How to Perform a Hotel Operator Search & Negotiate the Management Contract

When it comes to negotiating hotel management contracts, hotel owners are often at a serious disadvantage.

Why? Because hotel management companies do this all the time.

This comprehensive online course will give you the tools and knowledge to level the playing field, so you will get a fair contract.

Steve Rushmore's online course is designed for hotel owners, developers, asset managers, and hospitality professionals who need to understand and negotiate hotel management contracts from the owner’s perspective. Whether you’re building a new hotel, acquiring an existing asset, or managing a portfolio, this course provides the tools and insights to secure a fair, balanced agreement with a management company.

You’ll learn how to identify and negotiate the most critical contract provisions—such as performance tests, termination rights, owner approval rights, fees, and dispute resolution—so you can protect your investment and maintain control. Through real-world examples and proven strategies, you’ll gain the knowledge to confidently engage with hotel brands, independent operators, and legal counsel during contract negotiations. You will also learn the process of conducting an operator search that will result in obtaining the best and most competent operator to manage your hotel. Upon the successful completion of the course, you will receive the Certified Hotel Management Contract Negotiator certification and certificate showing your expertise in hotel management contracts.

Ideal for hotel consultants, appraisers, attorneys, and students pursuing careers in hospitality ownership or advisory roles, this course demystifies one of the most complex agreements in the hotel industry. While these contracts are essential to aligning the interests of owners and operators, they often tilt in favor of the management company, especially when negotiated without a thorough understanding of the risks, nuances, and leverage points available to owners.

Through engaging online video lessons, real-world case studies, and analysis of actual contract clauses, you’ll learn how to:

• Identify and negotiate the key contract provisions that most affect owners’ rights and financial returns, and learn how to make them part of your contract.
• Understand the implications of base and incentive fees, performance tests, operator approval rights, and termination provisions.
• Protect against long-term inflexible commitments and one-sided termination clauses.
• Use brand leverage, market data, and ownership structure to improve your negotiating position.
• Ensure quiet enjoyment, owner flexibility, and clear exit strategies under a variety of scenarios.
• Structure the operator search process to find the best and most competent operator for your property.

This is the most in-depth course on hotel management contracts available online. It contains a thorough discussion of hundreds of contract provisions, negotiating strategies, risk analyses, and operator search procedures.

The cost for the Hotel Management Contract course is $995, which includes the following: 

• Access to the course
• Start at any time and proceed at your own pace.
• Unlimited downloads of sample management contract provisions, articles, and publications.
• One-on-one Zoom calls with Steve Rushmore.
• Upon completion of the course and a passing final exam, you will receive the Certified Hotel Management Contract Negotiator certificate (via e-mail) suitable for framing.
• Your name will appear in the Directory of Certified Hotel Management Contract Negotiators.

The course includes over 30 hours of content, featuring instructional videos, readings, case studies, and sample management contracts. The curriculum is vast, covering 372 key topics, and provides in-depth analysis of 31 major contract provisions and 24 minor ones, along with clear recommendations on how to structure and negotiate each clause to protect the owner’s interests.

Students gain access to an extensive library of resources, including:

• Hundreds of articles and industry surveys from around the world
• Sample contracts and real-world contract provisions
• RFP examples and operator search templates
• Reference books and proprietary tools, including a management company 
• Management company selection rating system
• Steve Rushmore is available via email and Zoom calls to answer your questions.

The course provides a Step-by-Step Guide to the Operator Search and Negotiation Process:

Hotel Management Company Search

• Define the owner’s goals and deal structure preferences
• Perform a hotel market analysis with projected financials
• Evaluate branding options and select appropriate flags
• Identify and screen qualified hotel management companies
• Prepare and distribute a comprehensive RFP
• Review and compare operator proposals
• Conduct interviews and select the final candidates

Management Contract Negotiation

• Assess each party’s relative negotiating leverage
• Define goals for each contract provision
• Evaluate BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) for both parties
• Develop opening offers and fallback positions
• Negotiate and finalize each deal term

Throughout the course, Rushmore shared his candid insights and tested strategies, including:

• How operators manipulate the GOP Percentage performance test
• What I consider to be the only performance test that operators cannot game
• The single most important provision that is often missing from management contracts
• The fastest and cleanest way to terminate an operator
• The only structure you should consider when allowing an operator to invest in your hotel 

This course is the definitive resource for hotel owners, asset managers, consultants, and attorneys seeking to take control of the operator selection and contract negotiation process, doing so from a position of strength and knowledge.

Who Should Take This Course:

• Hotel Owners and Developers: Learn how to avoid one-sided provisions and secure terms that give you oversight, flexibility, and performance-based accountability.
• Asset Managers: Gain tools to interpret contract terms, challenge underperformance, and support ownership decisions with expert analysis.
• Attorneys Specializing in Hospitality or Real Estate: Understand key business and operational concerns that influence the legal structure of management agreements.
• Hotel Consultants and Appraisers: Improve your advisory services by integrating contract insights into feasibility studies, valuations, and strategic plans.
• Hospitality MBA Students and University Hotel Program Participants: Build real-world skills that bridge the gap between classroom theory and the realities of hotel ownership, development, and brand negotiations.
• Brand and Operator Development Executives: Learn the owner’s perspective to facilitate more effective, balanced partnerships. 

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to read and interpret hotel management contracts with a critical eye, understanding not just what the clauses say but how they affect owner control, property performance, and investment value. You’ll leave with a negotiation checklist, sample language, and the confidence to advocate for terms that align with your goals.

Whether you are signing your first agreement or managing a portfolio of branded assets, this course gives you the edge to negotiate smarter, protect your investment, and build more productive operator relationships.

Enroll now and quickly become an expert in Hotel Management Contracts.