Leisure Travel to Continue Growth in 2025 Survey Says

The DJIA was up 189 points in the shortened Friday session, while Nasdaq rose 158, the S&P 500 was up 34 points and the 10-year treasury yield was down .06 to 4.18%. Lodging stocks were higher, with WH trading up to another all-time high. SOND was up 8%, while BHR and VCSA rose 5% each.

STR reported US lodging data for the week ended 11/23. The Thanksgiving calendar shift boosted US hotel RevPAR by 31.1%. That will go in the other direction this past week, so we will need to combine the two weeks to get a real picture.

A new survey conducted by the Internova Travel Group indicates that leisure travel is expected to grow in 2025, with a significant increase in the use of travel advisors. The Internova Index: North American Traveler Insights revealed a 22% increase in the average number of international trips per traveler in the last 12 months compared to 2023. The premium and budget segments primarily drive this surge. The survey also suggests that 25% of travelers plan to take more leisure trips in 2025, a trend that cuts across age, income and other demographic categories. While growth in domestic travel is mainly due to region trips, luxury travelers power the boost in international destinations. The survey also highlights that over half of luxury and ultra-luxury travelers plan to use a travel advisor in 2025. Europe, mainly the UK, France and Italy, is the preferred destination for ultra-luxury travelers. However, South America and Asia, which have seen 200% growth in the past year, also attract significant interest. LGBTQ+ travelers also have unique preferences, with Hawaii and Europe as favored vacation spots. Specialty travel is popular among young and luxury travelers, with around 60% interested in theme-focused wellness, culinary and adventure activities.

Driftwood Hospitality Management celebrated the grand opening of the Delta Hotels by Marriott West Palm Beach, following a multi-million dollar renovation and repositioning. Located in West Palm Beach, Florida and formerly a Holiday Inn, the Delta by Marriott offers new onsite dining and more than 8,200 square feet of meting space across 10 event rooms.

Aloft Tallahassee Downtown has completed a multi-million dollar renovation refreshing the hotel's communal spaces and 162 guestrooms. The hotel's stylish lobby received refreshments introducing a new pool table, bar accents and furniture and fixtures. Cosmetic upgrades were made to the hotel's 2,100 square feet of flexible meeting space along with the Re:Charge gym. The Tallahassee, Florida hotel boasts the brand's signature WXYZ bar and Re:Mix lounge, and an outdoor pool that received all-new lounge furniture, umbrellas, string lighting and poolside firepits. Aloft Tallahassee Downtown is owned and operated by McKibbon Hospitality.

Woodvale purchased the Courtyard and Residence Inn Memphis Southaven dual-branded hotels from Chartwell Hospitality. Hunter Hotel Advisors brokered the transaction. The Southaven, Mississippi hotels have a combined total of 163 keys, fitness centers, pools and various onsite dining options. Chartwell Hospitality will continue to manage the hotels upon the change of ownership.

Core Capital has paid $10.6 million for Courtyard Oakland Downtown, a jaw-dropping 76% less than the $43.8 million that the seller, a Gaw Capital Partners affiliate, paid in 2016, according to documents filed with the Alameda County Recorder's Office. The 162-room hotel in downtown Oakland, California, was bought by an affiliate controlled by Core Property Capital. The five-story property is a full-service hotel with 1,300 square feet of ground-floor retail and 2,700 square feet of meeting space.

Construction is set to begin on a 137-room, dual-branded Fairfield Inn & TownePlace Suites hotel in Alabaster, Alabama. The four-story hotel is being built by Harry Patel of Shree Akshar Inc.

A-1 Hospitality broke ground on a 107-room Home2 Suites by Hilton Hotel in Pasco, Washington. Slated to be ready in approximately 18 months, the $9.5 million, four-story hotel is being financed by the Bank of Idaho.

Two new extended-stay hotels are expected to break ground in Biloxi, Mississippi. Wealth Hospitality is expected to break ground on a Home2 Suites by Hilton, at some point during the first quarter of 2025. The 20 million, 105-room project is expected to be completed in 2026. Wealth Hospitality is also working on a Residence Inn by Marriott project, just down the street. The extended-stay, six-story hotel will have 100 rooms and will break ground by the summer of 2025 and will also be completed in 2026.

The Trinidad Rancheria's plans for a 100-room Hyatt Hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean have been sent back to the California Coastal Commission for further review after a state appeals court ruled that there's not enough evidence to show that the hotel would have adequate fire protection services. The Tribe hopes to build its five-story hotel next to The Heights casino in Trinidad, California.

Treehouse Hotels announced its newest property, Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley, is now accepting reservations as of March 1, 2025. Located in Sunnyvale, California, the hotel offers 111 rooms with plans to expand to 254, a destination restaurant, a Beer Garden, an outdoor heated pool and over 7,000 square feet of versatile meeting and event spaces.

Aparium Hotel Group is on tack to open Hotel Westland next spring at RailSpur in Seattle's Pioneer Square. The property is being developed by Urban Villages and managed by Aparium Hotel Group. Hotel Westland will comprise 120 bedrooms, a signature restaurant, Pioneer Square's first rooftop bar, a penthouse Hospitality Suite, two flexible meeting spaces, and a café.

Alvin and Kevin Mansour announced the opening of The Granger Hotel, located in San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter. The city's first Design Hotels member boasts 96 guestrooms and suites; carefully curated dining options; and provides access to Aqua V, a gym with a rooftop pool, group classes and personal training options.

Mosaic Hotel Collection announced the start of construction on The Elene, a new boutique resort and dining experience set to open in Napa Valley in early 2026. The property will feature 50 guestrooms and suites, a heated pool, Recovery Garden, fitness studio, restaurant, bar, café, outdoor Living Room, and a robust cycling program and bike barn. The Elene is concepted and managed by Mosaic Hotel Collection, a collection of individually branded, modern boutique hotels under the umbrella of Palisades Hospitality Group.

Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores is planning to sell all of its hotels by the first quarter of 2025, according to Hotel Dive. The company, which owned 19 hotel properties as of this summer, has already sold 14 of these locations to multiple buyers. Four of the remaining five are under contract, and Love's expects to sell the fifth and final location early next year.

Europe Highlights

TRIBE, a daring and design-focused hotel brand from Accor, celebrated a significant milestone. Its global portfolio now includes 20 hotels. With more than 40 hotels in the pipeline, TRIBE's expansion is just getting started, demonstrating that contemporary hospitality can blend exceptional quality with accessibility. Some of the flagship properties within the brand's rapidly expanding network include: TRIBE Medellin, Colombia; TRIBE Paris Clichy, France; TRIBE Lyon Croix Rousse; TRIBE Dusseldorf, Germany; TRIBE Baden-Baden; TRIBE Budapest Stadium, Hungary; TRIBE Riga City Centre, Latvia; TRIBE London Canary Wharf, United Kingdom; TRIBE Manchester Airport; and TRIBE Living Bangkok Sukhumvit 39, Thailand.

Marriott's Moxy Hotel has officially opened at Luxembourg's Findel Airport in the new Skypark Business Centre. The hotel features 129 rooms spread across six floors, a meeting room and an outdoor terrace complete with a bowling green. Plans are underway to connect the site to the city's tram network.

Marriott has scored a minor coup by signing the Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester to Autograph Collection. The property offers 40 individually designed rooms and suites, The Restaurant and Bar and the Sterling Bar.

Henderson Park and Hines have completed the sale of Grand Hyatt Athens to funds managed by Blackstone Real Estate for €235 million. The hotel, Blackstone's 10th location in Greece, boasts 548 keys, a rooftop restaurant and pool, and 4,400 square meters of meeting and conference space. JLL and Eastdil Secured jointly advised on the sale.