As you're reading this review and researching Aimbridge, it is important to remember that they are a 3rd-party management company - meaning Aimbridge staffs and manages hotels for independent owners. Each owner will be different and not all will be as "hands-off" as mine was, so one's experience from hotel to hotel may differ despite all being managed by Aimbridge Hospitality. Some owners are more hands-on; some are large ownership groups that do things their own way and may not utilize the Aimbridge systems in place; some owners may not have any hotel experience but want to be involved in hotel operations, which creates conflicts for the GM's and teams. That said, it should be noted that my review is on the management company, NOT the ownerships or hotels themselves.
My time with Aimbridge came to an abrupt end because, despite my hotel's top performance and market-leading results & profit, our owners felt they could maximize monthly distributions (payments from the hotel) by switching to a 'cheaper' management company. Unfortunately, this change resulted in a change of hotel leadership as well (common when hotels transition).
That said, because Aimbridge is the largest management company in the industry, that means they are also one of the most expensive for owners. While those expenses are justified (high-tech systems, fully-staff regional support including in-house revenue management, industry-leading national vendor partnerships, etc.), there are still several owners dropping Aimbridge due to rising costs in the industry. Mine was one of several hotels transitioning out of the system at the end of last year.
Some questions you'll want to ask your interviewer / owner: How long is left in the hotel management agreement? Are they happy with Aimbridge as an operator and with their current financial agreement? Are there any major renovations or PIP items that require ownership investment in the near future? These will help you determine if you'll end up in the same position as me within the next few years.
And of course, be ready for a lot of reports and paperwork - to be expected with a company operating on this caliber.