North Carolina

The big news was a rumor with the Wall Street Journal reporting Choice Hotels is making a move to acquire Wyndham Hotels & Resorts . Truist upped their price target on Hyatt Hotels to $149 from $145. This follows H’s Investor Day and the tours of Apple Leisure Group resorts. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust gave their monthly update saying for 2Q23, overall demand and profitability trends continue to remain within expectations .

STR reported US RevPAR for the week ended May 13 was down -1.3% year over year, possibly impacted by Mother’s Day timing. CBRE is again raising its forecast for hotel performance this year . The company has revised its forecast for 2023 RevPAR to $97.89, up 6.0% YOY and an increase of $0.43 from its previous forecast. Hilton announced the opening of Canopy by Hilton San Francisco SoMA .

Choice Hotels International reported solid 1Q results, better than expectations. In the good old days, when stocks actually moved up and down based on fundamentals. Deutsche Bank upped their target price on Ryman Hospitality to $128 from $126 and reiterated their Buy rating. The Four Seasons Hotel Boston has reopened following the completion of a dramatic design update of its arrival area, lobby and port cochere.

Apple Hospitality and Xenia Hotels were the next up to report earnings. APLE beat expectations and continues to be one of the few hotel REITs reporting EBITDA above 2019 levels. XHR also beat expectations on a higher top line with RevPAR growth of 23.9%. STR reported US lodging data for the week ended April 29. Year over year hotel RevPAR was up 5.6%.

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.

The stock market experienced a decrease, with the Dow Jones Hotel & Lodging REITs Index down 2.3%. There were several hotel acquisitions, renovations, and new developments announced. There were also announcements of management changes, upgrades, and technology acquisitions in the hospitality industry.

Truist gave their 1Q lodging earnings preview . While they continue to see macro over micro with the main driver/wildcard coming from the economic impact of high interest rates and inflation, at a minimum they expect results to be in-line but more likely ahead. The Kayak Miami Beach hotel could be seized in a $13.68 million foreclosure lawsuit. The ART Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton announced the completion of its $3 million property-wide refresh to its 165 rooms and suites, 7,500 square feet of flexible meeting and event spaces, fitness center, private dining and public spaces.

Kimpton’s first-ever resort in the Western Caribbean is officially opening this summer, with the debut of the new Kimpton Grand Roatan in the Bay Islands of Honduras . According to The Wall Street Journal,  Goldman Sachs  is investing between 150 million and 200 million euros in  three seaside resorts  in the northern region of  Halkidiki . Key International  completed the purchase of  The Perry Hotel  on the waterfront in  Key West, FL  as part of an ambitious expansion of its $2 billion portfolio.

Wells Fargo has cut price targets on lodging stocks under coverage due to concerns over regional banks and their impact on the hotel industry. The bank only downgraded two names - Park Hotels and Xenia Hotels - but reduced price targets on many others, including Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt. STR's global "bubble chart" update shows growing momentum in the Asia Pacific region and more than half of markets globally with better than 20% growth in RevPAR versus 2019. Israel, Switzerland, Singapore, the Dominican Republic, and New Zealand led in RevPAR on an actual basis. HEI Hotels & Resorts has taken over management of the Marriott Jacksonville Downtown Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida, which will undergo a comprehensive renovation in the planning stages with completion anticipated in the first quarter of 2024.

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.