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The September 2023 issue of Asian Hospitality magazine offers in-depth coverage of the latest trends and developments in the hospitality industry. This edition highlights crucial topics such as the surge in hotel development, innovative technologies transforming the guest experience, and key insights from industry leaders. Readers can explore detailed articles on sustainability, financial performance, and the evolving landscape of extended-stay hotels. Additionally, the issue delves into diversity initiatives and workforce challenges, providing a comprehensive view of the hospitality sector's future. Stay informed with expert analysis and forward-thinking strategies shaping the industry in 2023 and beyond.

U.S. HOSPITALITY SECTOR has consistently maintained the highest quit rates by workers among all industries, consistently exceeding 4.5 percent since July 2021, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. However, the leisure and hospitality sector maintained the highest hiring rate among all industries, fluctuating between 6 percent and nearly 19 percent. These industries saw a loss of 837 thousand workers in September, yet 1.1 million individuals were hired into the industry during the same month. This hiring rate exceeds the national average, which was 3.7 percent in September 2023, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in its latest report titled Understanding America's Labor Shortage: The Most Impacted Industries. The latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals a positive influx of individuals into the workforce.

BY THE FOURTH quarter of last year, group business in 10 of the top markets in the U.S. had recovered 110 percent compared to the same time in 2019, according to the Hospitality Group and Business Performance Index from Knowland and Amadeus. The top 20 markets have achieved 100 percent of 2019 levels of occupancy and ADR, with 10 surpassing 110 percent or more. Group business reached the 110 percent health index in the fourth quarter because it used 95.5 percent of the group rooms sold in 2019, coupled with a 14.8 percent increase in ADR, according to the index. Overall growth for the year 2023 stood at 103 percent, with 92.5 percent of group rooms sold in 2019 and an accompanying average rate increase of 11.7 percent. Meetings and event business rebounded to 91.9 percent in the fourth quarter compared to 2019, with an end-of-year recovery rate of 91.2 percent. The volume of smaller groups led to stability in the market, according to Knowland. Currently, 70 percent of events have 200 attendees or less and smaller meetings, those with less than 25 attendees, saw the most growth, experiencing a 19 percent increase since 2019.

THE MARTIN LUTHER King Jr. Day calendar shift impacted U.S. hotel performance upward in the third week of January, boosting weekly and year-over-year metrics like occupancy, ADR and RevPAR, according to CoStar. San Francisco led the top 25 markets with the largest gains in all three key metrics. Occupancy increased to 55.8 percent for the week ending Jan. 18, up from 49.2 percent the previous week, reflecting a 6.7 percent year-over-year increase. ADR came in at $155.81 from $144.03, marking a 10 percent rise compared to the same period last year. RevPAR grew to $86.93 from $70.92, a 17.4 percent year-over-year increase. San Francisco led the top 25 markets in year-over-year growth, driven by the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Occupancy rose 35.9 percent to 71.2 percent, ADR surged 230 percent to $625.98, and RevPAR jumped 348.3 percent to $445.85.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE improved for the week ending March 1 compared to the previous week, according to CoStar. Occupancy and RevPAR increased week over week, while ADR saw a slight decline, but all three metrics showed year-over-year growth. Occupancy increased to 62.8 percent for the week ending March 1, up from 60.3 percent the previous week and 0.4 percentage points higher year over year. ADR declined slightly to $159.26 from $159.90 the prior week but remained 2.7 percent higher than the same week last year. RevPAR increased to $100.06 from $96.49, reflecting a 3.1 percent gain compared to the same period in 2023. Among the top 25 markets, St. Louis recorded the highest year-over-year occupancy gain, rising 12.1 percentage points to 59.4 percent.

COSTAR GROUP, A real estate marketplace and analytics provider, granted STR's hotel data subscribers access to its full product suite, enabling users to leverage multisegmented market analytics and forecasts. The services include a tenant database of 7.8 million spaces, an inventory of 6.7 million properties, a pipeline tracking 79,000 projects and a transactions database with 4.2 million sales comparables, CoStar said in a statement. "Today, CoStar becomes the product for tens of thousands of hotel users worldwide," said Andy Florance, CoStar Group's founder and CEO. "With access to the full product offering, hotel owners, operators and brand representatives will gain comprehensive insights across all commercial asset categories, enabling them to refine their sales strategy and identify new investment opportunities." STR's latest benchmarking solution debuted within the CoStar product in May 2023, the statement added. This comprehensive, multilingual tool offers enriched STAR Reports, detailed property and portfolio insights, and advanced visualizations to streamline revenue and performance management, operations, sales, marketing, and finance.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE declined in the third week of December compared to the previous week, according to CoStar. However, year-over-year comparisons were positive due to the Hanukkah calendar shift and a shortened business travel period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Occupancy, RevPAR and ADR all saw week-over-week decreases. Occupancy fell to 48.9 percent for the week ending Dec. 21, down from 59.5 percent the previous week but up 11.4 percent year-over-year. ADR declined to $135.79 from $155.21, reflecting a 2.7 percent year-over-year increase. RevPAR dropped to $66.36 from $92.32 week-over-week but showed a 14.3 percent gain compared to the same period in 2023. Tampa, driven partly by hurricane recovery demand, led year-over-year growth among the top 25 markets, with occupancy up 37.9 percent to 71.5 percent and RevPAR up 63.8 percent to $110.51. New York City recorded the highest ADR increase, up 20.1 percent to $351.39.

U.S. HOTELS ADDED 700 jobs in May, highlighting persistent workforce shortages, with 191,500 vacancies since early 2020, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association. However, a survey by AHLA of hoteliers in May found 76 percent of respondents are experiencing a staffing shortage and 13 percent reported they are severely understaffed, meaning the shortage is affecting their hotel's ability to operate. By comparison, in a January survey, 67 percent said they were experiencing a staffing shortage, and 72 percent said they were unable to fill open positions. Total hotel employment is now approximately 1.92 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is still 191,500 short of pre-pandemic levels in February 2020, highlighting the ongoing struggle to find workers.

U.S. EXTENDED-STAY HOTELS started 2025 with strong January growth, particularly at lower price points, according to The Highland Group. Supply and demand grew much faster than the overall industry, but other performance metrics lagged. The U.S. Extended-Stay Hotels Bulletin: January 2025 reported stronger ADR and the most RevPAR gains for extended-stay hotels compared to corresponding classes. "January was another very good month for extended-stay hotels with positive change in RevPAR in nine of the last ten months and the economy segment continuing to lead RevPAR growth," said Mark Skinner, The Highland Group's partner.