Zio Pekovic and Ed are using Twitter and Facebook to market some of the 15 properties they manage throughout the Midwest, especially their two River North hotels, the Hotel Cass  and Hotel Felix—updates on bar specials, good rates, or neighborhood events helps bring in potential customers. But Ed doesn't think tech will ever replace service: you can't use Twitter to host the perfect wedding or make a good bed. (No, but you can tweet during the wedding.)

Zio came on board about  three months ago to help with acquisitions and biz dev. Recently, Bricton was hired by a national lender to be the receiver for a hotel in Illinois that was foreclosed on, an area they think will be a growing business in 2010. Another solid asset during the troubled economy has been the company's hotels near Big Ten  campuses, where business recruiters, parents, and sports fans will always need a place to stay.