Jay Stein's goal this year was to open four hotels, and while it hasn't been easy, he's not letting the pandemic stop his path forward.

Stein, CEO of New York-based hotel brand and management company Dream Hotel Group, said his company has already opened one of the four: the $370 million, 32-story Margaritaville Resort Times Square in early July.

The three other openings to come within a year from now include the Your Nature Unscripted Eco Resort in Belgium, the Dream Doha in Qatar and the Chatwal Lodge in White Lake, New York.

"That's a big goal of ours," he said, adding that his company has about eight more international projects signed that are in different stages of development but not expected to open in the next year.

To grow the portfolio, he said the deal must make sense for Dream's core guest mix. His company is mostly chasing deals in urban and resort markets as well as some in secondary markets like Durham, North Carolina. Deals must also engage the right partners and ownership groups.

"We're seeing a lot of opportunities for lifestyle hotels in some of the secondary markets," he said.

Stein is no stranger to the opportunities, and now challenges, the New York City market brings as the industry recovers.

In addition to the Margaritaville Resort Times Square opening, Dream Hotel Group reopened on June 25 the Time New York, ahead of Broadway's return in September. The Time was one of Dream's four hotels in the city that temporarily closed due to low demand and high operating costs amid the pandemic.

The reopening of this property was special, he said. It was Dream's first boutique hotel, opening in 1999. Prior to the hotel's reopening, its restaurant Serafina opened. Its other two venues on property, including a mezzanine bar, have yet to reopen on a regular basis due to low demand.

While many employees were brought back to the Time, not all could be. He hopes to keep rebuilding the staff.

"Midtown West, which is where the Time is in Times Square area, was probably the most impacted region of all of New York City because of the loss of corporate business and international travelers," he said, adding hundreds of hotels across New York closed.

At no surprise, the leisure business is what's carrying demand not only in New York but across the nation, he said.

"On the flip side, it's still dramatically down from where New York would typically be," he added. "There's still a lot of things we need to get back to be full speed."

The pent-up demand flowing into Dream's leisure markets, such as Miami, are making up for some of the losses in corporate travel. In a non-pandemic year, Dream's hotels are corporate-travel based, with leisure mostly seen on the weekends.

"I don't think it's doom or gloom, but as things change a bit ... we'll continue to be pliable and find ways to fill those gaps," he said.

He anticipates not everyone will return to work in offices and many will take the work-from-home approach.

"A lot of companies are trying to figure out what does this really mean for the future, and the brightest minds of the world don't know the answer to that," he said.