Hawaii

Marriott Officially Adds Its 31st Brand City Express

Marriott International, Inc . said Monday it had completed its acquisition of the City Express brand portfolio from Hoteles City Express, S.A.B. de C.V. A solid beat and raise was repeated over and over again today by analysts when commenting on Park Hotels & Resorts’ earnings report. Vacasa Inc. has become the second new-age lodging SPAC to receive notice from Nasdaq that if they don’t get their stock price above $1, they could be delisted .

Hyatt Buys Boutique Booking Platform

JP Morgan upgraded their rating on Accor to Neutral from Underweight with a price target of €30, up from €24.50. Hyatt Hotels Corporation  and  Mr & Mrs Smith  announced an agreement for a Hyatt affiliate to acquire Mr & Mrs Smith, a platform offering direct booking access to boutique hotels.

Hotels Spend Big on Renovations and Expansions

Truist lowered their price target on Park Hotels & Resorts to $19 from $20 while maintaining their Buy rating. BRE Hotels & Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua are celebrating the recent success of the property following a $100 million transformation. The iconic Fairmont Hotel in downtown Vancouver, Canada, is looking to expand with an annex tower, but it will not provide any additional hotel rooms.

Concord Hospitality Prepares to Expand in 2023

Choice Hotels International announced the board of directors approved a 21% increase in the quarterly cash dividend on their common stock. Concord Hospitality is preparing for a year of expansion in 2023 as the company recounts 2022 milestones and projects significant growth for the year ahead. AC Hotels by Marriott has opened its newest property in St. Petersburg, Florida, AC Hotel by Marriott St. Petersburg Downtown .

IHG's Unexpected Share Buyback

Lodging stocks were lower: There was only one mover of note, SLNA with a -6% drop getting near an all-time low today, but there was a sea of red on the screen today. DiamondRock Hospitality reported a solid 4Q. DRH had given preliminary results in January but still beat expectations even with comparable RevPAR below consensus as margins made up the difference. IHG reported a good quarter but the highlight was the announcement of a $750 million share buyback for 2023

Jefferies Downgrades Marriott and Hilton

Jefferies downgraded both Marriott and Hilton to Hold , leaving only Wyndham with a Buy rating in their C-Corp coverage. They continue to favor Host Hotels and Hersha Hospitality. 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay is opening on February 15 on Kauai’s north shore. The resort will be the flagship hotel for 1 Hotels. The DJIA fell 113 points, Nasdaq was up 66, the S&P 500 was down 3 points and the 10-year treasury yield was down .05 to 3.52%. How was that for a mixed market?

Braemar and Ashford Forecast Strong Fourth Quarters

The DJIA rose 701 points on Friday while Nasdaq was up 264, the S&P 500 rose 87 points and the 10 year treasury yield was down .15 to 3.57% Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. expects to report occupancy of approximately 64% for the fourth quarter of 2022 with an ADR of approximately $469 resulting in RevPAR of approximately $301. Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. expects to report occupancy of approximately 68% for the fourth quarter of 2022 with an ADR of approximately $175 resulting in RevPAR of approximately $118.

U.S. Hotel Trends Point to a Holiday Season Like 2019

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust cut their guidance for 4Q , citing a demand impact from Hurricane Nicole in November and weaker business/leisure demand at the end of that month. STR said US hotel RevPAR the week ended 12/17 was up 12% year over year while up 35% over the week in 2019 . U.S. hotel occupancy for Christmas and New Years mirrors 2019 trends , with warm destinations proving popular according to Amadeus .

Marriott and Hilton Increase Share Buyback Authorizations

Lodging stocks were higher again with MCG up 11%, HT up 8%, ABNB up 7%, SLNA up 6% and SVC up another 5%. Both Marriott International and Hilton announced an increase in their share buyback authorizations. Hilton announced its board of directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $2.5 billion of common stock under its existing stock repurchase program.

Marriott Leads the Construction Pipeline in the U.S.

Ryman Hospitality Properties beat 3Q EBITDA estimates while giving a small 4Q guidance raise. Lodging stocks were mixed. SOND rose 8% but Selina (SLNA) plunged another -23% and is now down to near where it was in price when they completed the merger with BOA. Timeshare is definitely a mixed bag this earnings season. Following up on TNL’s disappointing results, Marriott Vacations gave a mixed 3Q along with guidance that seems mixed as well.