Portugal

Blackwells Capital attempted to buy Braemar Hotels & Resorts, failed, and is now trying to elect four directors to BHR's board despite owning a minimal amount of shares, facing opposition and legal action from BHR.

The BT Tower will be transformed into a hotel after the telecom giant inked a £275m deal to sell the London landmark to MCR Hotels.

Group bookings across the industry’s largest portfolio of economy and midscale hotels will soon take minutes, not days, thanks to Groups360 and the rapid rollout at over 5,600 Wyndham hotels.

Hilton and Small Luxury Hotels of the World announced an exclusive strategic partnership that will welcome Hilton guests to hundreds of independently minded luxury hotels in the most sought-after destinations around the world.

Baird provides insights into investor sentiment and expectations for 2024 RevPAR growth among hotel brands. Several hotel renovation and construction projects are announced, including a new Westin Resort in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and a Ritz Carlton Residences in Lake Woodlands, Texas. Multiple hotel acquisitions and developments are highlighted, such as the Kastrati Group's acquisition of SLS Brickell in Miami and IHG Hotels & Resorts introducing the Kimpton brand in Portugal with Kimpton Algarve Sao Rafael Atlantico.

Sonder Holdings announces a 1 for 20 reverse split to maintain its Nasdaq listing, with Selina also considering a reverse split. STR reports US hotel data with a slight increase in US hotel RevPAR but a decrease in Group RevPAR for the week ending 9/16. Various hotel acquisitions and developments are underway, including Omni Hotels & Resorts in Raleigh, Travel + Leisure Co.'s sports-themed resorts, Life House in Palm Springs, and more.

Airbnb hit a new 52-week high on the stock market, Soho House rose 9%, and Sonder was up 6%. Long-term licensing agreement for MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy, encompassing 17 MGM resorts, and loyalty marketing agreement with BetMGM. The City of London plans to convert empty offices into hotels to revitalize the area, attract tourists, and address the growing demand for serviced accommodations in London.

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.

According to the latest STR U.S. bubble chart update , for the four weeks ending April 15, recovery growth across a range of industry indicators took a small backstep, with occupancy falling from the prior month. Each of the four world regions showed a year-over-year decline in hotel construction activity , with Asia Pacific coming closest to its 2022 comparable, according to March 2023 pipeline data from STR. The Hospitality Asset Manager Association released the results of its Spring 2023 Industry Outlook Survey .

Lodging stocks were higher with the only big mover of note once again being AHT, up another 6%. Baird gave their 2023 Hotel REIT outlook saying they are taking a more balanced approach in early 2023 as macroeconomic risks and growing expense pressures keep them selective. STR announced U.S. lodging data for the week ended January 7th. Year over year RevPAR was up 21.8% on easy comps due to holiday/school timing and the Omicron outbreak last year.