ job seekers and placed 800+ workers in hospitality roles, starting with housekeeping and culinary positions.
Staffing Shortages Pose a Threat to Hotels' Budding Recovery
"There have been weekends where I've had to let rooms go vacant because we didn't have enough people to clean them." Quoted on the severity of the hotel staffing crisis — Remington had ~500 open positions across 78 properties at the time.
Creating Culture: Remington CEO on the Path Ahead
Cover story interview at ALIS 2022 on the pandemic's impact on the hotel industry, growth strategy, and the centrality of company culture to Remington's competitive advantage.
ON THE
STAGE.
Book Sloan to Speak →AI & The Future of Hospitality
From Prompt Engineering to Operational Transformation
Sloan breaks down exactly how AI is reshaping hotel operations — from revenue management and labor scheduling to guest experience and ownership communications. Drawing on his MIT executive education and his widely-distributed Hotel GM Prompt Guide, this talk gives leaders a practical, no-hype framework for deploying AI today. Audiences leave with real prompts they can use in the next 10 minutes.
Contrarian Leadership
Why Playing Safe Is the Fastest Path to Irrelevance
What does it actually take to lead through disruption? Sloan draws on his experience scaling Remington from 0 to 100+ hotels to challenge conventional wisdom about culture, performance, and what it means to build something that lasts. This talk is for leaders who are willing to be uncomfortable — and who understand that the best decisions are often the ones that make the room nervous.
2026 Hotel Industry Predictions
10 Forces Reshaping the Lodging Landscape
Sloan's annual predictions — published via Not Done Weekly and the Not Done Podcast — cut through the noise to identify the forces that will actually define the next 12–24 months in hospitality. From OTA dominance and AI-powered search to brand proliferation and the coming workforce disruption, this talk gives owners, operators, and investors a clear-eyed view of where the industry is headed.
FROM
LINKEDIN.
Follow on LinkedIn →Sloan posts 5–10 times a week on AI, hospitality, leadership, and contrarian thinking. Follow along for the unfiltered version.
CONTACT
SLOAN.
For speaking engagements, advisory inquiries, or media requests, send a message below. Sloan reads every one.
Dallas, Texas