Study Hotels Founder on Why True Independence Matters More Than Ever
Photo Credit: Study Hotels founder Paul McGowan is building his brand of university-affiliated boutique hotels slowly but surely. Study Hotels
Skift Take
When everyone else in hospitality is going asset light or turning to soft brands, Study Hotels is content to do its own thing and at its own pace.
When the first Study at Yale Hotel opened, the year was 2009. Needless to say, it was a tough market at the time.
"It was probably the worst economy in our lifetime," said Paul McGowan, founder of Study Hotels.
It wasn't until nine years later that McGowan and his team would open a second property, The Study at University City in Philadelphia. It opened early this year. In 2019, McGowan plans to open a third Study Hotel near the University of Chicago.
The first Study at Yale Hotel was a pioneer in developing the co-located university campus boutique hotel, a trend that has now flourished. This is most evident in the growth of rival Graduate Hotels, which opened its first hotels in 2014 and now has 10 properties across the U.S., primarily in secondary markets but now venturing into primary ones like Seattle and New York City.
But unlike his competitors, McGowan is content with building growth at a slower, steady pace.
"Speed wins in certain sectors, I guess," he said. "I
