Peck Hotel Consulting Doesn't Manage Properties. It Maximizes the Spread Between NOI and Total Development Cost.

The real estate investment group had acquired a struggling boutique hotel in a prime Chicago neighborhood. The previous owner had neglected capital improvements. The brand flag was outdated. The management company was underperforming. The investment group knew the asset had potential but did not know how to unlock it. They hired Peck Hotel Consulting. Jon Peck, former COO of White Lodging where he managed operations for 155 hotels across 23 states, evaluated the property, calculated the gap between current NOI and best-in-class metrics, and delivered an implementation-ready repositioning plan within weeks.

Peck Hotel Consulting operates as a strategic advisory firm serving hotel owners, developers, and investors across the asset lifecycle. The firm's expertise spans feasibility studies, renovation and repositioning, development and project oversight, asset management, and acquisition counseling. Unlike brand-affiliated consultants who recommend brand solutions by default, Peck Consulting is independent. The firm's recommendations are driven by ROI calculations, not by franchise agreements or vendor relationships. Jon Peck holds the Certified Hotel Asset Manager (CHAM) designation and has held equity ownership positions in 20 hotels over 15 years. That owner perspective informs every engagement.

The revenue model is fee-for-service with project-based pricing. Clients pay for specific deliverables: site evaluation, supply and demand analysis, brand and franchisor recommendation, income proforma, draft development budget, programming recommendations, management company selection and negotiation, owner representation, PIP oversight, and ongoing asset management reporting. The firm also offers a development services starter kit bundling site evaluation, programming, brand recommendation, income proforma, and draft development budget into a single engagement. With over 60 successful hotel openings, acquisitions, and renovations completed, the firm serves real estate investment groups new to hospitality, high-net-worth individuals, and corporations without internal development teams.

The Owner-Operator Credential as a Trust Accelerator

Most hotel consultants have never owned a hotel. Jon Peck has held equity positions in 20 properties over 15 years. That distinction changes every conversation. A client considering a $50 million hotel acquisition knows that Peck has made similar decisions with his own capital. The advice carries weight because the advisor has skin in the game. Peck's operational background as White Lodging COO adds another layer: he has managed 155 hotels, so he knows which brand standards drive profitability and which drive unnecessary expense. The combination of owner and operator experience compressed the trust-building phase of client relationships. A real estate group that would spend months vetting a traditional consultant hires Peck after one conversation.

The Development Services Starter Kit as a Lead Generation Engine

Peck Consulting's development services starter kit bundles five deliverables: site evaluation, programming, brand/franchisor recommendation, income proforma, and draft development budget. The kit is priced as a single engagement, which lowers the barrier to entry for first-time hotel developers. A high-net-worth individual who wants to build a 50-room boutique hotel does not know what questions to ask. The starter kit answers those questions before the client spends money on architects, attorneys, or land acquisition. For Peck Consulting, the starter kit serves as a loss leader. Clients who purchase the kit return for renovation oversight, asset management, and acquisition counseling as their projects advance. The kit also generates referrals. A first-time developer who successfully opens a hotel tells other investors about Peck.

The ROI Formula as a Decision Framework

Peck Consulting's website displays a simple formula: ROI = NOI / Total Development Cost. The formula is not novel. The firm's application of it is. Every recommendation brand selection, renovation scope, management company choice, capital expenditure timing is evaluated against its impact on NOI and total development cost. A client considering a $2 million lobby renovation sees the ROI calculation. A client evaluating two management companies sees the NOI projection under each. A client deciding between a Marriott flag and an independent positioning sees the tradeoff between brand contribution fees and ADR premium. The formula also disciplines the firm's own recommendations. Peck does not recommend a renovation that cannot demonstrate a clear ROI.

The Gap Analysis as an Asset Management Tool

Peck Consulting's asset management practice begins with a gap analysis: current property-level performance compared to best-in-class metrics for comparable properties. The gap is calculated in dollars. A hotel generating $2 million in annual NOI against a best-in-class benchmark of $2.5 million has a $500,000 gap. Peck identifies the drivers of that gap labor productivity, ADR optimization, cost controls, revenue management and builds an implementation-ready plan to close it. The gap analysis transforms asset management from a vague concept into a measurable financial target. A client who hires Peck for ongoing asset management receives quarterly reports tracking gap closure progress.

The First-Time Buyer Niche as a Competitive Moat

Hotel acquisition consulting is a crowded field. Most firms target institutional investors with large portfolios. Peck Consulting targets the opposite segment: first-time hotel buyers. Real estate investment groups that have acquired office buildings, retail centers, or multifamily properties but have never bought a hotel. High-net-worth individuals who want to own a hotel as a lifestyle asset and investment. Corporations that need a hotel for training or executive lodging and decide to own rather than lease. This segment has less price sensitivity than institutional buyers because the transaction is smaller and more personal. The segment also has higher demand for hand-holding, which generates more fee hours. Peck Consulting's positioning as the expert for first-time buyers is a deliberate choice that reduces competition from larger firms.

By 2026, Peck Hotel Consulting has completed over 60 hotel openings, acquisitions, and renovations without the scale of a national consulting firm. The firm's independence is its advantage. No brand affiliation. No management company ownership. No preferred vendor list that generates kickbacks. Jon Peck's advice is driven by one question: what maximizes the client's ROI? That question has guided 20 equity positions, 155 managed hotels, and 60 consulting engagements. Peck Hotel Consulting does not claim to be the largest hospitality advisory firm. It claims to be the one that calculates the gap, closes the gap, and takes an equity position in the outcome.

Jon Peck, Principal

"Our mission is to provide hotel owners, developers, and investors with the insights, tools, and strategies needed to achieve their financial objectives. From initial planning to long-term management, we ensure every project is executed with precision and care."