Hotel News Now each week features a news roundup from a different region of the world. Today’s review covers the Americas.
STR data: Impact of Hurricane Matthew on hotels
Hotels on the east coast saw immediate impact from Hurricane Matthew on days prior to when the hurricane made landfall and in the days after it made landfall, data from STR, HNN’s parent company, shows.
The main areas most affected by the hurricane were Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia., The Orlando, Miami and Charleston hotel markets were affected the most as tourists cancelled trips to resorts in these areas. Disney World and Universal Studios were closed on 7 October as a result of the hurricane.
Miami Beach, which was already hit this year by the Zika virus, new hotel supply and a strong U.S. dollar, lost more than $10 million in room revenue, which was a direct result of the hurricane. The total net impact on hotel room revenue in the five states in Hurricane Matthew’s path is approximately $50 million.
Marriott’s Sorenson talks culture and innovation
Marriott International President and CEO Arne Sorenson spoke with Hotel News Now about the company’s plans for innovation and the impact of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide acquisition on jobs within the company during a one-on-one video interview at the grand opening of the M Beta at Charlotte Marriott City Center.
Sorenson said there are “some common features between the cultures” of Marriott and Starwood.
“I think Starwood and Marriott are proud hotel companies that really want to succeed … They’re focused on delivering great service, they’re focused on building great careers for their people and focused on having the best-performing hotels in the market,” he said.
“So that drive to succeed is something that we’ve been really gratified to see, and share in both the Marriott platform and the Starwood platform, and I think it’s something we can build on.”
September pipeline data from STR
Central/South America: The September 2016 Pipeline Report from STR, HNN’s parent company, shows 63,748 rooms in 412 projects under contract in the Central/South America region.
For the month, the region reported 27,359 rooms in 172 projects in construction, which is a 10.2% decrease year over year.
Caribbean/Mexico: STR’s September 2016 Pipeline Report for the Caribbean/Mexico region shows 32,678 rooms in 193 projects under contract in the region, which is an 18.5% increase year over year.
There were 13,962 rooms in 90 projects in construction for the month of September, which is an 18.7% increase year over year.
Hard Rock International reacquires hotel/casino rights
Hard Rock International reacquired the rights for casinos and hotel-casinos in the western U.S. and international markets from affiliates of BREF HR at the beginning of October, according to a news release.
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was separated from Hard Rock International’s portfolio more than 30 years ago, and “the rights acquired in this deal reunite Hard Rock International’s global territory for casinos and hotel-casinos, which Hard Rock believes positions the company for unprecedented growth opportunities,” according to the news release.
Deals and development
- The 210-room Radisson Hotel Santa Cruz opened in Bolivia on 19 October.
- The 145-room Hyatt Place Celaya opened in Mexico on 12 October.
- The Pineapple Beach Club Antigua reopened 4 October.
- Lobby renderings for the 187-room Margaritaville Resort Orlando, set to open in the fourth quarter of 2017, were released on 19 October.
- The 401-room Hilton Santiago Las Condes Hotel is set to open in Santiago, Chile, in 2021.
Compiled by Danielle Hess.