274 | Construction in a Pandemic: Hotel builders face unexpected challenges

In the first quarter of this year, more than 140 new hotels opened in the U.S., reported Lodging Econometrics. In March, the U.S. had 150,000 rooms under construction, said STR. It’s the highest end-of-month total the company has reported. Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights at STR, said he expects hotel construction to read more

239 | Good As New: Surge in hotel renovations expected to boost business

Hotel industry analysts and watchers expect property renovations in the United States to surge over the next two years. They cite several reasons for the outlook, including: The industry has surpassed the peak of its recovery from the Great Recession; A slowdown in revenue growth is predicted for this year and next; The leveling off read more

238 | Reaching the Finish Line: Hotel construction companies hurdle project barriers

STR recently reported the hotel construction pipeline for the U.S. was up 5.5 percent in October. It was the lowest year-over-year increase in lodging construction activity in six months. Despite the slowdown, construction companies say they are as busy as ever. However, they do anticipate a leveling off of new builds over the next couple read more

227 | Mass Appeal: Crowdfunding for hotel development mines new sources of cash

When it launched five years ago, crowdfunding for real estate development was a hot topic, especially among hotel developers seeking new ways to pay for their projects. Though it’s not creating the same level of buzz as it did when it first became a federally sanctioned option in 2014, crowdfunding remains a viable tool in read more

May 3rd week

The Weed Frontier: How hotels are capitalizing on cannabis

As more and more states legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes, hoteliers are experimenting with integrating the cannabis lifestyle into their amenities and programming. The hospitality industry is eager to jump on the bandwagon as the cannabis is predicted to grow to a $23 billion market in the U.S. over the next few years.

214 | The Weed Frontier: How hotels are capitalizing on cannabis

Marijuana consumption in America has lost its stigma, and it is on track to become a $23 billion U.S. market over the next couple years. Hotels in states that have legalized recreational and medicinal marijuana are just beginning to think about how to incorporate the trend into their businesses. The laws can be confusing. Cannabis read more

207 | “Today’s Not the Day”: Why Trump Hotels changed course in the Mississippi Delta

Almost two years ago, Trump Hotels introduced Chawla Hotels to the world as the first developers of the company’s new brands Scion and American Idea. Though Trump Hotels in February announced it was pulling out of development deals in Cleveland and other nearby towns, the Trump effect will be more than a footnote in Mississippi’s read more

205 | Opportunity Zones Create 21st Century Gold Rush

Today’s report takes a look at a newcomer to hotel fund raising – the Investing in Opportunity Act, and the capital pools and projects the federal law is generating. While the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS are still working on the act’s punch list, many hotel developers and private equity groups are read more

March 3rd week

21st Century Gold Rush: Opportunity zones attract new investors

Investment in Opportunity Act creates zones throughout the U.S. where CRE investors can shelter capital gains and quickly grow wealth. Opportunity zones create a 21st century gold rush and new source of funding for hotel developers.

060 | Deconstructing Hospitality Construction Project Management with Stephen Siegel

Stephen is President of H-CPM (Hospitality CPM), a construction project management and owner representation firm specializing in managing hotel renovations, conversions, repositioning and new construction projects. Prior to H-CPM, Stephen served as VP of Construction for Prime Hospitality and was responsible for over $1.0B in new hotel construction and managing capital improvement for a portfolio read more