Le Meridien

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%.

Philippines aims to become a tourism powerhouse with a new slogan "Love the Philippines" and a five-year plan to boost visitor numbers. Mandarin Oriental in Guangzhou introduces child-friendly MiniMO Jungle Suites and Rooms with themed decor and exclusive amenities. Pan Pacific Hotels Group plans to open Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Bangkok in 2026, featuring 191 suites and leisure spaces.

Nepal hotels are complaining they are not seeing the deluge of reservations they would expect at this time of year. Asset World Public Company Limited signed a hotel management agreement with IHG to launch the Kimpton Pattaya and further demonstrate confidence in Thailand’s tourism industry. ANA Holdings and IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan signed a comprehensive commercial agreement.

Airbnb definitely got a better response from investors on their 4Q earnings report than traditional lodging analysts. Choice Hotels continued the parade with 4Q revenue and EBITDA comfortably above estimates with the Radisson acquisition helping with that. STR reported U.S. lodging data for the week ended 2/11. RevPAR was up 18.9% year over year.

Baird picked the hotel real-estate investment trust Xenia Hotels & Resorts as their Best Idea for 2023. The Wall Street Journal published a very positive article on Hilton , including an interview with CEO Chris Nassetta . Pyramid Global Hospitality closed the acquisition of the operating division of Provenance Hotels .

Thailand celebrated the arrival of its 10 millionth international visitor of 2022 on Saturday, according to the tourism authority. Accor signed its first multiple-property framework agreement with Asset World Corporation , Thailand’s leading integrated lifestyle real estate group. Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced Hyatt Place Chengdu Bio-Town, the second Hyatt Place hotel in Chengdu .

Morgan Stanley cut their rating on Airbnb to Underweight from Equal Weight, slashing its target price to $80 from $100. Marriott International announced plans to introduce more than 35 luxury hotels in 2023 to its portfolio of luxury brands. STR reported US lodging data for the week ended 12/3. Hotel RevPAR was up 11.7% year over year while up 1.2% versus 2019.

Sri Lanka Tourism outlined key strategies to double the arrivals to 1.5 million and generate an income of over $5 billion highlighting the sector as a major economic driver. The number of international tourists arriving in Vietnam reached 596,900 in November, the highest monthly total since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Marriott International announced the opening of Le Meridien Seoul Myeongdong  and Moxy Seoul Myeongdong , showing how they continue to expand their lifestyle offering in Seoul, South Korea .

STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended 11/19. RevPAR was up 9.8% year over year in China while down -37.6% versus the same week in 2019. CapitaLand’s Ascott Limited unveiled its refreshed Somerset brand. This is the second largest brand in Ascott’s Global Portfolio. Crisil Ratings said the Indian hotel industry is likely to witness 23% growth in revenue this fiscal over the pre-pandemic level, driven by a strong recovery in business travel and continued traction in leisure travel.

Looking at  India's  hotel sector , JLL  said contracts in  mid-market and budget brands  grew 74% between January and September 2022 as compared to the same period in 2019. Marriott International’s St. Regis Hotels and Resorts brand announced the opening of the St. Regis Goa Resort. Bengaluru-based real estate developer MS Ramaiah Developers and Builders  plans to invest about Rs 1,100 crore over two years across real estate sectors in Karnataka, Goa, and Andhra Pradesh .