Speaking and Education
Karla Ellsworth - Speaker Bio
Karla Ellsworth brings over 30 years of combined hospitality and construction experience to the hotel industry, focusing on hospitality investment protection for owners, investors, and hospitality organizations. Her career is dedicated to helping clients make informed decisions before, during, and after significant renovations.
Through Ellsworth Construction Services, Karla offers independent construction advisory, property due diligence, capital planning, and asset evaluation services to hospitality owners, investors, developers, REITs, lenders, and asset managers across the nation.
Her extensive experience encompasses select-service, full-service, and luxury hospitality assets, with notable projects involving major hotel brands such as Hilton, Marriott, IHG, Choice, and boutique hotel organizations. She has successfully managed over $125 million in hospitality construction, renovation, PIPs, capital improvement, and new-build projects.
Karla's owner-side perspective provides her with a unique understanding of the intricacies of hotel renovation strategies, particularly how a project transitions from a brand requirement on paper to an operational reality that influences budgets, guest experience, and profitability.
Her work is focused on assisting owners in identifying risks early, comprehending the true costs of renovations, prioritizing capital expenditures, and avoiding costly mistakes that can arise when planning is confined to the construction budget.
Additionally, Karla is the creator of the Ellsworth Insight Series, which offers practical education and resources on due diligence, capital planning, property condition assessments, asset preservation, and hotel renovations for hospitality owners and investors.
Her signature presentation, “Surviving a Brand PIP Without Losing Your Profitability,” delivers a practical, owner-focused approach to navigating brand PIPs, enabling hotel owners and investors to protect the value and profitability of their investments.
Karla's goal is clear: to help hospitality owners make informed decisions prior to committing their capital and to safeguard their investment long after construction begins.
Hospitality Renovation Advisory: Speaking and Education
Surviving a Brand PIP Without Losing Your Profitability
Protecting Your Hospitality Investment Before, During, and After Construction
This 30-minute presentation, led by Karla Ellsworth, gives hotel owners and investors practical insights into the decisions that can determine whether a brand PIP becomes a manageable capital investment—or a costly disruption to the property.
The presentation covers:
Before You Buy That Hotel — understanding the physical condition, upcoming PIP requirements, deferred maintenance, and hidden capital exposure before acquisition.
Surviving the Brand PIP — grasping what the brand expects, identifying where owners can lose control of costs, and how to align the PIP with the property's actual needs effectively.
Protecting Your Capital Investment Before Construction Begins — establishing realistic budgets, priorities, schedules, and project controls to safeguard your hospitality investment protection before committing significant capital.
The mistakes that cost owners the most — including inadequate due diligence, underestimating hidden conditions, failing to coordinate brand requirements with property needs, and treating construction as simply a contractor problem.
Protecting profitability throughout the renovation — balancing capital investment, guest experience, operational disruption, schedule, and long-term asset value with hotel renovation strategies.
The core message is that a successful PIP isn't solely about completing the brand's requirements. It's about protecting the owner's investment while effectively meeting those requirements.
