Virginia

North America

Choice Merger With Radisson Americas Is on Track

Choice Hotels to integrate nearly 600 Radisson Americas hotels onto its reservation delivery engine and loyalty program. Dauntless Capital Partners purchases Hilton Garden Inn Bethesda Downtown for immediate renovation. Excel Hotel Group plans to build a 130-room SpringHill Suites Hotel in Grover Beach, California.
North America

Travel Industry Sees 40 Percent YoY Decline in Deal Activity

Stock market: DJIA down 245 points, Nasdaq down 22, S&P 500 down 21 points Decline in travel and tourism deal activity: 41% YoY decline, all deal types registered a decline in volume Hotel transactions: Several hotels sold, renovated, or under development in different locations
North America

U.S. Travel Demand Looks Robust Through 2026

Stock market indices, including DJIA, Nasdaq, and S&P 500, experienced declines, while the 10-year treasury yield saw a slight increase. The hotel industry faced mixed results, with the Hotel Brand sub-index declining but the Hotel REIT sub-index growing. The U.S. Travel Association released a forecast predicting steady growth in domestic leisure travel and slower recovery in business travel.
North America

More San Francisco Hotels Face Loan Pressures

Stock Market: DJIA, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 showed gains, while lodging stocks had mixed performance. San Francisco Hotels: Park Hotels plans to surrender ownership, raising concerns about more foreclosures. Multiple hotels face loan due dates in the next two years. Hotel Updates: Various hotels undergo management changes, renovations, and new openings in different locations, including California, Illinois, Texas, and Canada.
North America

Market Surges and Airbnb Lawsuit

Market surge: DJIA and Nasdaq experience significant gains, with the DJIA surging 701 points and the stronger-than-expected jobs report contributing to the rise. Airbnb lawsuit: Airbnb files a lawsuit against New York City over a new law that the company claims will limit short-term rentals and make it more difficult for hosts to do business. Hotel openings and acquisitions: Several hotel brands announce new openings and acquisitions, including WoodSpring Suites, Sonesta, and Margaritaville, expanding their presence in different cities and states.
North America

Service Properties Trust Completes Sale of TravelCenters to BP

Last week BP plc completed the acquisition of TravelCenter of America Inc . Service Properties Trust received $379.3 million in cash as part of the transaction. Sonder Holdings was cut to Perform from Outperform by Oppenheimer and InterContinental Hotels Group was upgraded to Neutral from Sell by Redburn. The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 1.4% in April from March. The Hotel Brand sub-index rose 2.5% from March while the Hotel REIT sub-index was down -2.6%.
North America

Acquisitions by Noble Investment Group and Bluegreen Vacations

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.
North America

Hotel Brands See Guest Satisfaction Boost

Upper upscale hotels, the property types most associated with business travel, are well represented in the U.S. development pipeline . According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index Travel Study 2022-2023, satisfaction across all four industries measured, airlines, hotels, car rentals, and online travel agencies, is up . STR reported US lodging data for the week ended 4/15. US hotel RevPAR was up 8.6% year over year.
North America

The Strong State of U.S. Hotels

CBRE released its US Hotels State of the Union March 2023 Edition . Key takeaways include February marked nine consecutive months of easing inflation. Baird said that with industry wide March RevPAR being better than expected, it de-risked 1Q23 earnings a bit, and the trade is likely higher into the earnings prints. Jefferies said they continue to believe Host Hotels is best-positioned among peers to generate growth and expanding cash flows irrespective of macro challenges and has yet to receive valuation credit.
North America

Record Sign-Ups for Hotel Loyalty Programs

Heading into the upcoming 1Q earnings season, JP Morgan said they expect relative upside in 1Q23 RevPAR results and, for the C-Corps, at least in-line net rooms growth with both operating metrics benefiting from improvements in China. A record number of loyalty program members should help hotel brands lower their customer acquisition costs, increased direct-to-consumer engagement and offset any occupancy shortfalls during an economic downturn. Corporate travel spending is tracking toward full recovery to 2019 levels by 2024 or 2025 , but higher costs and climate concerns will keep trip volumes smaller than pre-pandemic levels in real terms.