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The DoubleTree by Hilton Front Royal Blue Ridge Shadows & Golf Course is now open in Front Royal, Virginia. The hotel, recently converted from the Holiday Inn Front Royal, is owned by Navika Group of Companies and managed by Blue Sky Hospitality Solutions Management Co. Real estate company Navika Group and Blue Sky management company both are led by Naveen Shah as president and CEO. Also, Haridas Kotahwala is chairman at Navika Group. The 124-room DoubleTree recently completed phase one of the multi-million conversion and features a new lobby, front desk and lobby level and guest room corridors. Additionally, all guest rooms were outfitted with digital key locks and received new mattresses and SMART TVs.

U.S. EXTENDED-STAY hotels registered an increase in occupancy and ADR in the first quarter of this year, according to hotel investment advisors The Highland Group. Record high demand, low supply growth and rising overall ADR are driving the strong performance. Economy and mid-price extended-stay hotels recovered RevPAR to their nominal 2019 values and the former is leading the recovery, the U.S. Extended-stay Hotels: First Quarter 2022 report said. However, the upscale extended-stay segment is lagging the overall recovery but reporting slightly better recovery performance as demand is at an all-time high, the report added. "There were 564,257 extended-stay hotel rooms open at the end of the first quarter. However, the 17,165 net gain in rooms open over the last year was the lowest annual increase since 2014, excluding 2020. Room nights available increased 3.1 percent over 2021, but supply growth dropped 50 percent from 2016 across all three segments," the report said.

NEWCRESTIMAGE AND HOSPITALITY Capital Partners have acquired 11 hotels in seven states with a total of 1,551 rooms in a joint venture. Al Calhoun and Mark Fair at CBRE in Atlanta handled the transaction. The properties are 10 Courtyards and one Residence Inn in Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia, according to NewcrestImage. Dallas-based NewcrestImage owns more than 70 hotels across the country with almost 8,000 rooms. Since its founding in 2013, the company has completed more than $3 billion in transactions involving almost 275 hotels with almost 30,000 hotel rooms in 130 communities across the country. "Our company has a strong appetite for solid investment opportunities," said Mehul Patel, NewcrestImage managing partner and CEO. "These properties and markets offer attractive potential for both profits and appreciation value." HCP and its principals Keith Mishkin and Primo Parmar have owned nearly 50 hotels in the western U.S., including The Saguaro Scottsdale in that Arizona city's historic Old Town area. Other projects include 25 golf courses through their associated company, Parks Legacy Project.

CHARLOTTE-BASED MAYA HOTELS has acquired two Hampton Inn hotels in North Carolina and South Carolina. The two Hampton Inns boast a total of 210 guest rooms and are Maya Hotels' second and third acquisitions over the last six months, the company said in a statement. The hotels are the 100-room Hampton Inn & Suites Charlotte-Arrowood Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the 110-room Hampton Inn Columbia Northeast-Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. Maya Hotels, led by JD Deva as CEO, acquired the hotels on March 11. The Charlotte property is near Carowinds Amusement Park and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The Columbia hotel is near U.S. Army Fort Jackson the University of South Carolina and downtown Columbia. Amenities at each hotel include outdoor pools, fitness centers, meeting spaces, and business centers. "We are excited to acquire these two top-branded assets at a discount to replacement cost," said Krishna Deva, vice president of Maya Hotels. "Charlotte and Columbia have historically been top markets for us, and we are thrilled to grow our presence in these two cities with such a strong brand affiliation." The acquired hotels complement Maya Hotels' existing footprint and will increase the current operating synergies the company has across North Carolina and South Carolina regions. The hotels will be renovated and managed by Maya Hotels. "We are so happy to continue growing our relationships with the Charlotte and Columbia communities, as well as with Hilton. We are also thankful to each of our investors and banking partners," said Deva. "The success of this transaction is a testament to our track record in the hospitality industry and our ability to adapt quickly in a rapidly changing lending environment. We look forward to bringing out the full potential of each of these properties with our hands-on management approach and the completion of major renovations at each property."

EXTENDED-STAY HOTEL room supply in the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. grew 2.5 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, its smallest increase in several years, according to a new report from The Highland Group. The survey, which researched supply, demand, revenues and new construction of extended-stay hotels, said the outcome in 2022 was about half the net supply gain reported in 2021. According to the report, the lengthening hotel development timeline, fewer construction starts, disenfranchising hotels that no longer meet brand standards, conversions to apartments and some municipalities acquiring extended-stay hotels for housing have resulted in the muted growth. While there was a sharp decline in reported extended-stay rooms under construction last year compared to 2021, construction starts increased 6 percent over the last 12 months. "However, they remain low compared to the pre-pandemic period, the report noted. RevPAR growth in 2022 strongly favored ADR as opposed to occupancy gains in 2021. "Consequently, more than 40 MSAs reported lower average occupancy in 2022 than during the previous year. However, only a dozen MSAs have not yet recovered RevPAR back to its nominal 2019 value compared to about half the MSAs last year," it showed.

EXTENDED-STAY ROOM SUPPLY increased by 1.8 percent in February due to it being a leap year, consistent with the average monthly increase observed over the last two years, according to The Highland Group. February marked 29 consecutive months of 4 percent or less supply growth. Additionally, the change in supply has remained below 2 percent for more than two years, with both metrics significantly falling below the long-term average. The 18.8 percent surge in economy extended-stay supply, along with a modest increase in mid-price segment rooms, is largely attributed to conversions, The Highland Group said. Meanwhile, new construction in the economy segment is estimated at around 3 percent of open rooms compared to a year ago. 2024 first half supply trends Supply change comparisons have been affected by rebranding, segment realignment in The Highland Group's database, and the de-flagging of hotels failing to meet brand standards, along with sales to multi-family apartment companies and municipalities, the report said. This trend is expected to persist into the first half of 2024, particularly with older extended-stay hotels still available on the market.

AN ALABAMA HOTELIER, Pravin Raojibhai Patel, was shot and killed last week after a confrontation with a man asking for a room, according to the Sheffield, Alabama, Police Department. William Jeremy Moore, 34, was arrested in connection with the incident, which comes three years after a series of similar killings of Indian American Hotel owners. Patel, 76, was the owner of the Hillcrest Motel in Sheffield. On Feb. 8, Moore came to the motel and tried to get a room when an altercation started between the two men. "That is when Mr. Moore pulled a handgun and shot Mr. Patel," Sheffield Police Chief Ricky Terry said in the report. "Mr. Moore was quickly apprehended by Sheffield Police on 13th Avenue when he was trying to break into an abandoned house. When searching Mr. Moore, the murder weapon was found in his possession." Jemeriz Owens, who works as a barber across the street from Patel's motel, told a local news station that he heard three gunshots go off back-to-back. He ran to the motel and found police attending to Patel, who was dead outside his office.

STAYNTOUCH, A CLOUD-BASED hotel property management software developer, recently launched UpsellPRO, an attribute-based selling platform that allows hotels to unbundle room reservations and market individual room features to guests during the booking process. The launch followed a report stating that half of respondents with a booking window over one month would pay more for ABS, Stayntouch said in a statement. "Attribute-based selling is giving travelers a degree of control over their hotel stay that they never thought possible, and hoteliers can deliver this experience without overwhelming themselves with unmanageable processes," said Nicole Dehler, Stayntouch's vice president of product. "The best part about today's ABS deployments is they can be delivered directly through the hotel PMS, automating inventory and room management without relying on a convoluted network of connected systems." Dehler said any hotel can leverage upselling to enhance service delivery and boost revenue growth organically, in a way that guests love.

U.S. EXTENDED-STAY HOTELS showed positive growth in April after a difficult first quarter, according to The Highland Group. Monthly room revenue growth was the highest in nearly a year, demand saw its strongest increase in 16 months, and ADR and RevPAR turned positive after two and four months of decline, respectively. "The performance of extended-stay hotels in April re-established the segment's long-term trend of increasing its market share of total hotel supply, demand and room revenues," said Mark Skinner, partner at The Highland Group. The extended-stay room supply grew 2.8 percent in April, slightly above the average monthly increase over the last two years, the report said. However, April marked 31 consecutive months of 4 percent or less supply growth, with annual supply change under 2 percent for two years-both metrics well below the long-term average.

THE 2020 COVID-influenced lodging industry recession resulted in some noticeable changes to the way hotels provide F&B service. Social distancing regulations forced operators to be creative in the way they served food and beverages to guests. Rising wage rates and sharp increases in the cost of food and beverage products compelled hotel managers to find ways to control costs. The inability of hotels to attract employees to fill the positions eliminated during the recession required creative solutions to improve productivity and offer more with less. These factors resulted in the following hotel food and beverage trends during the subsequent recovery period: The increased offering of kiosks and grab-and-go venues The closing of traditional three-meal-a-day restaurants A reduction in the menus, number of seats, and hours of remaining F&B venues Reductions in in-room dining and mini-bar service The conversion of food and beverage space to other revenue generating purposes To learn how these recent changes in hotel food and beverage operations have impacted revenues and expenses, we have analyzed the operating statements of 2,500 U.S. full-service, resort, and convention hotels that participated in CBRE's annual Trends in the Hotel Industry in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, these 2,500 properties averaged 285 rooms in size, and achieved an occupancy of 64.7 percent, along with an ADR of $225.60. To provide more current information, we also relied on the monthly operating statements of 1,200 properties during the period January through June of 2023.

MARCH IS WOMEN'S History Month, a time to focus attention on women's role in business and society. It also is the second month for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' new "Women Own the Room" program that aims to open the door for more women to achieve hotel ownership. Two of the first participants in the program are Trusha Patel, founder and CEO of Platinum Holdings in Austin, Texas, and Neha Jadhav of Chantilly, Virginia, founder of Luminous Hotel Management. Both women are opening dual-brand La Quinta and Hawthorn Suites hotels with assistance from WOTR assistance. Correcting an imbalance Wyndham launched WOTR in January in an effort to overcome the common barriers women face in developing, opening and running their own hotel. The program provides assistance with financial solutions, personalized operational support and networking and educational opportunities. Programs such as WOTR are needed to counter hospitality industry data that shows women are significantly underrepresented in hotel ownership, real estate, and investment funding roles, Wyndham said in a press release. The company cited the most recent annual report from the Castell Project, a nonprofit focused on promoting women in the industry, that found that while there are more women in the hospitality industry they still lag behind in leadership roles.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS' Women Own the Room surpassed 15 hotel openings and 50 signings in just over 24 months. The program has expanded its network to more than 550 women, leveraging Wyndham's scale to break down barriers to hotel ownership, Wyndham said in a statement. "For decades, the hotel industry has been complacent in allowing women to remain on the sidelines of hotel ownership and in turn, has missed out on the opportunity to strengthen itself through greater diversity," said Galen Barrett, Wyndham's vice president for strategic franchise initiatives. "Women Own the Room and the subsequent programs it has inspired throughout the industry are finally changing the narrative and Wyndham is proud to lead the way." According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Castell Project, although women comprise nearly 60 percent of the hospitality workforce, they hold only one leadership position for every 10 men.

HomeTowne Studios Yuba City and Red Roof Inn Yuba City are now opened in Northern California's Yuba City. The properties are owned by Surendra and Hema Patel of Greenleaf Hospitality from the San Francisco Bay area, Red Roof said in a statement. The HomeTowne Studios offers 76 extended-stay rooms, while the adjacent Red Roof Inn features 43 rooms, according to Red Roof. "The dual-branded HomeTowne Studios and Red Roof Inn Yuba City are important pieces in Red Roof's strategy to expand its presence on the West Coast," said Matthew Hostetler, Red Roof's chief development officer. "Surendra and Hema Patel have been leaders in the California hospitality industry for three decades, and we're confident this partnership, along with these newly renovated properties, will propel the brand forward in the region." The property is near Sutter Buttes, Toyota Amphitheatre, Bonanza Convention Center, Beale Air Force Base, Rideout Memorial Hospital, and Thunder Valley Casino. Additionally, Yuba County Airport, Auburn Municipal Airport, and Sacramento International Airport are also nearby. Amenities include a fitness facility, an outdoor hot tub and a seasonal pool.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHED HotelHelp, a pilot room donation program for human trafficking survivors, at the AHLA Foundation's third annual No Room for Trafficking Summit. The program works with care providers who handle bookings, offering survivors short-term stays at Marriott properties, Marriott said in a statement. The program is being piloted in five U.S. cities-Atlanta, Detroit, Phoenix, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.-and is expected to expand to 25 cities across North America by January 2025. "Survivors of human trafficking often face a shortage of dedicated shelter beds that put them at greater risk of being re-trafficked after exiting their trafficking situation," said Anthony Capuano, Marriott's president and CEO. "As part of our longstanding anti-trafficking and survivor empowerment efforts, we are proud to have developed a solution to bridge the gap for safe, short-term accommodations for trafficking survivors and we look forward to working with other hotel companies to extend the reach of this effort."

THE AHLA FOUNDATION granted $1 million to the 2024-2025 No Room for Trafficking Survivor Fund grantees, eight community-based organizations aiding human trafficking survivors. The grantees were announced at the third annual NRFT Summit on July 30, coinciding with United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, a global campaign to end child trafficking. "The No Room for Trafficking Survivor Fund is a first for our industry, and already, it's a powerful example of collective impact and what we can achieve when the industry comes together," said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation's president. "This year, we were able to double the total awarded funds from $500,000 in 2023 to $1 million in 2024 and invite more than 40 community-based organizations to apply."

U.S. EXTENDED-STAY HOTELS room supply increased by 3.2 percent in May, slightly above the average monthly rise over the past two years, according to The Highland Group. May marked the 32nd consecutive month with supply growth at 4 percent or less, and the annual supply increase has been under 2 percent for two years. However, both metrics remain well below the long-term average. The 12.8 percent increase in economy extended-stay supply, along with smaller gains in mid-price and upscale segments, is primarily due to conversions, the report said. New construction in the economy segment accounts for only about 3 percent of rooms opened compared to a year ago.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation's third annual "No Room for Trafficking Summit" will take place on July 30, coinciding with the United Nations' World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The upcoming summit will evaluate the first-year impact of NRFT Survivor Fund grants on nearly 650 human trafficking survivors, AHLA Foundation said in a statement. "In 2022, we launched the NRFT Survivor Fund - a first for the hotel industry - to expand the hotel and lodging industry's efforts to support trafficking survivors," said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation's president. "Since launching the Survivor Fund, we have grown our total raised to $7.5 million towards our goal of $10 million, and we look forward to awarding $1 million in grants to community-based organizations that support human trafficking survivors at our third annual summit." Last year's NRFT Summit announced the inaugural grantees of the NRFT Survivor Fund, including Safe House Project, BEST, Restore NYC, and the University of Maryland SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Survivors, the statement said. AHLA Foundation also shared data showing the impact of the $500,000 distributed to the four Survivor Grantees.

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