LivAway Suites

The owners of the CitizenM hotel chain, valued at 2 billion euros five years ago and now expected to double in sale price, are considering selling the rapidly expanded brand with over 40 global locations.

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.

The earnings season for hotel companies kicked into high gear with Host Hotels and Pebblebrook becoming the first REITs to show their hand.

STR reported US lodging data for the week ended 2/10. US hotel RevPAR was up 3.9% with ADR up 7%. RevPAR in Las Vegas was up 140% year over year thanks to the Super Bowl.

Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on Hilton Grand Vacations with a Buy rating and a $59 price target, citing compelling stock levels. Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian observed a return to offices in big cities, indicating potential growth in business transient travel. Hilton plans to install up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors at 2,000 hotels in North America, creating the largest EV charging network in the hospitality industry.

DJIA, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 experienced gains, while the 10-year treasury yield decreased. Spending by international visitors in the U.S. increased significantly compared to the previous year, leading to a trade surplus in travel and tourism. Several hotels underwent renovations or acquisitions, and new hotels were announced in various locations across the United States.

Baird lowered their price target on Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to $86 from $88 while maintaining their Outperform rating. Barclays cut their rating on Hyatt Hotels to Equal Weight from Overweight. They cut their price target to $125 from $130. They upped Hilton to an Overweight rating from Equal Weight. Travel + Leisure Co . announced their upped their quarterly dividend per share to $0.45 per share from $0.40.

Marriott Vacations missed expectations with their 4Q report, primarily due to their exchange and rental businesses as their core VOI business outperformed. Chatham Lodging Trust reported an in-line 4Q for EBITDA. They did not give 2023 guidance. Accor reported good results and forecast higher RevPAR for 2023 , very optimistic due to the return of the Chinese traveler.

Lodging stocks were higher. SLNA topped the list with a 10% gain followed by AHT and VCSA, both up 6%. We start today’s newsletter on a sad note as many of you probably heard that Bruce White , the founder and chairman of White Lodging , passed away at the age of 70. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust gave a January operations update and include an update on 4Q preliminary results. Remember they roiled the Lodging REIT stocks when they preannounced weaker than expected 4Q results.