Great Lakes Management Group

What Great Lakes Management Group does

Great Lakes Management Group (GLMG) is a Wisconsin-based, privately held hospitality property development and management firm founded in 1997 and headquartered in Madison. The company manages and operates a portfolio of 14 hotels across six U.S. states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, and Florida) under franchise agreements with the three largest global hotel brands — Hilton (Hampton Inn & Suites, Tru by Hilton, Spark by Hilton), IHG (Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Staybridge Suites, voco), and Marriott (TownePlace Suites) — and also operates a GrandStay property. Beyond hotels, GLMG runs apartment communities (e.g., Fairfax Lofts in Kansas City) and three branded restaurants (Star Bar & Bistro, Dott Boss, Palette Bar & Grill).

GLMG monetizes through three core revenue streams: managed hotel services (full-service operations including sales, revenue management, reservations, housekeeping, maintenance, and staffing), property development services (site planning, brand negotiation, contractor selection, FF&E procurement, and pre-opening execution), and apartment management. Pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is enterprise-direct, anchored by referrals from banking partners and property investors, supplemented by visibility through franchisor award programs and a USA Today Top Workplace employer brand.

The firm is founder-led (Neil Densmore, Certified Hotel Administrator with 35+ years), supported by a VP of Operations, a dedicated Director of Revenue Management (hired 2023 from IHG), a Director of Facilities, regional operations managers, and a general manager per property. Operations are recognized as top-decile within multiple franchisor systems — including three consecutive IHG Owner/Operator Excellence Awards (2022-2024), multi-year Hilton Conrad (top 1%) and Lighthouse (top 5%) awards for Hampton Inn La Crosse, and consecutive Marriott Gold Circle Awards. No AI/ML technology stack, proprietary platform, or external funding is disclosed; growth is funded organically through operational cash flow and property-level expansion.

Name

Great Lakes Management Group

Legal name

Great Lakes Management Group

Website

https://glmghotels.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Management Group is a privately held Wisconsin-based hospitality firm that develops, owns, and operates 14 hotels under Hilton, IHG, and Marriott franchises across six U.S. states, plus apartment communities and restaurants, serving property owners and investors with full-service management and development services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hotel Management Services: Full-service property management for hotels including sales and marketing, revenue management, financial oversight, reservations, housekeeping, maintenance, and staffing.
2. Property Development: Professional site development services from early stages through opening day, including preliminary operating budgets, contractor selection, FF&E procurement, and pre-opening operations planning.
3. Apartment Management: Management of apartment communities including mortgage analysis, property tax management, insurance oversight, occupancy management, and vendor coordination.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Management Group (GLMG) is a private hospitality management company that provides full-service hotel and apartment property management, property development, and pre-opening services. The company operates 14 hotels across 6 states under franchise brands including Hilton, IHG, Marriott, and Choice Hotels, alongside apartment communities. Services are delivered to hospitality property owners, developers, and investors.

Product overview

Great Lakes Management Group is a Midwest hotel management and property development company operating a portfolio of 14 award-winning hotels across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, and Florida, representing Hilton, IHG, and Marriott brands. The company's product portfolio consists of managed hotel properties (including Hotel Indigo, Hampton Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Tru by Hilton, TownePlace Suites, Staybridge Suites, Spark by Hilton, voco, and GrandStay), apartment communities (Fairfax Lofts), and restaurants (Star Bar & Bistro, Dott Boss, Palette Bar & Grill). Supporting these properties are three core service offerings: Property Development (planning through opening day), Hotel Pre-Opening Services (sales, marketing, operations, staffing), and Hotel Operations Management (daily operations, maintenance, marketing, personnel, accounting). The company also manages apartment properties with investment real estate management services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hotel Property Management Full-service management of franchise hotels operating under Hilton, IHG, Marriott, and Choice Hotels brands, including operations oversight and brand compliance, delivered to hospitality property owners and investors.
• Apartment Property Management Management services for apartment communities, delivered to apartment property owners and investors.
• Property Development Hospitality property development services supporting new hotel and apartment construction projects for real estate developers and investors.
• Hotel Pre-Opening Services Pre-opening services to prepare and launch new hotel properties, including setup, staffing, and brand-standard readiness for franchise compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Properties regularly achieve top 1% to top 5% rankings within their respective hotel brands
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HiltoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGLMG operates hotels under Hilton brands including Hampton Inn & Suites, Tru by Hilton, Spark by Hilton, and GrandStay Hotel & Suites. Hilton provides brand standards, reservation systems, marketing support, and loyalty program infrastructure while GLMG manages day-to-day hotel operations.
• IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGLMG operates multiple IHG brands including Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Staybridge Suites, and voco. IHG provides brand recognition, global distribution systems, and operational support while GLMG handles property management and development.
• Marriott InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGLMG operates TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Marriott provides brand standards, Bonvoy loyalty program, reservation systems, and marketing support while GLMG manages property operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Schulte Hospitality Group: Multi-brand hotel owner/operator with Midwest regional presence, similar to GLMG's geographic concentration.
• Marcus Hotels & Resorts: Milwaukee-based hotel owner-operator and management company with strong Midwest focus and a mixed portfolio of branded and independent properties. Closely comparable to GLMG in regional footprint and Wisconsin operational base.
• Columbia Hospitality: Seattle-based hospitality management and consulting company operating hotels, restaurants, and event venues in the Pacific Northwest. Comparable to GLMG in integrated hotel/restaurant/development service offerings, though with a different regional base.

Direct peers

• Aimbridge Hospitality: One of the largest third-party hotel management companies in North America, operating a diverse multi-brand portfolio across Hilton, IHG, Marriott, Hyatt, and InterContinental families. Direct comparability to GLMG in serving multi-brand owner clients with full-service management contracts.
• Pyramid Hotel Group: Boston-based third-party hotel management company operating branded properties across major chains. Comparable to GLMG in multi-brand management focus and full-service operating model.
• Crescent Hotels & Resorts: Owner/operator and third-party manager of branded hotels and resorts across the U.S. Closely comparable to GLMG in providing full-service hotel management for institutional and individual owners across major brand families.
• TPG Hotels & Resorts: Somerset, NJ-based hotel management company operating branded properties under Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt. Comparable scale and multi-brand operating model to GLMG.
• Sage Hospitality Group: Denver-based hotel management, ownership, and development firm operating branded and independent properties. Comparable to GLMG in combining development with ongoing management across multi-brand portfolios.
• HRI Lodging (HRI Hospitality): Hotel owner-operator and third-party manager of branded upper-upscale and select-service hotels across major brand families. Direct competitor to GLMG in multi-brand third-party management with a similar property-count footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Highgate Hotels: Large hospitality platform with hotel management, real estate investment, and ownership capabilities. Larger and more diversified than GLMG but operates in the same third-party management space across branded full-service and select-service hotels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-lakes-management-group-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes Management Group