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VERAKIN CAPITAL, A real estate investment group, exceeded its $350 million investment milestone in the first quarter of this year. The company has made collective investments in three hotel properties that are currently in various stages of development; the Moxy in downtown Atlanta, Georgia; Hampton Inn/Home 2 in downtown Nashville, Tennessee; and Courtyard by Marriott in Pittsburg, California, the company said in a statement. Verakin, led by partners Rupesh and Bimal Patel and Hiten Suraj, is the lead developer of the Courtyard by Marriott, while the company is co-investing in the other two projects alongside RevPar Development and Emerge Hospitality Group, according to the statement. RevPar Development is a privately-owned hotel development and management company on the East Coast, while Emerge Hospitality Group is a family-owned and -operated hotel ownership, development and management company. "We are developing both on our own behalf and in joint ventures with like-minded investment groups," Rupesh Patel said. "We are seeing that newer hotels and brands are faring better than their older counterparts as travel rebounds in many markets and segments. To help satiate our investment growth appetite, we will continue to seek best-in-class partners, such as RevPar Development and Emerge Hospitality Group, who have proven track records as credible institutional investors, developers and operators." The Moxy hotel in downtown Atlanta, will feature 181 rooms spread across 13 floors and is scheduled to open mid-2026 before the FIFA World Cup. The centrally located hotel will cater to both business and leisure travelers and will offer three food and beverage options, including a roof top bar and lounge with views of the Mercedes Benz Stadium.

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.

Sonesta Essential Plainfield, an upper-midscale hotel with 67 rooms, is now open in Indianapolis. The property, owned by Bipin Patel, is the second Sonesta Essential location to launch since the brand's introduction in January. The hotel is near Pioneer Park, Sodalis Nature Park, Indianapolis International Airport, the Indianapolis Zoo, Zip City Indy and the Indiana War Memorial & Museum. Amenities include a fitness center. "We're excited to provide guests with the full range of conveniences offered by Sonesta Essential," said Bipin Patel, owner of Sonesta Essential Plainfield. "From modern sleep amenities to refreshed communal spaces, visitors to Greater Indianapolis now have a fresh choice for dependable and comfortable lodging that caters to their travel requirements."

Home2 Suites by Hilton Cookeville in Cookeville, Tennessee, is now open. It is owned by NHK Hotels LLC and operated by Image Hotel Management, both led by Neil Patel as CEO. "On Aug. 14, 1986, Neil Patel, CEO and founder of Image Hotel Management, opened his first hotel, Executive Inn, in Cookeville," said Karen Patel, managing partner of Image Hotel Management. "Thirty-seven years later, we are delighted to open our Home2 Suites here and continue our partnership with Hilton Hotels." The 102-room hotel is near Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville Regional Medical Center, Cummins Falls, Burgess Falls, and Fall Creek Falls state parks, Image said in a statement. Hotel amenities include full kitchens, an indoor saline pool and a fitness center. The property includes a "backyard" with outdoor seating, a seasonal fire pit, pet pit stop, putting green, and yard games. The Cumberland Room offers 1,500 square feet of conference space with a spacious pre-function area and catering kitchen.

PEACHTREE GROUP RECENTLY introduced new branding, logo and tagline, "Guided by Intuition, Grounded by Expertise." The branding update aims to project the company's integrated investment strategies and service platforms. This change consolidates the company's varied brand portfolio, renaming Stonehill as Peachtree Group Credit and Peachtree Hospitality Management as Peachtree Group Hospitality Management, the company said in a statement. "The new branding has given us a competitive edge in attracting top-tier talent, ensuring a consistent influx of the best minds and skills to navigate an ever-changing business landscape," said Greg Friedman, CEO and managing principal of Peachtree Group. "Moreover, our strategic branding approach, aimed at consolidating our diverse range of businesses, is poised to unleash even greater untapped potential within our investment platform. This platform, already proven in its value in the hospitality sector, has played a pivotal role in our expansion and diversification into other real estate sectors and ventures."

HILTON RECENTLY DONATED nearly $500,000 to support local relief efforts in response to the wildfires that consumed more than 2,500 acres of land and took the lives of over 100 residents in Maui, Hawaii. The new donation supplements the $325,000 previously pledged by Hilton, the Hilton Global Foundation and members of the broader Hilton community since early August, the company said in a statement. At a recent gathering in Las Vegas, more than 9,000 Hilton hotel sales and operational leaders from Focused Service and All Suites brands across the Americas raised nearly $175,000 for Maui relief efforts, Hilton said. The donations will benefit the Hawaii Community Foundation's Maui Strong Fund and United Way Maui. The company has been operational in Hawaii for more than 60 years, the statement added. "Hilton stands in solidarity with the people of Maui and the Hawaiian community," said Katherine Lugar, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Hilton. "Lahaina holds a special place in our hearts, and we're dedicated to aiding our team members and relief efforts in every possible manner. The collective efforts of our team members, hotel owners, community partners, and guests have been truly inspiring. Our thoughts remain with those in Maui."

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.

THE CITY OF Los Angeles is not doing enough to regulate short-term rental properties, according to AAHOA and a report from local advocacy group Better Neighbors LA. Both groups say the city should do more to enforce its existing 2019 ordinance on home sharing apps such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Los Angeles' ordinance requires short-term rentals to register and sets other regulations on home sharing apps. However, the Better Neighbors report found that the city's enforcement of the ordinance has been dropping since 2022, evidenced by a 54 percent decrease in warning letters, an 85 percent decrease in fines and a 25 percent increase in non-compliant listings. "Every year we put out an annual report that gives a snapshot of how enforcement is going in the city of Los Angeles, how many short-term rentals exist, and how that's changed from the prior year. This year, we've found that non-compliance is up," Allison Kriste, a representative of Better Neighbors Los Angeles, said in an interview with the Santa Monica Mirror newspaper. "We found a high rate of non-compliance across the boards in the city of Los Angeles. In addition, we've also found that enforcement activity is down. We're identifying more non-compliant listings, as compared to last year. The city is issuing fewer warning letters, they're issuing fewer fines. They're not doing a whole lot."

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE during the second week of September increased from the previous week, according to CoStar. Yearly comparisons also were mostly up. Occupancy was 67.7 percent for the week ending Sept. 16, up from 60.3 percent the week before but down 2.2 percent from the same time last year. ADR was $161.15 for the week, up from $150.66 the previous week and up 2.3 percent from the previous year. RevPAR for the week was $109.07, up from $90.86 weekly and up 0.1 percent from 2022. Among the top 25 markets, Oahu Island, Hawaii, saw the largest year-over-year occupancy increase, up 7.4 percent to 83.6 percent. San Francisco saw the highest jumps in ADR, up 39.7 percent to $345.78, and RevPAR, which rose 33.9 percent to $271.19, due in part to attendance of Dreamforce 2023.

The Best Western Shackleford is open in Little Rock, Arkansas, following a $1 million renovation. The 60-key hotel on Shackleford Road is owned by Rahul Patel. "We are excited to welcome guests at our newly renovated property while they discover Arkansas' capital city," Patel said. "The updates ensure our guests find a comfortable place to relax after days exploring our lively downtown, known for its thriving arts and music scene and a range of attractions suitable for all ages." Several rooms in the hotel are designed in a suite-style with king-sized beds and hot tubs. Amenities include a renovated 24-hour fitness center, indoor swimming pool and a 700 square-foot meeting space. The vicinity offers a range of attractions including Little Rock Zoo, Wildwood Park for the Arts, Arkansas State Capitol, Big Dam Bridge, Museum of Discovery, Heifer Village and Urban Farm, Pinnacle Mountain State Park and various dining options, shopping centers, educational facilities, recreational centers and transportation hubs.

EXTENDED-STAY ROOM revenues in traditional hotels outperformed those in extended-stay hotels by 21 percent, indicating potential for further development in the extended-stay sector, according to consulting firm The Highland Group and Kalibri Labs. For the 12 months ending June 2023, guest-paid room revenue for stays of seven consecutive nights or more totaled $8.97 billion in traditional hotels, compared to $7.39 billion in extended-stay hotels. "Traditional hotels are still accommodating more extended-stay demand than extended-stay hotels despite the latter's substantial gains in market share over the last 25 years," said Mark Skinner, partner at The Highland Group. Accommodated room nights tallied 74.3 million and 72.2 million, respectively. Nationally, extended-stay demand (ESOC) constitutes 53 percent of extended-stay hotels. In traditional hotels, ESOC is 13 percent, yet the room count is tenfold compared to extended-stay establishments, the report said.

Jessica Kramer is the new CEO of hotel operations and collaboration platform, Lodgistics. Also, Wendy Zapach joined the company as chief revenue officer and Jami Poe is the new vice president for sales. The three new appointments will support the expansion of the operations platform provider, led by Shaunak Patel, the company's co-founder as well as president of North Carolina-based Parks Hospitality Group. Kramer previously served in executive leadership roles at TravelClick, ALICE and SevenRooms, which included running sales, revenue operations, business development, mergers and acquisitions and partnerships, according to the company. "I am thrilled to welcome Jessica as our new CEO. Her deep expertise in hospitality and technology, combined with her history of success scaling SaaS businesses, make her the perfect pick for our company as we embark on our next era of growth." Patel said. "Lodgistics was born inside our hotels and created in direct response to our team members' daily challenges around effectively communicating across teams and efficiently carrying out the wide range of operational tasks that make great hotel experiences possible. That's why it was crucial to find an executive who had deep, hands-on experience with both fast-growing technology companies and hotel operations. It is this unique and critical intersection of Jessica's experience and Lodgistics' DNA that make this the right match."

EV HOTEL CORP., the Atlanta-based tech centric "smart hotel" company, is in a "change of control" stock purchase agreement with Plandai Biotechnology, Inc. Plandai will become the parent company to EV Hotel, founded by Ken Patel, for the purposes of going public. Before closing the agreement, both parties must complete independent financial audits, a third-party valuation of EV Hotel Corp. and the company completing corporate actions with the Secretary of State of Nevada, according to EV Hotel. Trading regulatory organization FINRA will change Plandai's name and trading symbol, along with implementing a reverse split of the company's common stock, with management plans at 100:1. Upon closing, Plandai will acquire all of the authorized stock and assets in EV Hotel in exchange for common stock and Patel will acquire all of the company's Series "A" Preferred stock, resulting in a change of control.

NOBLE INVESTMENT GROUP signed an agreement with Choice Hotels International to develop nine WoodSpring Suites hotels in Georgia and South Carolina in two years. The companies say the agreement represents an increased institutional interest in the economy extended-stay brand. Noble, led by Mit Shah as founder and CEO, is a real estate investment manager specializing in select-service and extended-stay travel and hospitality with over $5 billion in assets. "Noble continues to add substantial scale to our extended-stay travel and hospitality platform," said Ben Brunt, Noble's chief investment officer. "WoodSpring Suites has an outstanding track record of high performance across economic cycles, and we are pleased to welcome these new investments into our portfolio."

MARKING 50 YEARS in the hotel business, Red Roof held its annual brand conference at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Nov. 11 to 13. During the conference, the company announced a new partnership with software company HotelKey to install a multi-functional, cloud-based system in its more than 675 properties nationwide. Other news from the conference included details of the company's financial position, which George Limbert, Red Roof president, said is strong. Company officials also discussed Red Roof's new dual brand development prototype, other partnerships and the latest charity efforts of the company's Purpose With Heart. "Red Roof delivered record revenue which is a testament to our resilience and ability to anticipate market trends," Limbert said. "Our financial position is strong, travelers are back and our owners and operators are exceeding performance expectations."

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE dropped in the first week of November compared to the week before as expected due to the Halloween calendar shift, according to STR. Performance also weakened when compared to 2019. Occupancy was 62.4 for the week ending Nov. 5, down from 65.8 percent the week before and dropped 9.2 percent from 2019. ADR was $147.48 during the week, decreased from $152.94 the week before and up 11.4 percent from three years ago. RevPAR reached $91.99 during the first week of November, down from $100.59 the week before and a slight increase of 1.1 percent from 2019. None of STR's top 25 markets showed an occupancy increase over 2019 during the week after Halloween. Tampa came closest to its pre-pandemic comparable, with an increase of 1 percent to 72.4 percent.

TEXAS-BASED G6 HOSPITALITY launched 'Light Her Way' program to empower women seeking hotel ownership opportunities with tools and resources, a statement said. The company announced the program during AAHOA's inaugural HerOwnership Conference & Retreat in October. The Carrollton, Texas-based G6 owns Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in the U.S. and Canada. "We have always promoted the belief that everyone has the right to travel, but it is just as important that everyone have the right to ownership," said Tina Burnett, chief development officer, G6 Hospitality. "The launch of 'Light Her Way' will empower women on the path to ownership and is an example of how we live up to our values."

THE BAIRD/STR Hotel Stock Index jumped 15.8 percent in October, according to STR. There were no signs of slowing as U.S. demand continued to strengthen during the month. The index decreased 8 percent year-to-date through the first ten months of 2022. The index fell 9.1 percent in September. In October, the index outgrew both the S&P 500, up 8 percent and the MSCI US REIT Index, increased 4.7 percent. The hotel brand sub-index increased 14.4 percent from September to 9,458, while the hotel REIT sub-index grew 20.6 percent to 1,193. "October was a strong rebound month for hotel stocks, and they recouped all their losses from the prior two months," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Importantly, both the global hotel brands and the hotel REITs were relative outperformers versus their respective benchmarks in October. As investors shifted their focus from broader macroeconomic uncertainties to sector-specific performance ahead of and through third-quarter earnings reports, hotels continued to screen favorably given still-strong underlying fundamentals and an intact post-pandemic recovery thesis."

U.S. HOTEL CONSTRUCTION increased slightly in December after 25 consecutive months of decline, according to STR. Projects in the later stages of development saw a reversal in their decline and luxury projects were up. There are 159,344 rooms in construction during the month, up 0.3 percent, over Dec. 2021. As many as 213,066 rooms are in the final planning state, an increase of 15 percent over last year. STR pipeline data added that 240,092 rooms are under planning, a decline of 15.6 percent. New York City, Phoenix and Dallas are set to see the largest supply percentage increases from current construction. The luxury and upscale segments would see the most supply. "While the overall pipeline continued to contract year over year, December showed strength in the later phases of development," said Alison Hoyt, STR's senior director of consulting. "Over the past year, we've seen late-stage pipeline rooms consistently decline from 2021 levels, while rooms in the planning phase often showed double-digit growth. We started to see a change in this pattern in November, when final planning rooms significantly jumped year over year and planning rooms came down pretty firmly. The same occurred in December, with the only difference being construction increasing slightly over 2021. When looking strictly at volume, the in-construction phase has been fairly stable throughout the year, remaining under 160,000 rooms and showing month-over-month increases from July through October and again in December."

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE was down in the third week of January compared to the week before on account of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, according to STR. Occupancy was 54.2 percent for the week ending Jan. 21, slightly down from 54.8 percent the week before and decreased 6.2 percent from 2019. ADR was $140.16 during the week, dropped from $144.81 the week before and up 11.3 percent from three years ago. RevPAR reached $75.97 in the third week, decreased from $79.38 the week before and up 4.4 percent from January 2019. Among STR's top 25 markets, Tampa reported the highest increase over 2019 in all metrics during the week, with occupancy up 6.8 percent to 78.8 percent, ADR rising 31.9 percent to $174.78 and RevPAR up 41 percent to $137.76.