Alan Woinski

STR reported China hotel RevPAR was up 48.2% year over year against very easy comps. When compared with this week in 2019, RevPAR was down -20.4%. Absolute occupancy in China last week was 59.1% versus 43.1% in the same week last year. Chengdu reported 1,000 Covid cases and the Southwestern city in China has pretty much been sealed off. About 70% of the flights have been suspended to and from the city. Hong Kong is targeting an end to hotel quarantine in November , ahead of a summit of global bankers and an international rugby competition.

The  DJIA  ended the day down 280 points while  Nasdaq  was down 67, the  S&P 500 fell 31 points and the 10 year treasury yield was up .02 to 3.13%. Lodging stocks were lower.  MCG  fell -8% today and hit a new all time low.  SOND  was up 5%. STR  said  U.S. hotel RevPAR  for the week ending August 27 th  was up 18.2%.  RevPAR versus the same week in 2019 was up 12.1%. Speaking during a session at the  Hotel Data Conference ,  AirDNA Director of Product Max Bernstein  said as of June 2022,  demand for short-term rentals  is up 21% indexed to 2019

Tomorrow is the first day that foreign citizens from 41 countries will be allowed to enter Macau  since the start of this crisis. The travelers will still have to undergo seven days of quarantine in a designated hotel followed by another three days of self-health monitoring. Control of theme park  Huis Ten Bosch Park in Japan  is being transferred to Hong Kong-based asset management firm  PAG . IHG Hotels & Resorts  announced the opening of its  600th hotel in Greater China with the debut of Kimpton Bamboo Grove Suzhou.

The positive start to the day deteriorated quickly with the DJIA ending the day down 308 points, while Nasdaq was down 135 and the S&P 500 fell 44 points. The 10-year Treasury yield ended the day flat at 3.11%. VCSA was the only major mover, down -9% on the day. STR’s consumer research in July 2022 produced telling insights into the state of business travel worldwide. Roughly 400 global business travelers were asked to thank about their likelihood to travel for business both now and when the pandemic is over, the results, remained in negative territory. A recently released Global Travel Association report cites global business travel coming back albeit against significant headwinds.

China’s southern city of Shenzhen has three neighborhoods that are the latest to be locked down due to the spread of Covid. June data from the Australian Bureau of Stations reveals outbound travelers are growing at almost three times the rate of inbound as Australians continue to flock overseas . Macau’s hotel occupancy rate fell by -25.6 percentage points year on year on July to 38.1%. That was down a percentage point from June.

The  DJIA fell 184 points, Nasdaq was down 124, the S&P 500 was down 27 points and the 10-year treasury yield was up .08 to 3.11%. Wells Fargo made a few changes to their coverage of lodging names . They cut their ratings on Hersha Hospitality, DiamondRock Hospitality and Pebblebrook Hotel Trust to Equal Weight from the previous Overweight ratings Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts unveiled its new brand creative platform, Luxury Is Our Love Language , celebrating the brand’s unique and energetic perspective on the definition of luxury.

STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended 8/20 was up 89.7% year over year, up against an easy -43.4%. Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism said that while tourism is recovering, almost 50% of businesses in Cambodia’s main tourism hub of Siem Reap are still closed . In India, mid-sized hotel brands have embarked on aggressive plans and are signing up hotels at a record pace, encouraged by a major turnaround in performance across the country.

Fed Chief Jerome Powell once again roiled the financial markets with a speech. JP Morgan cut its view on IHG Hotels & Resorts to Neutral from Overweight. Hoteliers did not seem very pleased with the US General Services Administration’s increase in lodging per diems for 2023.

The  DJIA  rose 323 points while  Nasdaq  jumped 208, the  S&P 500  rose 59 points, and the  10-year Treasury yield  took a breather, down .08 to 3.03%. Inflation, energy prices, supply chain challenges, labor shortages, and regional developments are  pushing the forecast for full recovery into 2026,  instead of the previously forecasted 2024. According to the latest monthly data from  STR  and  CoStar , the number of  groups booking U.S. hotel rooms  continued to increase in June, although individual business travel continued to lag.

The Singapore government said indoor masks will no longer be mandatory from August 29 on and that masks will only be worn in medical facilities and on public transport. The bigger…