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1. US restarts global entry program
The U.S. has restarted its global entry program for citizens returning from international destinations despite the continuing partial government shutdown. According to The Wall Street Journal, “the dedicated lanes were suspended in late February along with TSA PreCheck, though the Department of Homeland Security quickly backtracked on discontinuing the latter program.”
Several airports had warned travelers to arrive up to four hours ahead of their flights due to the increased queues and waiting times.
2. World Cup demand hasn’t delivered for US hotels
Hoteliers are concerned about U.S. hotel demand for the 2026 FIFA World Cup being weaker than expected, dampening the sentiment surrounding the blockbuster event, CoStar News’ Trevor Simpson reports.
Concerns about U.S. international policy and domestic immigration policy are keeping demand muted, despite the global love for soccer and the World Cup. Plus, the hotel room blocks FIFA secured months in advance for fans to book stays have not been filled, according to hoteliers.
Harry Carr, senior vice president of commercial optimization, Pivot Hotels & Resorts, said his company’s hotel portfolio has started receiving its FIFA room-block holds back and that at some of his hotels, those World Cup room blocks didn’t have a single reservation made.
“I think it’s just [FIFA] overcalculated. I don’t know if it’s just the demand itself or the current conditions that are pushing it away, but we are much less bullish about World Cup than we were three months ago,” Carr said.
3. US hotels performance shows clean sweep of positivity
During the week of March 1-7, U.S. hotel occupancy rose 1.2% to 63%, average daily rate increased 3.6% to $166.47 and revenue per available room jumped 4.9% to $104.92, according to CoStar hospitality data.
During the week, Las Vegas hotel occupancy increased 19.1% to 85%, its ADR increased 60% to $291.25 and its RevPAR increased 90.5% to $247.61. A major reason for that success is that between March 3-7, the city’s Las Vegas Convention Center and Las Vegas Festival Grounds hosted CONEXPO-CON/AGG, the largest construction trade show in the Americas, which happens only every three years. Las Vegas was the only top 25 U.S. hotel market to show a full sweep of double-digit performance improvements.
Of the top 25 markets, the poorest performing hotel market during the first week of March was New Orleans. Hotel occupancy in the Big Easy decreased 5% year over year to 68.9%, ADR decreased 12.8% to $196.89 and RevPAR decreased 17.2% to $136.63.
4. Hotel consultancy Savills acquires investment bank Eastdil Secured
London-based business advisory Savills, which offers valuation, consultancy, transactional and financing services to hotels and other accommodation options, among its other services, has agreed to acquire New York City-based real estate investment bank Eastdil Secured. A news release stated the deal had an enterprise value of approximately $1.1 billion and added “the acquisition is scheduled to complete in due course following satisfaction of customary regulatory and closing conditions.”
Savills said Eastdil Secured is “highly complementary to Savills’ broader real estate services offering." The combined group will be the No. 2 advisory firm globally for prime commercial real estate transactions above $100 million.
Also, Savills released its full-year 2025 earnings results on March 12, which showed a 6.1% increase in revenue to approximately £2.5 billion ($3.36 billion) and an increase of 11.4% in underlying profit before tax of £145.3 million.
5. Frasers Hospitality announces $140 million CapEx program
Singapore-based Frasers Hospitality, part of Frasers Property Ltd., is set to embark on a $140 million capital expenditure program — the firm calls it an “asset enhancement initiative” — across four of its hotels. Those properties include the 69-room Capri by Fraser Kensington London (reopening in February 2027); 380-room Novotel Melbourne on Collins; 406-room Frasers House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Singapore; and 443-room Westin Kuala Lumpur.
"Our asset enhancement strategy reflects disciplined capital stewardship and long-term conviction in gateway cities with strong underlying fundamentals. … This demonstrates our … ability to build a more resilient, future-ready portfolio capable of delivering enduring value across cycles," said Jason Leong, the firm’s head of investment and asset management.