Service Properties Trust

Stock market decline: DJIA and Nasdaq both down, S&P 500 fell, causing investor anxiety due to rising interest rates. Hotel acquisitions and auctions: Apple Hospitality acquires Courtyard by Marriott in Cleveland, Sheraton Bucks County Langhorne hotel up for auction, Holiday Inn in Charleston to become Live Oak in Marriott's Tribute Portfolio. Hotel developments: Hampton Inn & Suites in Manistee near completion, Resorts World Las Vegas opens private members' club, Virgin Hotel in Dallas changes ownership, Kona Village in Hawaii opens as a Rosewood Resort.

Stock market: DJIA fell 233 points, Nasdaq rose by 53 points, and S&P 500 increased by 4 points Federal Reserve: Paused interest rate hikes but anticipates at least two more in the next 6 months, causing confusion in the financial markets Lodging industry: SOND experienced a notable decline of -7%, while other lodging stocks were modestly lower. Various hotel companies reported on post-pandemic themes, opportunities for rate growth, and potential impacts of a recession scenario.

The hospitality industry is experiencing optimism and cautiousness, with hotels considering divesting assets and anticipating a potential distressed sale boom. Hoteliers are optimistic about increasing demand, but face challenges such as high-interest rates, labor shortages, and decreased construction activity. The U.S. hotel forecast shows improvements in occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR, while hotels are offering incentives to combat staffing shortages. International visitor arrivals to the U.S. continue to rise, with Mexico and Canada leading the way.

Market surge: DJIA and Nasdaq experience significant gains, with the DJIA surging 701 points and the stronger-than-expected jobs report contributing to the rise. Airbnb lawsuit: Airbnb files a lawsuit against New York City over a new law that the company claims will limit short-term rentals and make it more difficult for hosts to do business. Hotel openings and acquisitions: Several hotel brands announce new openings and acquisitions, including WoodSpring Suites, Sonesta, and Margaritaville, expanding their presence in different cities and states.

Last week BP plc completed the acquisition of TravelCenter of America Inc . Service Properties Trust received $379.3 million in cash as part of the transaction. Sonder Holdings was cut to Perform from Outperform by Oppenheimer and InterContinental Hotels Group was upgraded to Neutral from Sell by Redburn. The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 1.4% in April from March. The Hotel Brand sub-index rose 2.5% from March while the Hotel REIT sub-index was down -2.6%.

Hyatt Hotels held an Investor Day today. They are forecasting $650 to $850 million of free cash flow by 2025 and will be 80% asset-light for their earnings mix. Effective Thursday, the Board of Directors of Louvre Hotel Group has appointed Federico J. Gonzalez as Group CEO. Hilton announced the signing of a management agreement for the first all-inclusive Curio Collection by Hilton property in the Dominican Republic , the new build Zemi Miches All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton.

Hilton announces plans to double its hotel portfolio in Puerto Rico by 2027, with the addition of seven new properties. The expansion will create around 2,100 new jobs and contribute to the island's economic recovery following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Hilton's investment in Puerto Rico's tourism industry is a sign of the company's confidence in the island's potential as a destination for both leisure and business travelers.

Truist said they have seen no noticeable changes to overall corporate booking and pricing trends in the first 10 days following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank . On March 20, Membership Collective Group commenced trading on the NYSE under its new name and ticker, Soho House & Co Inc. / SHCO. In a joint venture, NewcrestImage and Hospitality Capital Partners have acquired 16 hotels with a total of 2,155 rooms for $137.3 million from Service Properties Trust .

Despite the jitters and dire predictions we have been hearing for getting close to a year, lodging demand remains consistent with any concern of deterioration stemming from headline economic risk not yet manifesting in fundamentals. Baird reported on something we touched on recently, insider buying at lodging companies . A majority of the U.S. corporate travel buyers expect their company’s business travel to ramp up and return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023

Lodging stocks were mixed but the big movers were all to the downside. SLNA traded down another -7% to another all-time low. VCSA and MCG were both down -6%. Service Properties Trust kept its positive momentum going, reporting a 159% increase in normalized FFO in 4Q22. Xenia Hotels & Resorts reported 4Q results slightly ahead of expectations but gave a mixed 2023 outlook.