GMH Bonus: The Roami Exit — Founders Reflect on Selling the Company
Good Morning Hospitality
03/10/26
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In this special GMH Bonus episode, Brandy Canaley sits down with Roami co-founders Andreas King-Geovanis and Iskander Karimov following the official sale of the Roami brand to CozySuites.
After nearly a decade building one of the largest apart-hotel operators in South Florida and New Orleans, the founders reflect on the journey from startup to exit. The conversation explores how Roami scaled quickly, navigated major industry shifts like COVID, and grew the portfolio through opportunistic expansion and operational hustle.
Brandy, Andreas, and Iskander also share behind-the-scenes stories from the early days of the company, the culture and core values that shaped the team, and the emotional reality of stepping away from a business they spent years building. They discuss why CozySuites stood out as the right buyer, what it means that the Roami brand and employees will continue on, and where each founder is heading next.
It’s a candid look at the highs, challenges, and lessons from building and selling a hospitality company.
Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Previous Episode
On this week's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane break down the latest headlines shaping travel and short-term rentals.
They start with OpenAI walking back plans for in-chat checkout in ChatGPT, a move that shifts the platform back toward discovery rather than transactions and eases pressure on OTAs like Expedia Group and Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG).
They also unpack comments from Expedia Group’s CFO about how the company has “radically changed the direction” of the business with new performance metrics and strategic priorities.
The team then looks at cancellation trends hitting vacation rentals in the United Arab Emirates, where regional instability is beginning to ripple through bookings, before diving into analysis on whether Airbnb may need acquisitions if it truly wants to “own the entire trip.”
They also highlight Breezeway’s recent funding news following the bonus interview with Jeremy Gall released earlier last week.
Next Episode
On this week’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down how AI is quickly becoming a bigger part of hotel strategy, from Hilton’s new AI travel planner to analysts predicting that years of hotel tech investments could finally start delivering real earnings gains.
They also examine how rising oil prices could push airline fares higher and how government shutdown pressures are already creating TSA staffing shortages and longer airport security lines across the U.S.
Finally, in the Unhinged Story of the Week, an SAS flight bound for Málaga turns around mid-air after a mouse is spotted onboard, proving even the smallest stowaway can derail a flight.
Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
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