Group items tagged

U.S. HOTEL INVESTOR sentiment remains robust, with investors indicating an increase in hotel acquisitions in 2024, according to a recent survey by CBRE Hotels Research. About 35 percent of survey respondents expect acquisition activity to remain the same as in 2023, while less than 16 percent anticipate a decrease. Despite high interest rates, more than 70 percent are targeting value-added and opportunistic hotel investments. CBRE's Global Hotel Investor Intentions Survey, which included more than 130 respondents responsible for U.S. investments, found that value-added acquisitions offer opportunities to reposition assets by adding rooms, redesigning interiors, or adding amenities to increase returns and long-term value.

HUNTER HOTEL ADVISORS secured $60.2 million in financing for seven hotels, with loans ranging from $5.73 million to $12.8 million and up to 85 percent financing. Prada Hotels, led by CEO Hemal Patel and Lotus Hospitality Investments used the financing to support their expansion. The financing includes SBA 7(a) and 504 loans for: JLL report highlights strong investment opportunities in select-service and extended-stay hotels for 2025, driven by high demand and stable returns JLL: Select-service, extended-stay hotels offer stable returns Extended Stay America Washington D.C. Chantilly Airport, Virginia Extended Stay America Washington D.C. Chantilly, Virginia Candlewood Suites Louisville Airport, Kentucky Candlewood Suites Indianapolis Airport, Indiana Staybridge Suites Denver Tech Center, Colorado Residence Inn Lake Charles, Louisiana Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Vinings/Galleria, Georgia "The year 2024 ended on a strong note and a tailwind propelling us into 2025," said Adeel Amin, Hunter's senior vice president, capital markets. "A renewed appetite for traditional bank loans is emerging, particularly from local institutions, while innovative structures like variable-rate SBA 504 programs are also gaining traction. As the market finds its footing in this evolving landscape, lending is increasingly dictated by debt-service coverage ratios. Consequently, government-backed loans are poised to remain a critical component of the financing landscape for loan requests requiring maximum leverage up to 80 percent or low DSCRs."

U.S. HOTEL INVESTORS are growing more optimistic, with 94 percent planning to maintain or increase investments this year, up from 85 percent last year, according to a recent CBRE study. Key drivers include improved return expectations, distressed opportunities and favorable pricing. CBRE's U.S. Hotels Investor Intentions Survey shows only 6 percent of investors plan to reduce allocations, down from 16 percent last year, amid slowing RevPAR growth and cost concerns. "We anticipate an acceleration in hotel investment activity in 2025, as investors are eager to seize new buying opportunities amid increasingly favorable economic conditions," said Bill Grice, CBRE Hotels' president of the Americas. "With ample liquidity accessible through the debt capital markets, investors are targeting assets that offer substantial in-place cash flows and are actively seeking value-add properties that can be repositioned to yield above-market returns."

SELECT-SERVICE AND extended-stay hotels remain attractive investments due to their "durable returns in a volatile market," according to a recent JLL study. The sector's RevPAR hit a record $78 in 2024, 14 percent above 2019 levels, with demand up 232,000 room nights year-over-year, nearing full recovery. JLL's U.S. Select-Service and Extended-Stay Hotel Outlook 2025 highlights the sector's lean operations and higher profit margins compared to full-service hotels, making it a strong investment for stable returns despite economic challenges.

NOBLE INVESTMENT GROUP recently acquired two hotels in Savannah, Georgia. The hotels are the Hampton Inn Savannah Historic District and Holiday Inn Express Savannah Historic District. Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Noble, led by Mit Shah as CEO, acquired the hotels because of their position in Savannah's historic district. The city recently was named Travel + Leisure magazine's No. 3 Top City in the U.S. and included on TIME's list of The World's Greatest Places of 2021. The 7-floor, 143-room Holiday Inn Express has 2,765 square feet of meeting space, a rooftop pool and the Port Royal Tavern in the lobby. The 147-room Hampton Inn has an outdoor pool, a fitness center and a business center. In the historic district, the hotels are near museums, historic landmarks, mansions, and monuments from the Revolutionary and Civil War eras. Both hotels are on East Bay Street across the Savannah River from the Savannah Convention Center and River Street shopping and entertainment area.

NEW YORK LEADS the top 50 U.S. markets in hotel construction with 47 projects and 7,655 rooms currently underway, according to Lodging Econometrics. The city has a total of 78 projects and 13,549 rooms in its hotel construction pipeline, the 10th largest in the U.S. Projects set to start in the next 12 months include eight projects with 1,079 rooms, while early planning includes 23 projects with 4,815 rooms, according to LE's Q1 2024 Market Trend Report for New York, released before the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference. Within the New York market, the three submarkets with the largest hotel construction pipelines are the New York City area (including Brooklyn East, the Bronx, and Staten Island) with 25 projects and 2,096 rooms, the report said. Similarly, the Midtown South area features 11 projects and 2,535 rooms, while the Midtown West/Times Square area has 10 projects and 4,131 rooms. Combined, these submarkets account for 59 percent of the projects and 65 percent of the rooms in the market's total construction pipeline.

SREE HOTELS, A Charlotte, North Carolina-based hotel management company, sold the 107-room Holiday Inn Lumberton in Lumberton, North Carolina, for $7.7 million. Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale. SREE Hotels is led by Chairman Ravi Patel and Vice Chairman Chandra Patel. "We were able to identify a qualified buyer early in the marketing process given the property's consistent performance," said Chase Dewese, Marcus & Millichap's first vice president, investments. "The buyer will be able to create additional upside upon completion of the new ownership PIP." The Holiday Inn, built in 1990, occupies 5.74 acres off Interstate 95 and features an outdoor pool, meeting and banquet facilities and a fitness center. Founded in 1980, SREE Hotels provides hotel development and management services across the Southeast and Midwest, operating 25 franchised properties in North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio.

MARK HOPLAMAZIAN, PRESIDENT and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corp., will join Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree Group, for a fireside chat at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference on March 19. Hunter introduced this format last year with Anthony Capuano, CEO of Marriott International, as the featured guest. In "A Conversation with Mark Hoplamazian," he will share insights on his hospitality career, leadership approach, Hyatt's market position, company outlook and industry developments, Hunter said in a statement. U.S. extended-stay hotels finished 2024 strong after a slow start, with supply, demand and room revenue growth outpacing the industry, while ADR and RevPAR remained positive but gained momentum later in the year, according to The Highland Group.​ "At Hyatt, business is personal-relationships, trust, and a deep understanding of our guests, customers, and owners are at the heart of everything we do," said Hoplamazian. "In today's competitive landscape, hotel performance is driven by the human connections that shape our industry. That's why we collaborate closely with owners and operators like Peachtree Group to create long-term value for their investments."

THE HUNTER HOTEL Investment Conference opened its 2025 meeting this week with news that it will move to a new location next year. Also, speakers at the conference gave their views on the current turbulence buffeting the U.S. economy. The theme of this year's conference was "Elevate your game," said Lee Hunter, conference chairman and COO of sponsor Hunter Hotel Advisors, in his opening comments Tuesday at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown Atlanta. More that 2,200 people attended the conference. "As leaders, we know in order to be successful, you have to rise above ordinary," Hunter said. "Over the next few days, we're going to learn talk about pushing boundaries, eliminating and overcoming obstacles, and learning how to elevate not just our businesses and our teams, but our relationships and ourselves as well."

REMOTE SALES AND training appear to be surging in popularity among hotels, according to training consulting firm Gillis Sales. The firm reported $23 million in revenue from hospitality clients in 2021 and a 40 percent since the beginning of the pandemic. The latest figures indicate that hotels are seeing the benefits of investing in sales to increase profitability as travel resumes, said Tammy Gillis, CEO of Gillis Sales. Gillis foresees an increase in business as hoteliers turn to remote sales solutions to find and keep qualified salespeople. Market trends suggest that leisure and corporate travel are increasing while labor shortage continues, according to the company's statement.

NOBLE INVESTMENT GROUP in Atlanta has acquired the Hilton Garden Inn Boise Downtown. The transaction caps more than $1 billion investment over the past year, according to a statement. The 132-room hotel is near the city's leisure and business centers, which includes the Idaho State Capitol, Boise State University, Jack's Urban Meeting Place, Idaho Central Arena, and the Boise Centre, according to Noble, which is led by Mit Shah as CEO. Hotel amenities include an indoor pool, 4,098 square feet of meeting space and it is pet friendly. "The Boise market demonstrates the key macro trends we are looking for in cities which we believe will outperform as we enter a new lodging cycle," said Dustin Fisher, Noble's senior vice president. "This acquisition aligns with our strategy to acquire high-quality, well-located assets in growth markets poised to benefit from the ongoing recovery in travel."

RESOLUTE ROAD HOSPITALITY and Choice Hotels International recently hosted an investment forum in Dallas titled "Exploring Extended Stay in Texas." Around 100 hospitality executives discussed best management practices, emerging market trends, and Choice's new extended-stay brand, Everhome Suites, at the forum. Gary Horton, Resolute Road Hospitality's president, and Daniel Pinheiro, chief business development officer, presented strategies for managing and operating in the extended-stay industry, the companies said in a joint statement. "The forum was highly productive, bringing together industry professionals eager to explore the rapidly expanding extended-stay sector," said Pinheiro. "The attendees exchanged invaluable insights and collaborated on best practices specific to hotels in the midscale extended-stay class."

ADR is projected to rise by 0.1 percentage points in 2024, with occupancy and RevPAR remaining unchanged from the previous forecast, according to STR and Tourism Economics' initial U.S. hotel forecast for 2024 at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit. Yet, 2025 projections for key performance metrics were revised downward due to stabilized long-term average trends: occupancy down 0.1 percentage points, ADR down 0.3 points and RevPAR down 0.5 ppts. "U.S. ADR and RevPAR reached record highs in 2023 with solid travel fundamentals and a big year for group business underpinning performance," said Amanda Hite, STR president. "We expect to see continued growth as fundamentals remain more favorable for the travel economy. The indicator that is especially important is the low unemployment rate among college-educated individuals, those most likely to travel for business and leisure." The STR and Tourism Economics forecast a rise in GOPPAR growth due to increased TRevPAR levels and stable labor costs. Among chain scales, luxury and upper upscale hotels are expected to see substantial cost increases, driven by growing group demand.

Mary Beth Cutshall is the new chief growth officer at Vision Hospitality Group. In this role, she will oversee the expansion of the company's U.S. hotel portfolio. Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Vision Hospitality is led by founder and CEO Mitch Patel. "With 35 years of hospitality experience across sales, marketing, acquisitions, and business growth, Mary Beth is the perfect candidate to lead Vision's growth into new markets and segments with new partners," said Patel. "She has worked at all levels of the industry-from property-level sales to C-suite positions with major hotel management companies-providing her with invaluable industry insights and meaningful relationships with brands, owners, operators, and virtually every other hotel stakeholder. Mary Beth shares Vision's purpose-driven mentality, and we have no doubt she will help us achieve our expansion goals."

NOBLE INVESTMENT GROUP, led by Mit Shah as senior managing principal and CEO, recently acquired the Courtyard Jacksonville Beach Oceanfront in Jacksonville, Florida. Also, Noble recently appointed Dewitt Lovelace as project manager of design and development. The 150-room Courtyard features, two F&B outlets, 2,450 square feet of meeting space, a pool and hot tub, a fitness center, and a convenience store. The company plans to renovate the guestrooms, suites, public areas and meeting spaces, Noble said in a statement. "The greater Jacksonville market continues to exhibit the key macro trends we look for in cities that we believe will continue to outperform the broader economy," said Dustin Fisher, Noble's senior vice president. "This high-quality asset will undergo a meaningful upgrade, enabling the hotel to capitalize on the market's depth and breadth of leisure, healthcare, corporate and government demand."

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & Suites Florida City, a 105-room property in Florida, was sold for $13.2 million at a price per key of $125,714. The deal was brokered by Kabani Hotel Group, led by CEO and founder Ahmed Kabani and partner Suraj Dalal. "We were already familiar with this property, having successfully facilitated its sale in 2023 to the previous owner," said Kabani. "Following the completion of renovations and the required PIP, we leveraged our market expertise and targeted outreach to carefully select a buyer who recognized the property's potential."

NOBLE INVESTMENT GROUP has acquired the Homewood Suites by Hilton Salt Lake City | Downtown in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company, led by Mit Shah as CEO,said the city represents a fast-growing market. The 137-room hotel is in Salt Lake City's central business and entertainment district, according to Noble. The area contains more than 15 million square feet of office space and several corporate headquarters, including Zions Bancorporation, Questar Corporation, and Goldman Sachs. Also nearby are the Salt Palace Convention Center, Vivint Arena, Gallivan Center, Temple Square and the Utah State Capitol. More than 26 million passengers annually pass through the Salt Lake City International Airport, which is 4 miles west of downtown. "Salt Lake City has seen some of the highest in-migration trends leading up to and continuing through the global health crisis," Noble said in its statement. "The city boasts more than ten ski resorts within an hour's drive, as well as more than a dozen national parks and monuments. With its world-class outdoor lifestyle, Salt Lake City is one of the most dynamic leisure and corporate travel markets in the U.S."

PEACHTREE GROUP, A commercial real estate investment firm with a $6.4 billion portfolio, has closed its third hotel property structured as a Delaware Statutory Trust with the acquisition of the 98-key Hilton Garden Inn in Jackson, Tennessee. The acquisition provides 1031 exchange investors the chance to reinvest proceeds from real estate sales, enjoying tax deferral benefits and maintaining a strong real estate allocation, Peachtree said in a statement. "The hotel's strategic location near healthcare and manufacturing jobs, including Ford's planned $5.6-billion Blue Oval City, along with a diverse collection of entertainment and retail destinations, establishes it as a valuable addition to our expanding portfolio of DST properties," said Tim Witt, Peachtree's president for 1031 Exchange/DST Products. Peachtree launched its DST program in August 2022 and is a top-15 sponsor in the securitized 1031 exchange marketplace, according to Mountain Dell Consulting's year-end market equity update.

Sameer Nair is the new senior vice president of equity asset management at Peachtree Group. In this role, he will manage and implement asset oversight for Peachtree's real estate portfolio and preferred equity investments. Previously, Nair held the position of senior vice president of acquisitions and development at Hospitality Ventures Management Group, focusing on sourcing equity, debt, and third-party management opportunities, Peachtree said in a statement. Nair is an experienced asset manager with development and transactional expertise, Peachtree said. "Over the past decade, Sameer has been instrumental in the growth of some of the most respected companies in the hospitality industry," said Brian Waldman, Peachtree Group's CIO. "He has led multiple acquisition, development and investment efforts throughout the country, which gives him a deeper perspective of the industry and market."