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NewcrestImage has opened a Hyatt Place in Amarillo, Texas, the company's fourth hotel in the city. The 91-room, four-floor hotel is the second property of a three-hotel, 300-room 'hotel campus' located at the I-40 Frontage Road and South Soncy Road intersection. The first property of the hotel complex, a 90-room Tru by Hilton, was opened in August 2018 and a 90-room Aloft by Marriott is scheduled to begin construction by mid-year of 2020. "We offer travelers three distinctive hotel experiences and styles at a single, high-visibility, high-traffic location," said Mehul Patel, Chairman, and CEO of NewcrestImage. The company owns and operates two other properties in Amarillo's downtown area, a 107-room Courtyard by Marriott in the historic Fisk Building and a 226-room Embassy Suites directly across from the Amarillo Civic Center complex.

THE U.S. LED the global hotel construction pipeline in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to Lodging Econometrics. The global pipeline decreased 1 percent by projects during the period. The U.S. accounted for 35 percent of global construction pipeline with 4,814 hotels containing 581,953 rooms out of 13,770 projects containing 2,304,386 rooms in the global pipeline. The U.S. was followed by China at 27 percent of the global pipeline, and the two countries together account for 62 percent of all global projects, LE said in its latest trend report. During the fourth quarter, China's construction pipeline reached a new all-time high with 3,693 projects containing 700,567 rooms. This is followed by the UK with 313 hotels containing 48,770 rooms, Indonesia with 304 projects with 48,175 rooms, and Germany with 277 hotel projects with 48,827 rooms, the report said.

THE GLOBAL HOTEL construction pipeline achieved unprecedented project counts in the fourth quarter of 2023, led by the U.S. with 5,964 projects and 693,963 rooms, according to Lodging Econometrics. The total pipeline comprises 15,196 projects and 2,367,727 rooms, signaling a remarkable 7 percent increase in projects and a 3percent increase in rooms year-over-year. LE's Q4 2023 Global Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report highlights the dominance of the U.S. and China, which collectively account for 64 percent of all global projects. The U.S. led the global pipeline with 39 percent of total projects. Among the top five cities with the largest construction pipelines, three are in the U.S.: Dallas leads with 193 projects with 22,291 rooms, followed by Atlanta with 151 projects with 18,730 rooms, and Nashville with 123 projects with 16,148 rooms.

HYATT HOTELS CORP. reported an almost 85 percent growth in its global pipeline since 2017, reaching a record of 129,000 rooms. During this period, the company doubled its luxury rooms, tripled its resort rooms, and quintupled its lifestyle rooms. Pictured is a rendering of the New Andaz Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Florida. The company is expanding its brand portfolio both nationally and globally, selecting new and existing markets to enhance its network effect for owners and guests, Hyatt said in a statement. "Hyatt leading the industry in net rooms growth for seven years is a result of our unique approach to development," said Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt's president and chief executive officer. "We strategically expand our portfolio of brands, intentionally selecting new and existing markets to enhance our network effect for owners and guests. Our commitment to thoughtful organic growth and strategic acquisitions amplifies our asset-light business model. Our goal is not to be the largest hospitality company, but the company most valued by colleagues, guests, and owners."

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS released fourth quarter and full year 2023 earnings that included record-high rooms growth. Geoff Ballotti, Wyndham's president and CEO, said the strong results reinforce the company's decision to refuse Choice Hotels International's ongoing efforts to buy Wyndham out. In its earning call, Wyndham reported that system-wide rooms grew organically by 3.5 percent year-over-year, a record high. The company opened a record 66,000 organic rooms, a 3 percent year-over-year increase. Its development pipeline grew 1 percent sequentially and by 10 percent year-over-year to 240,000 rooms, another record, including 98 new contract signings for its ECHO Suites brand, a 60 percent YoY growth in that part of the pipeline. Wyndham's shareholders, who will be key to determining the success or failure of Choice's efforts to acquire the company, saw several benefits from last year's performance. Fourth quarter diluted earnings per share was 60 cents with a net income of $50 million. The company returned $515 million to shareholders for the full-year through $397 million of share repurchases and quarterly cash dividends of $0.35 per share. Its board of directors also authorized a 9 percent increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $0.38 per share beginning with the dividend expected to be declared in first quarter of 2024.

FF&E PROVIDER HÄFELE and Like Magic, a guest experience platform, are producing a new multifunctional hotel room concept. The "Work and Sleep" concept allows hotel operators to transform rooms into offices, meeting spaces and other functional areas using digitally enabled furniture, fitting solutions and specialized software. Work and Sleep integrates a booking engine, guest platform, employee interface and monitoring tools into one central hub, streamlining hotel management, the companies said in a joint statement. It will combine Like Magic's guest and employee experience platform with Häfele's hardware systems, the statement said. The collaboration aims to introduce new revenue models by activating otherwise vacant rooms while reducing outfitting costs. "Our goal is to lead the way in hotel industry innovation with our forward-thinking concepts," said Gregor Riekena, Häfele's CEO. "We are currently testing these new ideas at the ibis Styles Hotel in Nagold, Germany, which serves as a valuable proving ground for our initiatives. This innovation not only allows us to gather essential insights and refine our concepts, but also demonstrates our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what modern hotels can offer. By continuously evolving and enhancing our solutions, we aim to set new standards for guest experience and operational efficiency."

U.S. EXTENDED-STAY HOTELS set new records for demand, ADR, RevPAR and room revenues in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to a report from hotel investment advisors The Highland Group. Also, the report showed rate resistance is apparent at lower price points due to recession and the economy extended-stay segment reported nine consecutive months of declining demand and three successive quarterly falls in occupancy. According to the Highland Group's "U.S. Extended-Stay Hotels: Fourth Quarter 2022" report, mid-price extended-stay hotels reported their second consecutive quarterly decline in occupancy in fourth quarter. Similar occupancy declines occurred for about two years starting in mid-2015 before ADR growth moderated and occupancy recovered. Extended-stay hotel supply growth was the lowest since 2013 during the quarter, below its long-term historical average for 20 consecutive quarters. The last time extended-stay supply growth was consistently near its current level was from 2010 fourth quarter through third quarter of 2014. "Extended-stay hotel RevPAR was more than 12 percent higher than in fourth quarter of 2019. There were 567,770 extended-stay hotel rooms open at the end of the quarter. Excluding 2020, the 6,481 net gain in rooms open over the last year was the lowest annual increase since 2012. Room nights available increased 1.2 percent over the last year which was the smallest annual gain in supply for nine years," the report said. "Fractional net economy and upscale segment supply gains compared to 2021 are largely due to re-branding moving rooms between segments in our database, de-flagging of hotels which no longer meet brand standards, as well as the sales of some hotels to multi-family apartment companies and municipalities."

INDUS HOSPITALITY GROUP in Rochester, New York, has opened a new Microtel Hotel by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in Warsaw, New York. The company, led by Jett Mehta, also broke ground on another Microtel in Farmington, New York. The 67-room hotel in Warsaw opened July 21 near Letchworth State Park. It features a meeting room, a fitness center and outside firepit. Rooms are singles, doubles and suites. Mehta and Tammy Murphy, Indus vice president, broke ground on the 60-room Farmington Microtel on July 24. Nearby attractions will include New York state's Finger Lakes region. Amenities will include meeting rooms, a fitness center and business center. "We look forward to welcoming travelers to the area's newest hotel, scheduled to open in June 2021," Murphy said.

ATLANTA-BASED HOSPITALITY Lodging Systems has added two Budgetel Inn & Suites and two Haven Hotel properties to its portfolio, according to HLS. Currently, there are 37 Budgetel hotels with 3,813 rooms operating in 10 states plus China and 12 Haven Hotels with 698 rooms in nine states. Both the Budgetel hotels are in metro Atlanta, a 218-room conversion former Clarion, located on the north side of the city and a 121-room property in suburban Lilburn. The new Haven Hotels are 50-all suites, boutique property in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta and a 130-room property in Hazelwood, Missouri, a statement said. "Our brands are attracting owners who want to lower costs and boost profits, especially as our industry struggles to recover from two years of pandemic slowdown," said Doug Collins, chairman and CEO of HLS. "Among the most popular features of our contract are unlimited free online reservations, fewer mandated amenities, and an annual exit opportunity."

WITH 67 PROJECTS and 7,772 rooms in its construction pipeline, Charlotte, North Carolina, ranks 15th among the top 25 U.S. markets by project count, according to Lodging Econometrics. LE predicts continued growth in the city's future. Hotels under construction in the city total 11 projects and 1,435 rooms at the end of the first quarter, with 31 projects and 3,466 rooms set to begin construction in the next 12 months, and 25 projects totaling 2,871 rooms in early planning. LE's first quarter hotel development data for Charlotte, released ahead of the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference, showed that more than 65 percent of the projects are upscale and upper-midscale brands, totaling 44 projects and 5,007 rooms combined.

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.

TOTAL REVENUES FROM extended-stay hotel rooms fell by 0.2 percent in March, marking the first monthly decline in over three years, according to The Highland Group. However, the revenue decline was smaller than the 1.6 percent contraction estimated by STR/CoStar for the overall hotel industry. Meanwhile, extended-stay room supply increased by 2.7 percent in March, a slight uptick compared to the average monthly growth over the past two years, the report said. This marks the 30th consecutive month of supply growth at 4 percent or less, with the annual change remaining below 2 percent for two years. However, both these figures lag behind the long-term average. The 14.2 percent rise in economy extended-stay supply, coupled with a small increase in mid-price segment rooms, primarily stems from conversions, The Highland Group said. New construction in the economy segment is estimated to account for approximately 3 percent of open rooms compared to one year ago.

EXTENDED-STAY HOTELS DISPLAYED varied performance in December compared to the overall hotel industry, with supply, demand, and room revenues showing relative gains, according to The Highland Group. Occupancy experienced a milder decline than the broader hotel sector while low ADR growth and an unexpected decline in economy extended-stay RevPAR resulted in a total extended-stay hotel RevPAR decrease versus a slight RevPAR increase in the overall hotel industry. The 2.4 percent net increase in extended-stay room supply in December represents a modest rise compared to the average over the past 18 months and a slight gain over the most recent three months, the report said. Supply shifts overview December marked nine consecutive quarters with 4 percent or less supply growth, significantly below the long-term average, according to The Highland report. The 13 percent surge in economy extended-stay supply and the reduction in mid-price segment rooms are primarily attributed to conversions, with new construction in the economy segment accounting for approximately 3 percent of rooms compared to a year ago.

THIRD-PARTY HOSPITALITY management company Twenty Four Seven Hotels has added four California hotels to its West Coast portfolio, a statement said. A member of the Newport Beach, California-based company's executive team said it's part of a controlled growth strategy. The new properties are the 128-room Hyatt House Sacramento/Midtown, the 112-room Hyatt Place Newark/Silicon Valley, the 90-room Hampton Inn & Suites Marina and the 119-room Holiday Inn Express Chino Hills. Currently, the firm is providing pre-opening services and these properties are expected to be fully operational in December, the statement added. "We continue to expand our management footprint throughout California, with these four additions bringing our total Golden State portfolio to twenty. By focusing exclusively on the West Coast, our area operational expertise is unparalleled. This also allows for the ability to more readily share best practices and enact economies of scale," said David Wani, CEO, Twenty Four Seven Hotels. "Twenty Four Seven Hotels provides a full-suite of services, starting at the earliest phases of the pre-construction process to create advantages over companies acquiring or assuming operations at a later stage."

FOUR HOTELS RECENTLY joined Hospitality International's hihotels brand, including three Red Carpet Inns along the East Coast and a new-build Scottish Inns outside of Houston, Texas. The company expects more growth in the future. Hihotels includes five brands Scottish Inns, Red Carpet Inn, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn. The new properties include. Red Carpet Inn in Elkton, Maryland, 55 rooms, former Days Inn Red Carpet Inn in North Brunswick, New Jersey, 50 rooms, former independent Red Carpet Inn in Edison, New Jersey, 42 rooms, former OYO Hotel Scottish Inns in Richmond, Texas, 35 rooms, new construction While three of the four are conversions, the property in Richmond is the latest new build to join the brand. Two other Scottish Inns construction projects are currently ongoing in Texas in Houston and Forest Hill. Another new build recently opened in Hitchcock, Texas.

HAWKEYE HOTELS IS making its premier in downtown Milwaukee with a dual brand Home2 Suites by Hilton and Tru by Hilton along with a neighboring Holiday Inn Express. The hotel campus will employ more than 100 workers and provide a total of 331 rooms. The 115-room Home2 Suites and 100-room Tru will occupy one of the two buildings in the campus with the 116-room Holiday Inn Express next door. Along with being the first properties Hawkeye Hotels has opened in the city's downtown, each hotel is the first of its brand in that part of the city. "We are very excited to be a part of the Downtown Milwaukee community. Although the market has slowed down in recent times due to Covid, we are extremely optimistic that Downtown Milwaukee will continue to grow in the years to come," said Jay Patel, Hawkeye Hotels development manager. "We look forward to hosting a grand opening next year once it is safe to do so."

NEWCRESTIMAGE HAS OPENED its first Canopy by Hilton upscale hotel in north Dallas. The Canopy is part of Frisco Station, a four-brand, 600-room "lifestyle hotel campus" developed by the company. The 150-room, seven-floor Canopy joins the first two hotels, an AC Hotel and Residence Inn dual-brand with 150 rooms each that opened in 2019. The fourth hotel, a 150-room Hyatt Place, currently has no scheduled date for start of construction. "The opening of this Canopy symbolizes the story of hospitality's comeback around the country and around the world," said Mehul Patel, chairman and CEO of NewcrestImage. "Our company's commitment to serve travelers is not a victim of coronavirus, and we have many hygiene procedures in place so guests can feel safe, comfortable, and special." Some of those procedures include disinfecting guest luggage on arrival; using technology to reduce physical interaction between guests and staff during check-in and check-out; and improving the hotel's HVAC system to prevent spread of microbes and virus.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS has entered into a new agreement with Groups360 to bring instant online multi-room bookings to Wyndham hotels in 2023. Using Groups360's GroupSync Marketplace direct booking solution, Wyndham hotel owners will have the opportunity to integrate the platform with their hotel reservation systems, providing travel planners, including groups and events organizers along with those managing infrastructure, logistics and corporate accounts, with rates and availability as well as booking of rooms online, the company said in a statement. "Over the last three years, Wyndham has invested over $100 million in major technology initiatives, giving our franchisees access to best-in-class offerings that unlock new efficiencies while helping to grow their bottom line," said Lisa Checchio, Wyndham's chief marketing officer. "Bringing franchisees access to GroupSync is just the latest example and one we believe offers incredible opportunity for franchisees, particularly those in the economy segment, where such technology is an industry first." Hotels that publish live inventory and rates within the GroupSync Marketplace save travel planners' valuable time by allowing them to search, shop and book blocks of rooms. Possible users include short one- to-two-night group events such as youth sports, weddings and family reunions, as well as multi-week infrastructure or logistics projects such as commercial construction, bridge repair or highway expansion, Wyndham's statement said.

GEORGIA HOTELIER NAVIN Patel has contracted with Hospitality Ventures Management Group to manage his 111-room boutique Darwin Hotel in Atlanta. HVMG oversaw the complete rebranding and renovation of the hotel. The four-story Darwin is in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward and features eight individually themed suites and a lobby that displays a collection of local art. It is named after evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin and the themes include the Bar Room, featuring a full bar for entertaining; the Bunk Bed Room, with bunk beds and extra space for families and young adults; and the Audiophile Room, which includes a turntable and access to the hotel's vinyl music library. Navin Patel and his two sons, Shyam and Sagar, purchased the property in 2016. "We hope to showcase the best of what Atlanta has to offer," Navin Patel said. "This hotel is a love letter to our ever-changing city and pays homage to its history. Being in the heart of a large metropolitan city creates opportunities for artists, businesspeople, world travelers and people from all walks of life to all unite in our space."

U.S. EXTENDED-STAY HOTEL room revenues increased by $1.1 billion in 2023, similar to 2018 and 2019, though with a lower relative gain due to a larger room base, according to The Highland Group. All three extended-stay segments reported record-high room revenues in 2023, with the upscale segment leading despite previously lagging behind the pandemic recovery. The 6.1 percent increase in extended-stay hotel revenues outpaced the corresponding 5.5 percent gain reported by STR/CoStar for the overall hotel industry, the report said. However, extended-stay hotel supply experienced its smallest annual increase on record in 2023, at just 1.8 percent. Factors such as re-branding, de-flagging of non-compliant hotels, and sales to other sectors influenced supply fluctuations, a trend expected to persist into the first half of 2024, particularly with older extended-stay hotels remaining on the market. The report also highlighted a 6.6 percent increase in economy extended-stay supply, alongside modest gains in mid-price and upscale segments, primarily driven by conversions. New construction in the economy segment is estimated at around 3 percent of rooms open compared to one year ago.