South Carolina

North America

International Visitors to the U.S. Bring in New Highs

The DJIA rose 334 points, Nasdaq was up 52, the S&P 500 rose 21 points and the 10 year treasury yield was down .09 to 4.13%. Apple Hospitality reported a modest beat with RevPAR up 7.5% versus 3Q19. In September and October APLE bought back a modest amount of stock just above $14 a share. Sunstone Hotel Investors reported a slight 3Q beat. SHO continues to be a buyer of their own stock under $10.
North America

Choice Hotels Receives Mixed Response to Earnings

Lodging stocks were mixed. Choice (CHH) was the big loser, down -9%, while MCG was down -7% and AINC fell -6%. Choice Hotels received a mixed response to their 3Q earnings report from analysts and a big thumbs down from investors. Hilton announced the opening of its two-hundredth hotel in the Caribbean and Latin America, Waldorf Astoria Cancun , a 173-room luxury resort set on 100 acres of coastline.
North America

Earnings Reports and Interest Rates Spook Investors

Lodging stocks were down before the Fed decision to raise interest rates by another 75 basis points and conference call but the selling accelerated after, led by the REITs, not surprisingly. Investors did not take the earnings reports from Airbnb, Ashford Hospitality Trust or Xenia Hotels & Resorts very well. Meanwhile STR reported for the week ended 10/29, US hotel RevPAR was up 33.5% year over year.
North America

Global Hotel Pipeline Slows in Q3

The DJIA surged 749 points on Friday while Nasdaq was up 245, the S&P 500 rose 87 points and the 10 year treasury yield was down .01 to 4.21%. Lodging stocks were modestly higher. According to September 2022 data from STR , Middle East & Africa was the only world region to show an increase in overall hotel pipeline activity at the end of the third quarter. IHG Hotels & Resorts reported a good 3Q, with RevPAR up 28% year over year and up 2.7% from 3Q19. The problem is they also announced Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson is leaving his CFO position.
North America

U.S. Businesses Pare Back Travel Restrictions

The DJIA was up 338 points while Nasdaq was up 97, the S&P 500 was up 42 points, while the 10-year treasury yield was down nearly .02 to 4.00%. Evercore ISI Group upped its rating on DiamondRock Hospitality to Outperform from In-Line. US Travel’s latest Business Travel Tracker finds American companies increasingly paring back pandemic-era restrictions on business travel
North America

Hurricane Ian's Impact on Florida Hotels

The  DJIA  surged 765 points while  Nasdaq  was up 234, the  S&P 500  rose 90 points and the 10 year treasury yield was down .15 to 3.66%. Raymond James  reported on  hotels impacted by Hurricane Ian ’s decimation of southwest Florida. While Tampa Bay dodged the bullet, Sarasota all the way down took a hit led by Naples, Fort Myers, Sanibel, Captiva, Boca Grande, Venice and Punta Gorda. Aimbridge Hospitality  announces its  international division , Interstate Hotel & Resorts has launched its new corporate identity, formally debuting as the Aimbridge EMEA division.
North America

Strong Recovery Indicators for Remainder of 2022

The  DJIA  dropped 1.54%,  Nasdaq  fell 2.84%, the  S&P 500  declined 2.11% and the  10-year treasury yield  rose slightly, to 3.76%. After an outstanding summer of travel,  Amadeus’  Agency360 and Demand360 data sources are showing  strong recovery indicators for the remainder of 2022  and evidence of growing traveler confidence as the sector looks towards 2023. Service Properties Trust  announced it entered into a purchase and sale agreement to sell  16 Marriott branded hotels  totaling 2,155 keys for $137.3 million.
North America

IHG’s Data Breach Concerns

The  DJIA  rose 230 points while  Nasdaq  was up 154, the  S&P 500  rose 43 points and the  10-year treasury yield  was up .04 to 3.36%. Lodging stocks were modestly higher. IHG’s hack appears to be a lot worse than the ones at other hotels as the ransomware attack may very well impact their 3Q results as they continue to have their online reservation system crippled by the attack. Watermark Lodging Trust  said the proposed acquisition of the company by private real estate funds managed by  Brookfield  was approved by its stockholders.
North America

Wells Fargo Changes Lodging Coverage

The  DJIA fell 184 points, Nasdaq was down 124, the S&P 500 was down 27 points and the 10-year treasury yield was up .08 to 3.11%. Wells Fargo made a few changes to their coverage of lodging names . They cut their ratings on Hersha Hospitality, DiamondRock Hospitality and Pebblebrook Hotel Trust to Equal Weight from the previous Overweight ratings Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts unveiled its new brand creative platform, Luxury Is Our Love Language , celebrating the brand’s unique and energetic perspective on the definition of luxury.
North America

July Room Rates Hit New High

According to July 2022 data from STR , the U.S. hotel industry reported record-high monthly room rates on a nominal basis. Raymond James believes the recovery in global travel still has plenty of room to run. They believe this is the earliest stage of what is set up to be a multi-year fundamental recovery in global travel. A 13-F filing from Sunstone Hotels showed Blackstone Group had taken a 4.1% stake in SHO.