Davonne Reaves
The Woman Behind the Movement
Davonne Reaves is the Founder and CEO of Stay Black Experience — the most comprehensive directory of Black-owned hotels, restaurants, bed & breakfasts, and experiences in the world.
What started as a passion for celebrating Black excellence in hospitality has grown into a thriving platform connecting Black travelers with the businesses built for them, by us.
From Traveler to Trailblazer
Davonne Reaves has closed over $50 million in hotel transactions and has created more than 100 hotel owners and investors since 2019. As a published author of How to Buy a Hotel, she has become one of the most recognized voices at the intersection of hospitality, real estate investing, and wealth-building for women.
Stay Black Experience was born from a simple but powerful belief: Black travelers deserve to know where their dollars are going — and Black-owned hospitality businesses deserve to be seen, celebrated, and supported. What began as a curated list has grown into the most comprehensive Black-owned travel directory in the world, with listings manually verified for Black ownership before publishing.
Today, SBE is home to 170+ listings spanning hotels, restaurants, bed & breakfasts, and experiences across the United States, Caribbean, Africa, Europe, and beyond. Every listing is a testament to Black excellence in hospitality — and every visitor is one step closer to discovering, supporting, and one day owning a piece of it.
"Black travelers pour $145 billion into the travel industry every single year. Black Americans own less than 2% of the hotels that money flows through. Stay Black Experience was built to close that gap — one booking, one listing, one owner at a time."
Three Brands. One Mission.
Building Black wealth through hospitality — as a traveler, a student, and an owner.
Your guide to Black-owned hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, and experiences worldwide.
Learn how to buy your first hotel with the founder who's created 100+ hotel owners.
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How to Buy a Hotel
Davonne's book How to Buy a Hotel is the definitive guide for aspiring hotel owners and investors. Drawing from her own experience closing over $50 million in hotel transactions and creating 100+ hotel owners, this book breaks down the hotel acquisition process in plain language — for everyday people ready to build generational wealth through hospitality.
- Written for first-time hotel buyers
- Based on $50M+ in real transactions
- Used by 100+ hotel owners and investors
Stay Black. Eat Black. Explore Black.
The Stay Black Experience isn't just a directory. It's a declaration. Every booking at a Black-owned hotel is an investment in Black wealth. Every meal at a Black-owned restaurant is a vote for Black excellence. Every experience at a Black-owned attraction is cultural legacy in action.
We built this platform so that when you travel, you travel with intention — and when you spend, you spend with purpose.
Ready to Stay Black?
Explore 170+ Black-owned hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, and experiences — curated with intention and verified for authenticity.
Every listing on Stay Black Experience is manually verified for Black ownership.