Knight Frank

North America

Truist Discusses Challenges in Choice Hotels and Wyndham Deal

JP Morgan expects strong international performance in 3Q23 RevPAR, net rooms, and pipeline growth, particularly driven by ADR gains. Truist discusses potential challenges and concerns in the Choice Hotels and Wyndham Hotels deal, including antitrust issues and franchisee resistance. US hotel industry reports a modest 0.8% YoY increase in RevPAR, with ADR compensating for soft occupancy; group RevPAR up 0.9% for the week ending 10/14.
North America

Kempinski Debuts in North America

Morgan Stanley adjusted price targets for several hotel companies, maintaining Overweight ratings for Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, and Wyndham, but lowered the price target for Park Hotels. They also raised the price target for Choice Hotels and maintained an Underweight rating on Pebblebrook Hotel Trust. Marcus Hotels & Resorts' new Chief Investment Officer, Tiffany Leadbetter Donato, aims to expand the company's hotel portfolio beyond the Midwest for greater geographic and customer diversity. Hotel del Coronado, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, is investing over $160 million to restore and revitalize its historic Victorian building in Coronado, California, with a target completion date in Spring 2025.
North America

The Hotel Business Is Good. Financing Is the Question Mark

Hotel industry experiences mixed stock market performance, with DJIA rising while NASDAQ and S&P 500 show declines. Renovations and upgrades abound, with notable projects including the multimillion-dollar renovations of Houston Marriott South and Homewood Suites by Hilton New Orleans. Exciting developments on the horizon, such as the opening of Raffles Boston and the planned multimillion-dollar mixed-use project by Beck Ventures in Midtown Dallas.
Asia-Pacific

Oyo May Have Turned Cash-Flow Positive

How high will be too high for May Day Golden Week in China as reports continue to pour in about terrific business, soaring room rates, and enormous train ridership. The Macau Government Tourism Office said they were predicting 70,000 visitors a day during the holiday period. Oyo said it turned cash flow positive in the fourth quarter of FY2023 in an internal note to employees .
North America

Hotel Construction Declines Worldwide

According to the latest STR U.S. bubble chart update , for the four weeks ending April 15, recovery growth across a range of industry indicators took a small backstep, with occupancy falling from the prior month. Each of the four world regions showed a year-over-year decline in hotel construction activity , with Asia Pacific coming closest to its 2022 comparable, according to March 2023 pipeline data from STR. The Hospitality Asset Manager Association released the results of its Spring 2023 Industry Outlook Survey .
North America

Upbeat Mood and News Frenzy at ALIS

Truist said they are finding the sentiment at the ALIS Lodging Conference as mostly positive , with lots of “hope” that the most well-anticipated recession in the history of recessions will be a mild one. STR and Tourism Economics made a modest upgrade to the 2023 U.S. hotel forecast released at ALIS. Four Seasons said they started 2023 with new leadership, brand extensions and strategic portfolio growth.
Asia-Pacific

China RevPAR Last Week Down YoY

Hotel RevPAR in China was down -35.5% year over year while down -52.5% when up against the same week in 2019. Hyatt Hotels announced the opening of Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu , marking the debut of the lifestyle brand in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Absolute Hotel Services Group announced the first Absolute Collection property in Vietnam with the signing of Lamia Bao Loc Resort.
Asia-Pacific

Standard International Seeks APAC Expansion

Dajia Insurance Group Co has put three hotels in the US up for sale, hoping to generate US$1.3 billion to take advantage of an expected surge in leisure travel and resort business. U.S. hotel operator Standard International is betting on Thailand’s post-pandemic tourism recovery. Bloomberg said Standard is hoping to power an expansion in Asia that will see it open properties in popular and less-explored destinations. The new $340 million dual-tower Docklands development in Melbourne, Australia will include a huge rooftop infinity pool, spanning 35 meters when it opens in 2026.
North America

Canadian Hotels Will Return to Pre-Pandemic Revenues in 2023

The DJIA  rose 197 points, Nasdaq was up 87, the S&P 500 rose 27 points and the 10-year treasury yield was up .04 to 3.49%. Hersha Hospitality is the latest lodging REIT to announce they have reinstated their quarterly cash dividend on the common shares. According to CBRE , Canadian hotels will return to pre-pandemic revenues next year, two years ahead of its previous forecast.
Asia-Pacific

Foreign Tourists Buoy Thailand

A rebound in foreign tourist arrivals into Thailand  is pushing up the nation’s hotel occupancy rate from a record low during the pandemic. Hotel industry experts are predicting an influx of international tourists in the Philippines in the final quarter of 2022, particularly in Manila, Cebu and Clark. ITC Hotels in India could soon be spun out of conglomerate ITC. The chairman of the parent company told reporters they are exploring alternate structures for ITC Hotels, in line with industry recovery dynamics.