Latest News

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.
Alan Woinski and Kim Woinski | 2 years ago
Asia-Pacific

Macau Tourism Arrivals Still a Small Fraction of 2019 Numbers

Macau’s Statistics and Census Service said the SAR saw a total of 5,700,339 visitor arrivals in 2022, down 26% year on year. Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced a Hyatt affiliate entered into a management agreement with a Mori Building affiliate for Hotel Toranomon Hills. The Rydges Melbourne is undergoing a complete transformation and will re-open in Autumn 2023, positioned as a flagship property for the group.
Alan Woinski | 2 years ago
North America

ALIS Hotel Conference Preview

Jefferies gave their ALIS Conference preview saying they anticipate the lodging management teams will provide incremental color on the trajectory of lodging in a variety of economic scenarios. Marriott International, Inc. announced the company’s deal signings accelerated again in 2022 . The company signed a total of 726 management and franchise agreements. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is setting its sights on a continued expansion in 2023 , following a banner year that saw the company cap multiple milestones and accomplishments across the globe.
Alan Woinski and Kim Woinski | 2 years ago
Asia-Pacific

Accor and Ennismore Have Ambitious Plans for 2023

The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the country has decided to resume outbound group travel to selected countries including Sri Lanka early next month. The Philippines Dept. of Tourism said it is aiming to attract 4.8 million foreign visitors in 2023, almost double the 2.6 million in 2022. The initial goal in 2022 was 1.7 million arrivals. Sri Lanka Tourism is looking at attracting 1.5 million tourist arrivals for 2023. They are optimistic about achieving revenue of US$2.8 billion from tourism for this year.
Alan Woinski | 2 years ago
North America

Hyatt's Grand Ambitions for 2023

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.
Alan Woinski and Kim Woinski | 2 years ago
North America

U.S. Hotel Construction Increased in December

After 25 consecutive months of year-over-year declines, U.S. hotel construction increased slightly in December. Wells Fargo cut their price target on Airbnb to $130 from $165. They maintained their Overweight rating. STR said US hotel RevPAR the week ended 1/14 was up 33.1%. RevPAR was up 9.4% versus the same week in 2019.
Alan Woinski and Kim Woinski | 2 years ago
Asia-Pacific

Asian Hotels Begin to See Chinese Tourists Returning

UNWTO’s forward-looking scenarios for 2023 suggests global international tourist arrivals could reach 80%-95% of pre-pandemic levels this year. Cambodia is expecting to receive up to four million international tourists this year, accelerated by China announcing its reopening policy. 2022 brought some 2.28 million international tourists to Cambodia with China making up only 106,000 of them. The Macau Hotel Association warned that local hotels may need to cap their maximum guest capacity at 70% to 89% during the Lunar New Year holiday period due to a shortage of staff in operations.
Alan Woinski | 2 years ago
North America

Hotels Change Hands, Brands Enter New Markets

Lodging stocks were mostly lower. VCSA was down -12%, SOND was down -8% but MCG was up 5% on a new Buy rating. Northland Capital Markets initiated coverage on Selina Hospitality Group with an Outperform rating and $4.50 target price. The scheduled auction of the downtown Hilton Hotel Minneapolis , previously slated for Friday, has been postponed.
Alan Woinski and Kim Woinski | 2 years ago
Asia-Pacific

Singapore’s Optimistic Tourism Forecast

Singapore said it is expecting between 12 million and 14 million international visitor arrivals in 2023. That would be more than double the 6.3 million final tally of visitors in 2022. Sortis Holdings, Inc. is acquiring boutique hotel company Ace Group International and its management company, Atelier Ace. Yesterday we reported on the Wyndham Danang Golden Bay in Vietnam and today we cover the Wyndham Vuon Vua Thanh Thuy .
Alan Woinski | 2 years ago
North America

Ace Hotels Bought for $85 Million

The DJIA  fell 392 points but Nasdaq was up 16, the S&P 500 rose 8 points and the 10-year treasury yield was up .02 to 3.54%. Lodging stocks were modestly higher with no major movers. Investment firm Sortis agreed to acquire Ace Group International for $85 million . The all-cash deal will give Sortis the boutique Ace Hotels brand and its hotel management company. International visitors spent more than $15.9 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States , an increase of nearly 57% compared to November 2021
Alan Woinski and Kim Woinski | 2 years ago
Asia-Pacific

Thailand May Add Tourism Fee and Expand Domestic Hotel Subsidy

Hotels in Thailand still want the government to accelerate the launch of the new phase of the domestic stimulus scheme even with an influx of Chinese tourists expected to show up. Hyatt Hotels announced the opening of Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach , the debut of the Andaz brand in Thailand . IHG Hotels & Resorts has opened its first Crowne Plaza hotel in Bangladesh in partnership with Doreen Hotels & Resorts
Alan Woinski | 2 years ago
North America

Sonesta to Reflag Two Properties to The James Brand

Lodging stocks were mixed but the biggest movers were to the upside. VCSA and SLNA both rose 6% on the day. The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index fell -10% in December. That put all of 2022 down -15% from 2021. The Hotel Brand sub-index was down -9.2% in December from November while the Hotel REIT sub-index was down -12.8% Sonesta International Hotels Corporation announced the expansion of its global development strategy to include The James brand as part of the Sonesta Franchise portfolio in the U.S. and in Latin America.
Alan Woinski and Kim Woinski | 2 years ago