The Highland Group

What The Highland Group does

The Highland Group, formally The Highland Group Hotel Investment Advisors, Inc., is a privately held hotel investment consulting firm founded in 1989 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (1266 West Paces Ferry Road #148, 30327). The firm provides independent market research and strategic counsel to the hospitality industry with deep specialization in extended-stay hotels, boutique hotels, and corporate housing — segments it has tracked continuously since 1992. Professionals at the firm have completed more than 2,400 hotel assignments across primary and secondary markets in the United States, Canada, and three European countries (England, Belgium, and Hungary), and have studied more than 200 extended-stay markets.

The firm's core offering is a portfolio of specialized advisory services and proprietary research. Consulting services include site-specific market and feasibility studies, impact studies for hotel franchisees, lender services (asset evaluation, troubled-loan work), valuations prepared under USPAP guidelines, and expert witness/litigation support. Complementing consulting, the firm publishes and sells — through its online storefront at shop.highland-group.net — annual research reports including the Extended-Stay Lodging Market Reports (since 1999), the Corporate Housing Report (since 2000, produced in partnership with the Corporate Housing Providers Association), The Boutique Hotel Report, the US Short-Term Rental Market Report, and "US Extended-Stay Hotels: The Complete History," a database product containing more than 20,000 statistics covering supply, demand, occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR across economy, mid-price, and upscale rate segments.

The Highland Group operates as a partnership with approximately five to seven core professionals, led by partners Mark Skinner and Kim Bardoul (ISHC), with supporting consultants Lisa Johnston, Conni Atkinson, and Tori Bardoul. Revenue is generated through two streams: project-based professional services fees (feasibility studies, impact studies, valuations, expert testimony, multi-year consulting engagements quoted on a per-project basis) and one-time license sales of published research reports. Clients include multinational hotel companies, Wall Street investment banks, REITs, municipalities, hotel franchisees, and developers, with relationships spanning in some cases more than two decades. Marketing is primarily referral-driven, supplemented by partners' speaking engagements at industry conferences (Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, Choice Hotels Annual Conference, ESLA workshops) and earned media via trade publication quotes.

Name

The Highland Group

Legal name

The Highland Group Hotel Investment Advisors, Inc.

Website

https://highland-group.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Highland Group is a privately held, Atlanta-based hotel investment consulting firm founded in 1989, specializing in extended-stay, boutique, and corporate housing market research and feasibility studies for developers, lenders, REITs, municipalities, and franchisees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Offices of Real Estate Appraisers (53132), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation) (BPAJANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hospitality (Hotels & Resorts) Asset Management (BPAJAMAE), Debt Advisory & Financing Advisory (FSAEAGAD)

Keywords

• Hotel feasibility studies
• Hospitality consulting services
• Extended-stay market research
• Boutique hotel advisory
• Hotel impact studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for hotel market feasibility studies, impact studies, valuations, lender services, and litigation support. Commissioned by hotel developers, investors, lenders, and franchisees.
2. Published Research Reports: Sale of annual and quarterly reports on extended-stay hotels, boutique hotels, corporate housing, and short-term rentals through the online store. Includes comprehensive market data and statistical analyses.
3. Expert Witness and Litigation Support: Fees for expert testimony and litigation support services in hotel-related disputes, condemnations, bankruptcies, and franchise disputes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Highland Group is a hotel investment advisory firm that delivers commissioned feasibility studies, impact studies, valuations, lender services, and litigation support to hotel developers, investors, lenders, franchisees, and municipalities. The firm complements these consulting services with proprietary published research reports on extended-stay hotels, boutique hotels, and corporate housing, sold through an online store and supported by long-tenured datasets spanning multiple decades.

Product overview

The Highland Group is a hotel investment consulting firm offering a portfolio of specialized research reports and advisory services for the hospitality industry. Their core offerings include: Extended-Stay Lodging Market Reports (published since 1999), The Boutique Hotel Report, Corporate Housing Report (since 2000), US Extended-Stay Hotels: The Complete History, and 50 Largest Markets reports. These reports are complemented by consulting services including hotel market and feasibility studies, impact studies, litigation support, lender services, valuations, and boutique hotel feasibility studies. The company serves multinational hotel companies, Wall Street investment banks, REITS, municipalities, and hotel development firms across primary and secondary hotel markets in the US, Canada, and European countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Extended-Stay Lodging Reports: Annual comprehensive survey of the extended stay industry with interim quarterly reports and statistical reports on extended stay hotels in the 100 largest markets.
• Corporate Housing Report
• The Boutique Hotel Report

Products and services

• Extended-Stay Lodging Market Reports Annual comprehensive survey of the extended-stay lodging industry with interim quarterly reports and statistical reports on extended-stay hotels in the 100 largest US markets. Includes economy, mid-price, and upscale rate segments and an eight-year history of supply, demand, occupancy, average rate, and RevPAR.
• The Boutique Hotel Report Annual comprehensive resource for developers, operators, lenders, and brands pursuing boutique hotel development. Covers lifestyle hotels, soft brand collections, and independent boutique hotels with market data and trend analysis.
• Corporate Housing Report Annual report on the corporate housing industry produced in partnership with the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA), covering US and Canadian metropolitan areas with unit supply, occupancy, average rate, and purpose of trip data.
• US Extended-Stay Hotels: The Complete History Comprehensive historical report containing more than 20,000 statistics on extended-stay hotels in the United States, covering extended historical periods of supply, demand, occupancy, average rate, and RevPAR.
• 50 Largest Markets: ALOS, ESOC and More Statistical report covering the 50 largest US metropolitan markets with average length of stay (ALOS), Extended Stay Occupancy Code (ESOC), and additional extended-stay performance metrics.
• Hotel Market and Feasibility Studies Site-specific market and feasibility studies for proposed and existing hotels, including site analysis, local economy evaluation, competitive market analysis, and financial projections, delivered to hotel developers, investors, lenders, and franchisees.
• Impact Studies Independent third-party studies estimating potential loss to an existing franchise when a new hotel is added to a brand, involving field research, hotel interviews, and reservation system analysis, delivered to hotel franchisees and franchisors.
• Litigation Support Expert testimony and research support for hotel-related legal cases including franchise disputes, bankruptcies, condemnations, and zoning disputes, delivered to attorneys and legal teams.
• Lender Services Advisory services for lenders and loan servicers with troubled hotel loans, including management evaluation, financial performance review, and asset disposition planning.
• Valuations Hotel valuations based on discounted cash flow analysis, prepared under USPAP guidelines, for owners, developers, and litigation support engagements.
• Boutique Hotel Feasibility Studies Creative feasibility studies for one-of-a-kind boutique hotel properties, including comparable market research, demand estimation, and revenue projections, delivered to boutique hotel developers and investors.
• Extended Stay Research and Advisory Customized research and strategic advisory services for extended-stay brands, including feasibility studies, market assessments, and due diligence for investors.
• US Short-Term Rental Market Report Market report covering the US short-term rental sector, analyzing market dynamics and trends across the segment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projections for occupancy and rate are nearly dead on with actual results - conservative estimates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kalibri LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Highland Group collaborates with Kalibri Labs on the ESLA-Kalibri Labs Extended-Stay Hotel Workshop series. These workshops are held multiple times per year in various US cities (Atlanta, Dallas, Washington DC, Phoenix, Orlando) and cover industry trends, market data, and strategic insights for extended-stay hotel operators and investors.
• Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The Highland Group partners with CHPA to produce the annual Corporate Housing Industry Report, the most comprehensive national presentation of data for the corporate housing industry. The firm contributes research expertise and data analysis to create reports covering unit supply, occupancy, average rate, and purpose of trip data for US and Canadian metropolitan areas.
• Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA)minorOthersIndustry association membership. The Highland Group has made formal presentations about impact studies at AAHOA conferences.
• Extended Stay Lodging Association (ESLA)coreOthersIndustry association for the extended-stay hotel segment. The Highland Group participates in ESLA events and workshops, including the inaugural ESLA event in December 2024.
• International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC)minorOthersProfessional organization for hospitality consultants. Highland Group professionals are members, and the firm has contributed to ISHC research initiatives including the ISHC CapEx Study.
• Hunter Conference Advisory BoardminorOthersThe Highland Group participates in the Hunter Conference Advisory Board, supporting the premier hotel investment conference in the industry.
• Atlanta Hospitality AllianceminorOthersRegional hospitality industry association based in Atlanta. Kim Bardoul was appointed President-Elect in 2020, demonstrating active leadership in the local hospitality community.
• Castell ProjectminorOthersNonprofit organization focused on advancing women in hospitality. The Highland Group maintains membership in this industry initiative.
• Boutique Hotel News / Serviced Apartment NewsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Highland Group contributes content and data to The Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report published by the Apartment Service. Mark Skinner contributes the North American section of this annual global report.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lodging Econometrics: Lodging Econometrics tracks hotel construction pipelines, brand performance, and franchise trends, producing industry reports and feasibility-grade data. Comparable to Highland Group's research-driven market intelligence products for hotel investors and brands.
• HVS: HVS (Hotel Valuation Services) is the largest dedicated hospitality consulting and appraisal firm globally, providing feasibility studies, valuations, and asset management advisory to hotel investors and lenders. It is the closest direct competitor to The Highland Group's core feasibility and valuation service lines.
• Horwath HTL: Horwath HTL is one of the world's oldest hotel consulting brands, providing feasibility studies, market research, and asset management for hotels and resorts. Compares directly on full-service consulting delivery to developers, investors, and lenders globally.
• LW Hospitality Advisors: LWHA provides hotel feasibility, valuation, and litigation support services to lenders, investors, and attorneys. Direct overlap with Highland Group's lender services, valuations, and expert witness offerings.
• PKF Hospitality Group (CBRE Hotels): PKF Hospitality (now operating within CBRE Hotels) provides hotel market feasibility studies, valuations, and consulting for investors, lenders, and operators. Directly comparable to Highland Group's feasibility, impact study, and consulting offerings across the same client segments.

Regional players

• The Apartment Service: The Apartment Service is a London-based serviced apartment consultancy that publishes The Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report, where Highland Group's Mark Skinner contributes the North American section. Adjacent peer in serviced apartment/apartment-hotel research with a UK/global orientation.

Emerging players

• Kalibri Labs: Kalibri Labs is a hospitality data analytics firm focused on revenue management benchmarking, channel optimization, and extended-stay market intelligence. Already an active partner with Highland Group through the ESLA-Kalibri Labs workshops, and a partial competitor on extended-stay data products.

Broad incumbents

• STR (CoStar): STR (now part of CoStar) is the dominant hospitality data and benchmarking provider globally. While it supplies the broader industry's data infrastructure, it competes for the same hotel market intelligence budgets that fund Highland Group's research reports.
• Cushman & Wakefield (Hotels): Cushman & Wakefield's Hospitality team provides hotel investment sales, feasibility, valuation, and consulting as part of a broader commercial real estate platform. Overlaps with Highland Group on feasibility and valuation for hotel investors and lenders.
• JLL Hotels & Hospitality: JLL's Hotels & Hospitality group delivers feasibility, investment advisory, and asset management for hotel owners and investors globally. Competes with Highland Group on enterprise feasibility mandates but offers a much broader CRE service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheHighlandGrp
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/mark-skinner-09b29413

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 The Highland Group