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IN MARCH, THE U.S. celebrated the achievements and history of women as part of Women's History Month. In recognition of the month, some hotel companies introduced or continued programs aimed at increasing women's role in the industry. In line with the Women's History Month theme this year "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories," Choice Hotels International kicked off its "HERtels at Choice Development Seminar" with nearly 40 franchise owners, general managers, and hotel associates in attendance. At the same time, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' "Women Own the Room" initiative has signed over 30 hotels across the U.S. and Canada in the first year of its launch. Also, California hotelier and philanthropist Sunil "Sunny" Tolani issued a special message for the month. HERtels by Choice Choice Hotels took the recently held Hunter Hotel Conference in Atlanta as a launch pad for its inaugural HERtels seminar. The event was held next door to the Marriott Marquis Atlanta, Hunter's venue, and is an enhancement of Choice's HERtels program that was launched in 2021. "While industry-wide parity is improving, with more female investors, directors, and leaders in hospitality than ever before, women entrepreneurs still face significant economic and societal barriers when it comes to hotel ownership and development. As an industry, we owe it to the next generation of hoteliers to change this statistic," said John Lancaster, vice president for emerging markets, franchise development and owner relationships, Choice Hotels International. "This initiative and the invaluable resources it provides is a natural extension of our industry-leading emerging markets program and our enduring commitment to helping growth-minded entrepreneurs further their unique ownership journey."

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE exhibited mostly positive year-over-year trends in the first week of March, compared to the previous week, according to CoStar. Despite a slight increase in occupancy, RevPAR declined, while RevPAR remained static. Occupancy rose to 62.5 percent for the week ending March 2, up from the previous week's 62 percent, marking a 0.3 percent year-over-year decline. ADR decreased to $155.29 from $156.62 the prior week, reflecting a 2.7 percent increase compared to the previous year. RevPAR remained unchanged at $97.12 from the prior week's $97.12, indicating a 2.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Among the top 25 markets, Seattle reported the largest year-over-year occupancy increase, rising 12.1 percent to reach 66.5 percent.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE dipped in the final week of April, as anticipated leading up to the Easter holiday, according to CoStar. Key metrics including occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR declined compared to the previous week, with year-on-year figures also showing a decrease. Occupancy fell to 62.3 percent for the week ending March 30, down from the previous week's 65.3 percent, marking a 5.6 percent year-over-year decrease. ADR dropped to $157.14 from $162.28, reflecting a 0.7 percent decline compared to last year. RevPAR stood at $97.83, down from $106.01 the previous week, indicating a 6.3 percent dip compared to the same period in 2023. Among the top 25 markets, New York City saw significant year-over-year growth across all three key performance metrics: occupancy surged by 13.2 percent to 88.2 percent, ADR rose by 14.1 percent to $285.98, and RevPAR increased by 29.1 percent to $252.18.