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NEARLY 500,000 HOTEL operations jobs lost during the pandemic will not returning to the industry before the end of the year, according to a report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association. In response, AHLA has launched the "Hotels are Hiring" ad campaign with the goal of filling more than 100,000 jobs in the industry. A surge in leisure travel has led to improved conditions for most U.S. hotels, but AHLA's economic analysis found the recovery is far from bringing the industry back to pre-pandemic levels. Urban markets in particular are lagging. Hotel occupancy is projected to drop 10 percentage points from 2019 levels, the report said, and room revenue is expected to drop $44 billion this year compared to 2019. State and local governments have lost more than $20 billion in unrealized tax revenues from hotels over the past two years. AHLA and AAHOA held the Virtual Action Summit on July 20 to 22 in which hoteliers from across the country met with members of Congress to ask for help.

ALL THE PERFORMANCE metrics of U.S. hotels improved in the first week of November, according to STR. However, it remains below the performance reported two years ago. Occupancy was 59.8 percent for the week ending Nov. 6, up from 58.9 percent the week before and a 13 percent drop from the same period in 2019. ADR for the first week of the month was $128.14, up from $127.70 the week before and down 3.2 percent for the same period in 2019. RevPAR increased to $76.61 from $75.28 the week before. It was reduced by 15.8 percent when compared to the same period two years ago. During the week under review, none of STR's top 25 markets recorded an occupancy increase over 2019. Norfolk/Virginia Beach came closest to its 2019 comparable, down only 5.2 percent to 59.9 percent. The largest ADR increase was reported in Miami, up 13.6 percent to $205.56, when compared to two years ago.

HOTEL OWNERS MUST treat young associates better as labor is the hot-button issue in the hospitality industry, according to a blog post by HotStats. Increasing wages for entry-level work and promoting career advancement are also vital toward attracting young talent, it added. The blog post said that total payroll on a per-available-room basis is still around two times less in 2021 compared to 2019, according to HotStats data. Year-to-date October 2021, total payroll PAR in the U.S. is $43.46 compared to $85.86 two years ago. "Not only should a hotel care about customers, its number one target market is internal associates," said Leora Halpern Lanz, assistant dean, academic affairs and associate professor of the practice at Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration, in the blog. "If they're treated well, word gets out that it's a good place to work. The industry needs to evaluate why people are working 14-hour days because they're being worn down. There has to be an element of work/life balance." Kyle Allison, host of the Hospitality MD podcast, said that the hotel industry needs to tweak its legacy messaging.

NOVEMBER BROUGHT A little less for U.S. hotels to be thankful for compared to the prior month, according to STR, but also saw improvements over 2019's performance. Meanwhile, with Christmas a week away, performance surpassed the comparable time period for 2019. Occupancy for November reached 57.6 percent, down from 62.9 percent in October and down 6.2 percent compared to 2019. October's occupancy was 8.8 percent lower than the same month in 2019. ADR was $128.50 for the month, lower than October's $134.78 but 2.4 percent higher than November 2019. RevPAR also was down on a month-to-month basis, $74.03 versus $84.75, but it was only down 3.9 percent from the same month in 2019 versus a 7.6 percent difference between October 2021 and October 2019. New York City had the highest occupancy for the month among STR's top 25 markets with 71.2 percent. That was still down 17.9 percent from 2019. None of the top 25 markets saw higher occupancy than 2019.

IN RECENT WEEKS, CBRE Hotels Research has revised its forecast for the hospitality industry upward in light of several factors, such as rising occupancy levels, improvement in domestic travel and some opening in international travel. Recent developments, however, including the rise of the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, elevates the uncertainty level of those forecasts, but still the industry is expected to return to 2019 levels by the second half of 2023 rather than 2024. Hotel occupancy in the third quarter rose 35.1 percent over the previous year, according to CBRE's December 2021 edition of Hotel Horizons. ADR also saw gains, reaching 2019 nominal levels in the third quarter. "CBRE expects ADR will continue to exceed 2019 levels, followed by a demand recovery in early 2023," CBRE said in a statement. "Pent-up demand for leisure destinations, an increase in household personal savings and fewer constraints on availability compared with earlier in the pandemic contributed to the brisk pace of ADR recovery. The resumption of inbound international travel will help gateway markets regain occupancy in the coming year."

THE U.S. HOTEL construction pipeline dropped 8 percent by projects and 10 percent by rooms in 2021 when compared to 2020, according to Lodging Econometrics. However, the number of projects in the early planning stage is rising, it added. The total construction pipeline at the fourth quarter of last year stood at 4,814 projects containing 581,953 rooms, according to LE. There were 2,021 projects containing 239,816 rooms in the early planning stage, up 18 percent by projects and 11 percent by rooms, LE data shows. According to LE, 1,821 hotel projects containing 210,890 rooms are scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months. As many as 972 projects containing 131,247 rooms under construction finished the year. "New project announcements are down in the fourth quarter. However, developers are eager to accelerate projects long-delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, they face some development roadblocks, including escalating inflation and supply chain shortages, that are causing higher prices versus 'pre-pandemic' costs for labor and materials," LE said. "These factors continue to prolong hotel development timelines. We anticipate these challenges to abate throughout the year and see construction starts to moderately improve."

IN ANOTHER SIGN of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's Super Bowl is expected to bring increases in hotel business to host city Los Angeles, according to STR. ADR and RevPAR are projected to reach the second-highest levels for any Super Bowl weekend on record. During the weekend of the game, Feb. 11 to 13, STR forecasts that ADR will reach $445 and RevPAR will be around $396 in the L.A. market. Occupancy is expected to hit 89 percent as fans flock in for the game. "Since July, the Los Angeles hotel market has consistently achieved monthly rates near or above pre-pandemic levels," said Blake Reiter, STR's director of custom forecasts. "Occupancy has been rapidly improving toward 2019 levels as well, but it hasn't reflected the same degree of recovery. We expect there will be, at least to a certain extent, a curtailing of occupancy because of COVID. Of course, if the NFL decides to switch venues as media reports have suggested, or implement more stringent protocols, L.A. hotel performance will certainly be among the ripple effects." Los Angeles's Super Bowl hotel occupancy is projected to outperform last year's venue, Tampa, Florida, which saw 82.4 percent occupancy when the home team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. However, it is well below the 92.8 percent Miami saw when it hosted the game in 2020, and also is lower than what L.A. saw over the comparable weekend period in 2020, 87.7 percent.

Lenny King is now director of IT for Greenville, South Carolina-based auroHOTELS. Previously, he was director of IT for restaurant chain Taco Johns. Prior to coming to Greenville, South Carolina-based auroHOTELS, King, a native of Missouri, worked first for Intrawest Resorts, managing new property infrastructure and technology systems. He also worked for various hotels and resorts in Florida and Hawaii, including Hilton Daytona, PGA National, Turtle Bay Resort and Marriott Waikoloa. At auroHOTELS, led by D.J. Rama as president and CEO, King will oversee IT strategy, monitoring and enhancing cyber security, managing hotel WiFi and bandwidth, deploying systems to improve overall productivity, increasing automation, flow and reporting. He and his team will support the corporate headquarters and the properties in the field.

THE BAIRD/STR Hotel Stock Index rose in March, continuing a trend from the previous month. Still, continued growth remains at risk by factors such as inflation and political unrest. The index increased 2.2 percent in March after rising 4.1 percent in February. It rose 2.4 percent year to date through the first three months of 2022. However, Baird/STR fell behind both the S&P 500, up 3.6 percent in March, and the MSCI US REIT Index, which rose 5.9 percent. The hotel brand sub-index rose 1.4 percent from February, while the Hotel REIT sub-index jumped 5.1 percent. "Hotel stocks increased in March but underperformed their benchmarks as stock market volatility eased and geopolitical concerns did not worsen," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Underlying hotel fundamentals continued to improve in March, and the outlook appears more favorable today than just one month ago despite all of the background noise in the stock market and with interest rates on the rise. Higher gas prices and heightened concerns about a slower growth backdrop have been topical with investors lately, but broader travel momentum and pent-up demand should keep the lodging recovery going over the near term, in our opinion."

BUSINESS CONTINUED TO improve in the second week of April for U.S. hotels, according to STR. Occupancy, ADR and RevPAR all rose on a weekly basis, and the last two were up compared to the same time in 2019. Occupancy was 66.4 percent for the week ending April 9, up from 64.1 percent the week before but down 4.7 percent from 2019. ADR was $150.45 for the week, up from $145.74 the previous week and up 10.6 percent from 2019. RevPAR reached $99.93, a rise from $93.48 weekly and up 5.4 percent from three years ago. Among STR's top 25 markets, Tampa saw the highest occupancy increase over 2019, up 6.2 percent to 84 percent. Minneapolis had the largest occupancy decrease from three years ago, down 29.5 percent to 51.4 percent.

MONITORING GOPPAR PERFORMANCE allows hoteliers to make smart decisions about running their business as they consider all revenue streams and cost variables, according to HotStats. The focus should be on maximizing profit rather than just increasing revenue. GOPPAR is calculated by taking total revenue, subtracting total departmental and undistributed expenses, then dividing by the total number of available rooms, according to a blog post by HotStats. GOPPAR index measurement gives guidance about why a hotel is either outperforming or underperforming its direct competitors, allowing a hotel owner to make critical changes to improve business, it said. In February, GOPPAR for U.S. hotels was down 33 percent compared to February 2019, whereas RevPAR was down 26 percent for the month. It provided evidence that costs were eating farther into the P&L in February.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE persisted in its downward trend during the last week of August, influenced by seasonal patterns in contrast to the previous week, according to CoStar. However, year-on-year comparisons improved while Maui Island, Hawaii, still recovering from deadly wildfires, showed signs of recovery. Occupancy came in at 65 percent for the week ending Aug. 26, down from the previous week's 67 percent, but it showed a 0.4 percent increase compared to 2022. ADR stood at $150.23, a decrease from the previous week's $154.10, though it displayed a 1.7 percent growth compared to the same period last year. RevPAR was $97.62, below the prior week's $103.22, yet it still indicated a 2.1 percent rise from 2022. Among the top 25 markets, Las Vegas achieved the largest year-over-year occupancy increase as August ended, rising by 7.9 percent to reach 76.3 percent. Houston achieved the highest ADR at $112.08, with a 10.5 percent increase, and the highest RevPAR at $64.45, reflecting a 17.8 percent increase.

HOTELS CAN ENHANCE profitability through greater reliance on revenue management technology tactics, according to IDeaS, a revenue management service provider. The survey examines how investors view revenue technologies, the role of artificial intelligence in hospitality, and how technology is reshaping hospitality commercial organizations. According to the survey, "Unlocking hotel performance: The power of revenue management technology today,'" inflation and economic pressures may lead hoteliers to consider cost-cutting measures to boost profitability. However, a majority of respondents view revenue management technology as the most effective and efficient way to enhance net operating income. "For investors, revenue management technology is shifting from a competitive edge to an essential instrument for maintaining competitiveness and securing a solid bottom line," said Mike Chuma, vice president of global marketing, IDeaS.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE increased from the previous week and showed improved comparisons year-over-year, according to STR. Meanwhile, U.S. occupancy reached the second highest level for any week this year. Occupancy came in at 67.5 percent for the week ending May 20, up from 65.1 percent the week before and down 1.5 percent over the comparable week in 2022. ADR was $158.53, up from $154.90 the previous week, and increased 3.6 percent from 2022. RevPAR stood at $106.98 in the recent week, jumped from $100.81 the week before and increased 2.1 percent against the same period in 2022. Among the top 25 markets, Washington, D.C., saw the highest year-over-year increases in each of the three key performance metrics: occupancy rose 9.3 percent to 83.2 percent, while ADR increased 16.2 percent to $220.58. RevPAR also rose 27 percent to $183.60. Furthermore, the weekly occupancy level was the highest in the market since the start of the pandemic, STR said.

Tejas tours and travels ensures that corporate employee transportation is done with the utmost professionalism, ensuring the daily commute into safety, punctuality, and efficiency. Our Safety measures - Multi-level panic alarm system which can be used in case of emergency; Panic button installed inside the vehicle, mobile app and calling the transport helpline; on raising an alarm an automated call is established with the transport supervisor and Admin. Our corporate employee transportation solutions are flexible and configurable offerings specially designed for clients' transportation requirements. With tejas travels Corporate Employee Transportation solution, the process has demonstrated significant improvements in on-time performance, female safety - safe drop confirmation through IVR call, and compliance with detailed reporting and analysis to give transparency into the process.

AAHOA IS URGING hotels to adopt cybersecurity measures to prevent incidents similar to the recent cyberattacks on MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment. Following the ransomware attack on IHG Hotels & Resorts last year, which cost hotel owners between $30,000 and $75,000 each, AAHOA called for clear lines of communication to protect franchisees who bore the brunt of revenue losses from bookings missed due to the disruptions. In July, Choice Hotels International confirmed a data breach impacting guest information in its Radisson Hotels Americas chain, originating from a file-transfer system hack, according to AAHOA and media reports. The association said that most impacted franchisees are small business owners, unable to absorb unexpected booking losses. This challenge is amplified by ongoing issues like staffing shortages, which further hinder their recovery efforts. It further emphasized that with franchisor support, hoteliers can improve the guest experience and reduce the risk of disruptive incidents.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT competition She Has a Deal 2022 SHaDPitch Today's Woman competitor Amina Gilyard James recently acquired the Quality Inn in the Raleigh neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. James said the competition prepared her company for the acquisition. The 70-room hotel is near downtown Memphis, Beale Street and AutoZone Park, home of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds and the Memphis International Airport, according to SHaD. Amenities in the property include a business center and indoor heated pool and hot tub. James' firm Duke Ventures plans to invest $500,000 to refresh the property with new paint, FF&E and additional cosmetic improvements. "The SHaDPitch competition and its curriculum provide an invaluable inside look at the hotel industry," James said. "It provided a roadmap and extensive network that gave me foundational knowledge of the hotel acquisition and ownership space. SHaD prepared my company, Duke Ventures LLC, to make the smartest investment possible. We're proud of the deal we made and optimistic about what the future holds for this property and our investors."

NATALIE ROBINSON IS now vice president of people and culture for Peachtree Group. Also, the Atlanta-based company, led by Jatin Desai and Mitul Patel as managing principals, also says it's on the way to a record year for new hotel construction. Good with people Previously, Robinson was the human resource director of title company OS National, according to Peachtree Group. She began her career developing accounting and billing policies and procedures, as well as human resources systems for two Atlanta law firms. She holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia. "It's an exciting time at Peachtree as our organization expands and evolves," said Vivian Clarke, Peachtree's senior vice president of people and culture. "Natalie's strong leadership skills will advance our culture, drive our growth and talent strategy, and strengthen our reputation as an employer of choice. We are proud of Peachtree's high team member engagement, and the company culture built and recognize the opportunity to improve our people processes and discipline as we further scale the business." Peachtree made several changes to its structure and leadership in September.