-
Asia-Pacific
Maldives Tourism to Surpass a Half Million Arrivals in 2024
In 2024, the Maldives surpassed 500,000 visitors, led by China as the top source, followed by Russia, Italy, and the UK, with an average stay of 7.8 days. -
North America
Hampton by Hilton Unveils New Brand Identity
Hampton by Hilton announced a new North American prototype and the unveiling of a refreshed global brand identity, with key updates for both Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites. -
North America
U.S. Average Daily Rates Continue Increase
The DJIA fell 285 points, Nasdaq was down 174, the S&P 500 fell 38 points, and the 10-year treasury yield was down nearly .10 to 3.91%. Let’s hope the first two trading days do not represent the rest of the year. STR’s global “bubble chart” update through December 16, 2023 showed 75% of markets with growth in RevPAR compared to 2019. Could there be a hotel building moratorium in one of the most popular areas of Southern Florida? -
North America
Morgan Stanley Is Bullish on Hotel Sector
Morgan Stanley remains optimistic about the hotel industry’s growth, forecasting a 2% RevPAR growth globally for next year, with potential for higher growth. Selina Hospitality faces stock value decline and plans for delisting from Nasdaq. The Leading Hotels of the World welcomed new members, including newly opened or renovated hotels in New York, California, China, France, Greece, Spain, Italy, and Venice. -
Asia-Pacific
Vietnam’s Visitation Rate Is 69% of Pre-Covid Levels
In Vietnam, foreign tourist arrivals for the first nine months of 2023 increased significantly by 4.7 times compared to the previous year, with a 13.4% decrease in September from August. Cambodia witnessed a 251% year-on-year increase in foreign visitors for the first eight months of the year, targeting 4.5 to 5 million arrivals in total for the year. Macau’s visitor arrivals during Golden Week exceeded 150,000 on the third day, with plans for Galaxy Macau Phase 4 to open in 2026 with fewer hotel rooms than initially planned. -
North America
Magna Buys Three Manhattan Hotels for $160 Million
Crescent Real Estate acquired the Element Orlando Universal Boulevard hotel, and the Delta Hotel in Wichita Falls, Texas, opened. Various hotel acquisitions and rebranding activities occurred, including the purchase of Hilton-branded hotels in New York, rebranding of properties as Trademark Collection by Wyndham, and the addition of Arlo Williamsburg to the Arlo Hotels portfolio. A $1.5 billion development plan for the Tennessee Titan’s domed stadium area was announced, including a 40-story hotel, apartments, and retail spaces, with construction set to begin in 2025. -
North America
Ashford REIT to Return 19 Hotels To Lenders
Financial markets experienced declines with the DJIA falling 187 points and the S&P 500 down 13 points, while Nasdaq dropped 18 points. However, lodging stocks showed mixed to higher performance despite the overall market decline. Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) expects to return 19 hotels to lenders in various cities, including Las Vegas and Atlanta, due to missed repayment deadlines on a $982 million mortgage pool. AHT faced negative equity in the properties and opted not to pay for an extension, potentially impacting the hotel industry’s debt situation. STR’s global “bubble chart” update revealed that 85% of markets saw growth in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) compared to 2019. Occupancy rates played a significant role in driving RevPAR, with coastal countries along the Mediterranean Sea showing strong growth. However, Saudi Arabia experienced the largest decline in RevPAR at 51%. -
North America
Less Caution, More Optimism: The State of the Hotel Industry
The hospitality industry is experiencing optimism and cautiousness, with hotels considering divesting assets and anticipating a potential distressed sale boom. Hoteliers are optimistic about increasing demand, but face challenges such as high-interest rates, labor shortages, and decreased construction activity. The U.S. hotel forecast shows improvements in occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR, while hotels are offering incentives to combat staffing shortages. International visitor arrivals to the U.S. continue to rise, with Mexico and Canada leading the way. -
North America
Choice Is Pursing Wyndham
The big news was a rumor with the Wall Street Journal reporting Choice Hotels is making a move to acquire Wyndham Hotels & Resorts . Truist upped their price target on Hyatt Hotels to $149 from $145. This follows H’s Investor Day and the tours of Apple Leisure Group resorts. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust gave their monthly update saying for 2Q23, overall demand and profitability trends continue to remain within expectations . -
North America
Market Ignores Hilton’s Stellar Quarter
Hilton kicked off earnings season with solid results. You could not get much better than Hilton’s with a solid beat. Travel + Leisure beat expectations, bought back $102 million worth of stock and gave out more in dividends than expected. The stock went down. Sonder has become the first of the SPACs that are either penny stocks or close to it, to receive a deficiency notice from their trading exchange.