Hotel occupancy peaks: U.S. weekly hotel occupancy reached its peak since October 2019, according to STR’s latest data through July 17.
- Occupancy: 71.0% (-8.7%)
- Average daily rate (ADR): US$139.19 (+1.8%)
- Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$98.87 (-7.1%)
Despite a four-point, week-over-week improvement in occupancy, ADR fell slightly from last week’s all-time high. Among the top 25 markets, New Orleans saw the highest occupancy increase over 2019 (+5.8% to 59.5%), while San Francisco/ San Mateo saw the steepest decline in occupancy (-36.6% to 56.3%). The largest RevPAR drops were in San Francisco/San Mateo (-55.6% to US$94.29) and Boston (-47.9% to US$102.05).
IHG’s voco to Chicago: IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced plans for the first dual-branded voco Hotel in the U.S. in downtown Chicago. An existing and long-standing Holiday Inn is undergoing a complete renovation by developer Murphy Development Group that will include transforming a portion of the existing building into a voco Hotel. The hotel will offer 521 rooms, share the public spaces and be design-led by the voco Hotels brand aesthetic throughout the common areas. The Holiday Inn design aesthetic will be incorporated into the front desk, signage and designated guest room floors. Once complete, the hotel will continue to be operated by Hostmark, a Chicago-based hotel management company that has been affiliated with the hotel since it first opened its doors. The new dual-branded property is projected to be unveiled in 2022.
Memphis gets two Hilton hotels: Hilton announced two new hotels at Memphis, Tennessee, — Tempo by Hilton and Embassy Suites by Hilton — which will open at The Walk on Union, the city’s largest mixed-use project, in 2023. The 166-room Tempo by Hilton will be one of the first properties to open under Tempo, Hilton’s new lifestyle brand. The 183-room Embassy Suites will provide guests with views of downtown Memphis. The Walk on Union is poised to be a smart development and innovation hub and will accelerate the city’s economic growth. Under the leadership of Memphis Walk, the consortium of Atlanta-based Sagestone Partners and Memphis-based Big River Development Co., the development will utilize land within a federally designated Opportunity Zone to transform 11 underused acres of land.
Evolution grows: Evolution Hospitality, San Clemente, California, the lifestyle operating division of management company giant Aimbridge Hospitality, added the luxury boutique property Antrim 1844 in Taneytown, Maryland, to its portfolio on July 1. Located just 15 minutes from historic Gettysburg, the Antrim 1844 is set across 24 acres at the foot of Central Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains. Evolution now has 80 hotels in its system.
Appleton hotel rebrands to Hilton: Red Lion Hotel Paper Valley in Appleton, Wisconsin, which is managed by North Palm Beach, Florida-based Driftwood Hospitality Management, will join the Hilton family and get rebranded as Hilton Appleton Paper Valley. The 388-room hotel will be renovated and open later this year. The hotel will remain a red Lion Hotel until the Hilton conversion. Besides guestrooms, the hotel has a 38,000 sq. ft. of customizable, flexible event space which can host up to 2,000 guests.
USTA’s Dow will retire: Roger Dow will continue as the president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association till July 2022, after which he will retire from his position following 17 years of service to the board and the association’s membership, the association announced during a board of directors meeting. Dow has been holding the position since 2005 and his tenure was marked by the 10 consecutive years of expansion (2009-2019). He has navigated through challenges, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic and is credited with leading the legislation that created Brand USA, the nation’s destination marketing organization and developing policies that enabled domestic and international inbound travel to thrive. Christine Duffy, U.S. Travel national chair, will soon name a representative search committee and the U.S. Travel board will begin a process to select the next leader.