Login

5 Things To Know for Dec. 21

Today's Headlines: Analysts Fret Over New Pebblebrook Guidance; Markets React Positively To Strong Consumer Confidence; Winter Storm Could Complicate Holiday Travel; Americans Still Want To Travel Even With Possible Recession; How Hotels Can Use the 2023 Pantone Color of the Year
Travelers stand in line for a TSA checkpoint at the Miami International Airport on Dec. 19 in Miami, Florida. (Getty Images)
Travelers stand in line for a TSA checkpoint at the Miami International Airport on Dec. 19 in Miami, Florida. (Getty Images)
CoStar News
December 21, 2022 | 3:48 P.M.

Editor's Note: Some linked articles may be behind subscription paywalls.

1. Analysts Fret Over New Pebblebrook Guidance

Hotel-focused real estate investment trust Pebblebrook Hotel Trust issued updated revenue and operating figures Tuesday, which included a downward revision of fourth-quarter performance expectations, HNN's Bryan Wroten reports. The company now expects revenue per available room to come in at $173 for the fourth quarter — $10 lower than early expectations — and is projecting a net loss of $39.9 million, compared to earlier expectations for $32.2 million.

In the news release announcing updated figures, Pebblebrook officials pointed to "a negative impact from Hurricane Nicole and weaker business and leisure demand during the second half of the month" for the change. Various analysts who cover the REIT pointed to the revision as a bad sign for the industry.

"The issues appear to be short-term demand pickup and growing expense pressures," Michael Bellisario, senior research analyst at Baird, wrote in a note to clients. "We are growing more concerned about the slower/sluggish business travel backdrop and the increasingly less favorable operating environment, particularly compared to the bottom-line outperformance that was realized six to nine months ago."

2. Markets React Positively To Strong Consumer Confidence

While worries abound over a potential recession, consumers remain confident, according to the latest data from The Conference Board released this morning. Following confidence declines in both November and October, confidence increased sharply in December's figures, with more consumers saying business conditions are good and jobs are plentiful.

The Wall Street Journal reports this optimism carried over to Wall Street, with both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 seeing an early bump.

3. Winter Storm Could Complicate Holiday Travel

Those intending to travel for the upcoming Christmas holiday might not be able to do so across wide swaths of the U.S. as a massive winter storm threatens to hit with heavy snow, ice, flooding and possibly tornadoes, the Associated Press reports.

“The National Weather Service has a large area across the country [that] has wind chill warnings or wind chill watches,” Bob Oravec, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, said to the news outlet. “The system is so large and so encompassing in the U.S., there’s actually about 190 million people currently under some type of winter weather advisory.”

4. Americans Still Want To Travel Even With Possible Recession

MMGY's Travel Intelligence survey shows that 58% of U.S. adults plan to vacation within the first half of 2023 despite worries of a recession and inflation. Those not looking to travel point to high costs or their own financial situation as the primary reasons.

One of the biggest upticks in the latest addition of the survey was the number of travelers looking to cross borders. In all, 25% of adults intend to travel internationally in the first half of the year, compared to 19% in the same period the previous year. That marks the highest level of international travel intentions in three years.

“The American international traveler is typically a more affluent traveler and is therefore proportionately less impacted by rising costs and inflationary pressures,” Chris Davidson, executive vice president of MMGY Travel Intelligence, said in a news release. “Furthermore, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar and the fact that foreign destinations are increasingly open and welcoming visitors support the notion that international travel will be an area of strength for the travel industry economy in 2023.”

5. How Hotels Can Use the 2023 Color of the Year

Pantone's Color of the Year for 2023 is called Viva Magenta, which HNN's Trevor Simpson reports might be best used as an accent in hotels, with designers saying it might not be one you see for an extended period.

Julien Legeard, founder and principal designer at Legeard Studio, described it as "very modern and dynamic as a warm, rich hue that brings vibrancy to any design" but not one with staying power.

“I see this as more of a short-term trend,” he said. “Color trends are cyclical, and it’s something designers and hoteliers will have a lot of fun with for the moment, but I anticipate most people will choose more classic colors in the long run.”

Return to the Hotel News Now homepage.

News | 5 Things To Know for Dec. 21