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THE BAIRD/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 10.5 percent to 6,760 in December, according to STR. Moreover, the stock index closed the year with a 38.4 percent gain in 2023, driven by a favorable interest rate outlook boosting investor sentiment and valuation multiples. "Hotel stocks - like the broader market - finished 2023 on a high note as the 'soft landing' narrative and lower interest rate outlook continued to boost investor sentiment and valuation multiples," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Both the hotel brands and hotel REITs were up more than 10 percent in December and outperformed their respective benchmarks. For the year, the hotel REITs' 19 percent gain more than doubled the return of real estate stocks broadly, while the hotel brands' 44 percent increase nearly doubled the performance of the S&P 500." The U.S. hotel industry closed the year on a strong note, said Amanda Hite, president of STR.