Miami airport hotel bidders line up: Three firms are on a shortlist to build the first new hotel at Miami International Airport (MIA) in more than six decades. All three firms have local ties and include:
• FDR Miami Hotel LLC, whose filing with the Florida Division of Corporations lists the New York address of global real estate developer The Related Companies, founded and led by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross
• Mainsail Development International LLC, a subsidiary of Tampa-based hotel builder and operator Mainsail Lodging and Development, whose Miami-born founder and president, Joe Collier, previously worked for Marriott
• Parmco Airport Hospitality LLC, a company owned by investor-developer Darryl Parmenter and real estate economic advisor Paul Lambert that holds controlling interest in hotel designs from a now-defunct US$512 million MIA development plan called Airport City
London shows slightly better performance: STR’s preliminary February 2021 data for London hotels shows slightly better performance compared with the previous month, albeit at low levels influenced by continued restrictions in the U.K. In addition to low absolute levels, year-over-year declines remained significant.
Occupancy: 23.3% (-69.5%)
ADR: GPB57.52 (US$80) (-56.9%)
RevPAR: GPB13.40 (US$19) (-86.9%)
The absolute occupancy and RevPAR levels were up slightly from January 2021, but the ADR level would be the lowest for any month on record in the market. Year-over-year percentage changes will soon turn positive due to comparison with the earliest pandemic-affected months from last year. STR forecasts more significant improvement in absolute levels during the second half of the year.
U.S. Travel urges PPP fixes: U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement calling on Congress to prioritize enhancements to the Paycheck Protection Program as a critical element of economic relief:
“The American Rescue Plan contains many good features, but there’s something crucial that Congress must accomplish to restore the millions of travel-dependent jobs lost to the pandemic: extend the Paycheck Protection Program deadline through at least June, and allow another draw on those funds for the hardest-hit employers.
“Leisure & Hospitality currently accounts for nearly 40% of all U.S. unemployment, and the industry’s recovery is projected to take as long as five years without decisive federal action. The PPP has proven to be effective, but it must be allowed to keep helping businesses whose customers are not yet able to come back in strength.
“The resources the ARP provides for travel and tourism are another good step, but we strongly urge Congress to take immediate action to extend the PPP deadline through June 30.”
U.S. meetings, events trend up: Knowland, which specializes in AI-powered data for hotels, has released its ongoing monthly meetings and events data for February. The numbers reveal that February U.S. group meetings volume increased 109.7% over the previous month. February picked up nicely with consistent growth each week. Even with a few key markets still constrained due to COVID restrictions, meetings are growing across the country. Highlights include:
• Average attendees remained stable – The average number of attendees in February 2021 was 39 compared to 39 in February 2020
• Average square footage used increased – The average space used in February 2021 was 1,560 square feet while meetings in February 2020 averaged 1,300 square feet
• Individual market growth – For this month, the top five growth markets were Daytona Beach, Florida, Boston, Massachusetts, Columbus, Ohio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Corporate meetings represent the largest market segment – Corporate meetings produced most of the activity accounting for 61.9% of total meetings for the month
Hersha operational update: Pennsylvania-based Hersha Hospitality Trust has released an update for previously announced asset sales and operational results in February 2021.
• Revenues exceeded internal forecasts by over 20%
• Second-consecutive month of positive property-level cash flow
• 51.2% occupancy across New York City portfolio
• 69.4% occupancy in South Florida: 76.5% occupancy at Parrot Key Hotel & Villas; 74.6% occupancy at Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club
• Year-over-year ADR growth achieved at California and Key West resorts: 44.1% ADR growth to US$419 at the Sanctuary Beach Resort?; 7.9% ADR growth to US$429 at the Parrot Key Hotel & Villas
• Hersha closed on the previously announced sale of two hotels for net proceeds totaling US$58 million, before customary closing costs: the 153-room Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, D.C.; the 112-room Holiday Inn Express in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Kessler Collection accepting crypto: The Orlando, Florida-based Kessler Collection will now be accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment. All eight corporate-owned hotels in the collection will accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin and several others, including four stable coins as payment to cater to the growing demand. In lieu of cash or credit cards, each property will send an email invoice allowing all guests to pay from their crypto wallet through BitPay.
Hilton’s cobranded cards in Japan: Hilton and American Express will launch two new cobrand cards: the Hilton Honors American Express Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Premium Card — both available exclusively to residents of Japan. The new cards offer customers the opportunity to earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points on everyday spending, as well as on eligible purchases at Hilton properties. This is the first time Hilton Honors American Express cobrand cards have been made available to customers outside the United States since Hilton and American Express launched the cobrand cards in the U.S. 25 years ago.
Chateau Marmont boycott grows: The West Hollywood, California-based Chateau Marmont fired virtually its entire workforce in March 2020 and, since then, many of the hotel’s workers have spoken out about discriminatory practices at the hotel, prompting an outcry of concern from community leaders. The democratic LGBTQ-friendly Stonewall Democratic Club has now pledged to boycott the Chateau Marmont until it demonstrates “a commitment to ensuring that all workers — regardless of their race, sex, or background — feel treated with dignity and respect.”
Utopia Corp. active in Phuket: Phuket property developer Utopia Corp. has unveiled plans to launch a luxury boutique hotel in partnership with Tonino Lamborghini, the Italian designer label. The Phuket-based “Bay of Icons” will consist of premium residences and pool villas and is expected to be completed in the next five years. Utopia is also in the final stages of discussion to bring in another high-end fashion branded resort, the first in Southeast Asia. Construction work on the Tonino Lamborghini Boutique Hotel Phuket will commence in November 2021 with the grand opening scheduled for November 2023.
Davidson launches global sales office: Atlanta, Georgia-based Davidson Hospitality Group has launched a global sales office. Helmed by executives Vanessa Claspill, vice president of sales for Pivot, and Kathy Hood, senior vice president of sales and revenue management for Davidson, the global office will launch in phases with the intent of growing organically over time. Services will extend to hotels operated by Davidson Hotels, Davidson Resorts and Pivot, encompassing 61 hotels and resorts and some 1.5 million square feet of meeting and event space.
New members for Curator: Curator Hotel & Resort Collection has added 13 new hotel members from Noble House Hotels & Resorts to its growing portfolio of 150-plus existing partners. This announcement comes on the heels of 11 Provenance hotels joining Curator. New members include: Argonaut (San Francisco, California); L’Auberge Del Mar (Del Mar, California); LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort (Naples, Florida); San Diego Mission Bay Resort (San Diego, California); Hotel Zoe (San Francisco, California); Little Palm Island Resort & Spa (Little Torch Key, Florida), among others.
Challenge to Canada’s quarantine policy: A constitutional rights advocacy group is mounting a legal challenge to Canada’s quarantine hotel policy, arguing it infringes on Canadians’ fundamental rights. The Canadian Constitution Foundation has filed an application with Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice along with five individuals, seeking an end to the policy. A government order that went into effect on February 14 mandates that anyone entering Canada from abroad must stay in a federally approved hotel for the first three nights of a 14-day quarantine.
Texas resort that raked in money during pandemic: New numbers from hotel data provider Source Strategies highlight just how badly the COVID-19 pandemic damaged Austin’s lodging industry in 2020. But one new Central Austin resort bucked the trend, making more money than any other hotel in Texas. A report from San Antonio-based Source Strategies shows hotels in the Austin metro area saw revenue plummet by 55% in 2020 compared with 2019 — the worst revenue drop for any Texas metro area. Despite that, two local properties claimed spots among the state’s top 10 performers for the year: The Commodore Perry Estate, which opened last year, and the Lake Austin Spa Resort. The Commodore Perry Estate ranked first in the state based on RevPAR (US$245.47). The Lake Austin Spa Resort came in at No. 3, with RevPAR of US$196.35.
Abu Dhabi reports high performance: Abu Dhabi’s hotel industry reported its best performance since the start of the pandemic, according to preliminary February 2021 data from STR. In addition to higher absolute levels, year-over-year comparisons were more favorable than previous months.
Occupancy: 65.4% (-15.4%)
ADR: AED361.07 (US$98) (-12.4%)
RevPAR: AED236.03 (US$64) (-25.9%)
The International Defense Exhibition and Conference (February 21-25) brought more than 62,000 attendees across the five days. When looking at daily data, Abu Dhabi hotels saw their highest ADR (+50.5% to AED606.80 (US$165) and RevPAR (+34.4% to AED446.57) (US$122) levels for the month on the first day of the conference.