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DALLAS-BASED INVESTMENT firm NewcrestImage will acquire four LaQuinta-branded hotels in a joint venture between Highgate and Cerberus. The properties, with 696 rooms total, include the LaQuinta Inn & Suites at Los Angeles International Airport that is NewcrestImage's first gateway location in California. The company, led by Mehul Patel as managing partner and CEO, also has received the Partnership Circle Award from Marriott International, a statement said. NewcrestImage closed on the LaQuinta Inn & Suites Irving DFW North, located two miles from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, on July 14. It expects to close in August on the other three hotels, including the LaQuinta Inn & Suites LAX, as well as LaQuinta Inn & Suites Anaheim and LaQuinta Inn Phoenix North. "These properties are uniquely-positioned in strategic destination locations, making them very appealing as we structure a strong investment-based portfolio," Patel said. Mahmood Khimji, Highgate's managing principal, said the four hotels are "well-located and well-positioned." "We are excited to expand our activities with Mehul and the talented NewcrestImage team, along with our friends at Wyndham - all of whom share Highgate's commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences and operational results," Khimji said.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE dropped in the second week of July, as expected due to a holiday calendar shift, according to STR. The performance was skewed downward due to a comparison with a non-holiday week in 2019. STR said that performance is expected to improve for the remaining weeks of July after two consecutive weeks of lower demand around the Independence Day holiday. Occupancy was 63.3 percent for the week ending July 9, down from 67.3 percent the week before and dropped 14.5 percent from 2019. ADR was $153.71 for the week, slightly up from $153.32 the week before and increased 15.7 percent from three years ago. RevPAR reached $97.37 during the week down from $103.24 the week before and down 1.1 percent from 2019.

The index decreased 12.6 percent year-to-date through the first eight months of 2022. In August it also surpassed both the S&P 500, down 4.2 percent, and the MSCI US REIT Index, which dropped 6.1 percent. Also, the hotel brand sub-index fell 2.3 percent from July to 8,959, while the hotel REIT sub-index dropped 3.7 percent to 1,143. "Hotel stocks took a breather in August after July's sharp rebound. Despite the slight decline in stock prices, both the Global Hotel Brands and Hotel REITs outperformed their respective benchmarks in August," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Hotel trends have remained solid throughout the summer months despite all the capital markets volatility and macroeconomic uncertainties. However, investors appear somewhat skeptical about the prospects for a significant recovery in business transient travel post-Labor Day, and hotel stocks appear to be discounting this relatively conservative fundamental expectation, in our opinion."

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS now has a mobile tipping solution for its U.S. and Canadian franchisees, the company said in a statement. Developed by Béné, the platform enables guests to tip hotel team members digitally via their preferred mobile device. According to consulting firm McKinsey, 82 percent of Americans are now using digital payments, Wyndham said in its statement. The trend was accelerated by the pandemic, said Scott Strickland, Wyndham's chief information officer, and he expects it will only continue in the coming years. "Having previously empowered our franchisees to accept digital, contactless payment for stays at their hotels, the next logical step was to find a solution that allows guests to recognize housekeepers, wait staff and other frontline team members in a similar fashion," Strickland said. "This platform does exactly that and at virtually no cost to franchisees."

A CYBER-ATTACK "significantly disrupted" booking channels and other applications for InterContinental Hotels Group last week, according to a statement from the company. Now, AAHOA is demanding an explanation for the breach and assurances that its members' data is protected. IHG has implemented a response plan, including notifying the relevant regulatory authorities, working with its technology suppliers and engaging external specialists to investigate the incident, according to the company. 'IHG is working to fully restore all systems as soon as possible and to assess the nature, extent and impact of the incident," the company said. "We will be supporting hotel owners and operators as part of our response to the ongoing service disruption. IHG's hotels are still able to operate and to take reservations directly."

THE LABOR DAY calendar shift pulled U.S. hotel performance down in the second week of September, compared to the week before, as expected, according to STR. The weekly performance was also down when compared to 2019. Occupancy was 61.7 percent for the week ending Sept. 10, down from 62.8 percent the week before and decreased 11.2 percent from 2019. ADR was $146.80 for the week, down from $147.14 the week before and increased 10.6 percent from three years ago. RevPAR reached $90.50 during the week, dipped from $92.45 the week before and decreased 1.8 percent from 2019. Orlando reported the only occupancy increase, up 1.5 percent to 59.3 percent, among STR's top 25 markets, when compared to 2019.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS franchisees now have access to a package of new guest engagement platforms at no cost, the company announced at its 2023 Global Conference in Anaheim, California. Wyndham executives also discussed the company's continued growth, including international developments and investments in India. Wyndham Community, the company's new owner engagement platform, was developed with feedback from the company's franchise advisory and brand councils. The software packages cover guest messaging, mobile check-in and check-out and upselling, all rolling out over the next few weeks. "Our focus is really, first and foremost, creating programs that franchisees aren't mandated to participate in, but have the opportunity to opt into," said Geoff Ballotti Wyndham's president and CEO. "Opting into a program like our most opted into program, Signature Reservation Service, allows them to not just drive $22,000 on average of incremental revenue at $1,000 cost, which is why 4,500 of our 6,000 us franchisees have opted into that. They haven't been mandated to sign up for the service, but they know it just makes a whole lot of sense."

THE BAIRD/STR HOTEL Stock Index dropped 2 percent to 5,739 in September, influenced by higher interest rates impacting stock prices and investor sentiment, according to STR, although the hotel stocks outperformed their relative benchmark. That is the second month of decline in the index following a surge in July. "Hotel stocks declined in September, yet they exceeded their relative benchmarks," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Both the S&P 500 and the RMZ recorded their poorest monthly performance this year due to elevated interest rates affecting stock prices and investor sentiment. Hotels likely gained from sustained, albeit gradual, RevPAR growth throughout the month. Year-to-date, the hotel brand sub-index stands at 23 percent, whereas the Hotel REIT sub-index lags at negative 1.5 percent."

Kamara Batchelor is the new director of fund and corporate accounting at Noble Investment Group. Batchelor, a specialist in audit, tax, fund management, REIT compliance, and cash flow projections and analytics, previously held a position at One10, a consulting firm focused on CFO and transaction services, Noble said in a statement. "Kam is a valuable addition to our team," said George Dabney, managing principal and CFO, Noble Investment Group. "He brings with him an impressive track record that will enhance the continuous growth of Noble's institutional investment management platform." Batchelor also spent 10 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he worked with real estate clients. He was also a member of the launch team for the Center of Excellence verticals, the statement added.

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE producer Unifocus recently marked its 25th anniversary of doing business. The company recently acquired operations management platform Knowcross and celebrated several other milestones it has met since its founding in 1998. Unifocus was founded in the same year Google started up, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was released and the first WiFi standards were set. The company's labor management system, the first of its kind according to Unifocus, includes scheduling automation and, with the Knowcross acquisition, real-time data for forecasting, scheduling, task execution and tracking of guest and employee satisfaction. "Twenty-five years of serving the hospitality industry and counting," says Moneesh Arora, Unifocus chief executive. "We're filled with gratitude for our clients who've been part of this journey, as well as our incredibly dedicated team that makes our vision a reality. Our success stems from our commitment to truly understanding the needs of hoteliers, which continually inspires us to enhance and innovate our hotel operations technology."

U.S. HOTEL REVENUE and profitability saw a rise in October, propelled by increased group demand across the top 25 markets, according to CoStar's October 2023 Profit & Loss data. Meanwhile, the U.S. hospitality industry also witnessed its largest year-over-year increases in GOPPAR and TRevPAR since March 2023. In October, GOPPAR reached $97.45, marking a 3.7 percent increase from the same month in 2022. TRevPAR stood at $240.74, indicating a 4 percent increase, whereas EBITDA PAR amounted to $69.60, down 1.2 percent from September 2022. Labor costs notably rose to $74.48, reflecting a 5.9 percent increase. "The top 25 markets have demonstrated an 11 percent year-to-date increase in GOPPAR, surpassing a 14 percent rise in labor costs," said Audrey Kallman, research analyst at STR. "This double-digit GOPPAR growth is over 10 times the level observed in all other markets. New York City, a prominent business-centric market, spearheaded growth in the metric across major markets both on a year-to-date and monthly basis."

BWH HOTELS HAS partnered with Tesla to introduce electric vehicle charging stations at its North American properties, with plans for international expansion. The installation of Tesla's Universal Wall Connectors at selected hotels will begin in 2024. The charging stations are designed to charge a variety of North American EV models, BWH Hotels said in a statement. "This collaboration with Tesla underscores BWH Hotels' unwavering commitment to sustainability and dedication to delivering exceptional guest experiences," said Michael Morton, vice president for brand management and member services, BWH Hotels. "As the hospitality industry evolves, we will continue to blend eco-conscious initiatives with the service, value and comfort that guests expect from BWH Hotels." EV charging stations are an attractive amenity for travelers with electric vehicles, the statement said. In line with its Earth, People, and Community initiative, BWH Hotels collaborates with hoteliers to broaden sustainability efforts by installing EV charging stations across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND is back and almost as strong as pre-pandemic levels, with 39.2 million people forecast to travel 50 miles or more from home during the holiday period, according to AAA Travel. Despite record high gas prices, a majority of travelers, 34.9 million, are expected to drive, but air travel also is seeing resurgence. The total forecasted number of travelers is 8.3 percent higher than 2021's 36.2 million and comes closer to 2017 levels. Last year, U.S. hotels saw occupancy hit nearly 62 percent over that Memorial Day weekend, according to STR. "Memorial Day is always a good predictor of what's to come for summer travel," said Paula Twidale, senior vice president, AAA Travel. "Based on our projections, summer travel isn't just heating up, it will be on fire. People are overdue for a vacation and they are looking to catch up on some much-needed R&R in the coming months."

THE 3RD EDITION of the Vadilal International Gujarati Film Festival brought the red carpet to the Atlanta area on May 20 to 22. Hundreds of members of the local Gujarati community turned out for the event, which featured appearances from major stars and filmmakers straight from India. IGFF, previously held in Los Angeles and New Jersey, set up this time at the Venture Cinema in Duluth. It's mission, apart from entertainment, is to spread awareness one of India's alternatives to Bollywood. This year's festival includes 14 feature films, such as "21st Tiffin," "Divaswapna," "Dhummas," "Gandhi & Co.," "Dear Father" and "Gujarat nu Gaurav"; two documentary feature films, "Sur Shabdnu Sarnamu" and "Shrimad Rajchandra"; five documentary film, such as "Okhamandal - Ek Anokhu Andolan" and "Gandhi"; a short film, "Roha Fort - Ek Visaraati Viraasat"; and six web series, such as "Benaqaab," "Ghaat" and "Yamraj Calling."

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.

The Aloft Mooresville is open in Mooresville, North Carolina. The boutique hotel is owned by Maya Hotels led by co-founders J.D. Deva and Baldev Thakor. The 128-room hotel is Maya Hotels' fifth property in Mooresville in the last 25 years, including its Tru by Hilton Mooresville opened in August. It is part of the Langtree Lake Norman mixed-use development near Charlotte, North Carolina, with nearby attractions including Lake Norman and Langtree Plantation. Amenities include an indoor pool and a fitness center. "We are incredibly excited to bring the upbeat Aloft brand to the Mooresville / Lake Norman market," Deva said. "We are pleased to grow our relationship with Marriott and to continue our investment into the Mooresville area."

THE STOP-AND-GO economy of 2021 did not slow down progress for Peachtree Hotel Group of Atlanta. The accrued a record of $2 billion in total capitalization through 140 transactions, including acquisitions, developments, lending and hotel investments. Representatives of the company, which is led by Mitul Patel and Jatin Desai as managing principals along with Greg Friedman as CEO, discussed the record year at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles last week. "We are extremely pleased to have completed an extraordinary year of investment activity," Friedman said. "Our strategy of investing up and down the capital stack and opportunistically pivoting as markets shift allows us to capitalize on investments during any business cycle. 2021 exemplified our ability, and we expect that 2022 should be another strong year on the investment side."

THE HOLIDAY INN Express in LaPlace, Louisiana, reopened on Jan. 17, after the owner, QHotels Management in LaPlace led by Vimal Patel, completed $5 million in repairs to damage form Hurricane Ida in September. The repairs were slowed by his insurance company's failure to pay for the work in a timely manner, Patel said. The situation also is affecting Patel's ability to repair and reopen other properties in the area. "We had to use our own line of credit, to finish the hotel," Patel said. "Five more hotels to go. They are still a work in progress. A couple of hotels will open probably next month and then a couple probably will open in sometime in April. And the last hotel will probably take some time, so maybe May or June before we can open it up." The 91-room Holiday Inn Express is near Cajun Pride Swamp Tours, The Choice Hall, YMC EVENTS Venue and the Dream Event Center.

TRAVELERS AS WELL as hoteliers are ready for business travel to get back to normal, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Nearly two-thirds of business travelers feel that the increased reliance on virtual work during COVID-19 is negatively impacting both productivity and workplace culture. As many as 77 percent of business travelers and 64 percent of American workers think that it is more important than ever to bring back business travel, according to a survey commissioned by the AHLA. The poll, conducted by Morning Consult among a national sample of 2,210 adults from March 8 to 9, also revealed that nearly seven in ten Americans approve the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recent move to relax mask requirements. According to the survey, 43 percent of U.S. workers are more likely to travel for business compared to 2020-21.

AURO HOTELS RECENTLY ACQUAIRED the Residence Inn by Marriott Atlanta Buckhead/Lenox Park. Hunter Hotel Advisors helped broker the deal, which it said is another example of the strength of the extended-stay segment that has been seeing increased interest from major hotel companies such as Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. The 150-room Residence Inn is in Atlanta's upscale Buckhead neighborhood near shopping and dining outlets, such as Lenox Square Mall and Phipps Plaza, according to Hunter. Also, the hotel is across from AT&T corporate offices. "We are thrilled that the stars aligned on this acquisition - a smooth process with a highly professional seller, another collaboration with a trusted equity partner, and a further expansion of our relationship with Marriott," said D.J. Rama, CEO of Auro Hotels. "With the expertise brought by our investment, operations and design and construction resources, we believe strongly in the property's future performance potential."