U.S. meeting, events continue to rise: Numbers from a recent study indicate that March U.S. group meetings volume increased 42.5% over last month, according to data company Knowland. While corporate continues to lead the way from a segmentation perspective, there were multiple large sports tournaments, home shows, bridal expos and mid-size association events throughout the month. Highlights include:
- The average number of attendees in March 2021 was 61, compared to 131 in March 2020
- The average space used in March 2021 was 2,512 square feet while meetings in March 2020 averaged 2,104 square feet
- The top five growth markets in March were Austin, Chicago, Nashville, San Antonio and San Diego
- Corporate meetings produced most of the activity accounting for 60.7% of total meetings for the month
S.F. hotel at risk of foreclosure: The 346-room Club Quarters hotel in downtown San Francisco faces potential foreclosure or other measures after its owner, an affiliate of the Blackstone Group, has missed 10 months of debt payments on a US$274 million loan partially secured by the hotel. CWCapital, the special servicer handling the commercial mortgage-backed securities loan, is evaluating options to resolve the matter, including foreclosure or a transfer to Bank of America, the originating lender, in lieu of foreclosure.
More from San Francisco Business Times
Google hotel searches skyrocket: As the number of vaccinations rises and lockdown restrictions lift, consumers are searching for vacation getaways in record numbers, new data suggests. Search queries for resorts and hotels in the U.S. are at their highest levels in nearly 10 years, according to Google data. The rise began in November, with searches for “resort” peaking on March 21 before declining slightly, and for “hotel” on March 28, before it also dipped, according to Google.
Florida sues CDC over cruise delays: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced April 8 that the state will be filing a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demanding cruise ships be allowed to resume sailing immediately. DeSantis called the CDC’s decision to delay the opening of the U.S. cruise industry “irrational” and said that he believes that this lawsuit will have a “good chance for success.” The CDC was not immediately available for comment.
Radisson’s first serviced apartment in Amsterdam: Radisson Hotel Group will open its first serviced apartment property and eighth operating hotel in Amsterdam. The 227 all-suite Radisson Hotel & Suites Amsterdam South will have rooms with fully-equipped kitchens and the property will have a complimentary self-service laundry facility. The hotel will also have a 24/7 grab and go market, a fitness studio, underground parking, bike rental, and a restaurant, Keuken & Bar. Under the commercial umbrella of Radisson Hotels, Cycas Hospitality, also based in Amsterdam, will operate under a leased agreement with Echo partners.
Dreamscape acquires The Saint: Dreamscape Companies, a real estate development and investment firm in Plano, Texas, has acquired The Saint Hotel in New Orleans. Aimbridge Hospitality will manage. The 171-room hotel has 3,000 square feet of meeting and event space, as well as a 24-hour fitness center.
MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa sells: Caesars Entertainment has closed on the sale of MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, to the Lincoln, Rhode Island-based Bally’s Corp. The closing satisfies Caesars’ agreement with the Federal Trade Commission to divest the asset in connection with the Caesars-Eldorado merger, which closed in July 2020.
Leumi UK finances hotel in Bicester: Leumi UK, the London-based subsidiary of Israel’s international bank, has closed an eight-figure facility with Atlas Hotels Group, the largest owner-operator of Holiday Inn Express franchised select-service hotels in Europe, to part-finance their investment in the 149-room Holiday Inn Express, Bicester in England. This deal marks Leumi UK’s first project with London and Regional Hotels, which has a portfolio of over 95 hotels across Europe, the U.S. and Caribbean.
Best Western names new exec: Best Western Hotels & Resorts has named Jay Hubbs to the newly created role of vice president of advertising, marketing, innovation and analytics. He was most recently with Remington Hotels where he led the company’s digital marketing efforts and headed up all revenue responsibilities for Remington’s independent hotels. Prior to his time at Remington, Hubbs was a senior director with Expedia Partner Services, and a vice president of sales at ReviewPro.
Ty Warner hotel cancels bookings, events through 2022: The Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore in Santa Barbara, California, owned by Beanie Baby mogul Ty Warner, has canceled all bookings and events through 2022, according to several employees interviewed this week by Noozhawk. The employees say they’re now talking to an attorney with the intention of filing a group lawsuit against the company. They say they deserve severance pay, per the terms of their employment agreements. No one from the hotel returned Noozhawk’s calls this week. Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of the hotel a year ago, most other hotels have reopened, and there are currently no restrictions against the hotel industry reopening.
Dominican Republic sees recovery: The Ministry of Tourism of Dominican Republic has positive data regarding the recovery of international tourism to the Caribbean destination. In March 2021, the country received 263,857 non-resident foreign passengers, a 56% increase compared to February 2021, and 3.4% over March 2020. More than 70% of these arrivals were American tourists, and more than 40% of travelers arrived through Punta Cana International Airport. As of March 28, 2021, a total of 3,142 flights from one hundred airlines from more than forty countries have arrived in the country, a 39% increase compared to February 2021. For the first time, in the last week of March, the flight occupancy of aircrafts arriving in the country reached pre-pandemic levels.