QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Unrelenting uncertainty and inflation, coupled with tough calendar comps and
changing travel patterns, have caused lower demand. Additionally, as the year
has unfolded, we’ve seen rate growth converge closer with demand. We expect
little change in the economic outlook over the next 18 months, but we are
optimistic that once trade talks have concluded and the impact of the budget reconciliation
bill comes to fruition, hotel performance will recover.” – Amanda Hite,
STR   Read story

“As we lap easier comparisons to last year, we believe
RevPAR could be up in the low- to single -digits for the balance of the year. We
anticipate our properties in Asia Pacific, excluding Greater China, will have
the strongest growth in RevPAR of any geographic regions as they continue to
benefit from significant international inbound travel in Europe.” – Joan Bottarini,
Hyatt Hotels Corp.   Read story 

“Our momentum continued in the first half of 2025, with
further achievements in accelerating the growth of our brands, expanding in key
geographies, strengthening hotel owner returns, driving ancillary fee streams,
delivering cost efficiencies, and returning surplus capital to shareholders,”
said IHG Hotels & Resorts CEO Elie Maalouf. “We remain on track to meet
full year consensus profit and earnings expectations. While some shorter-term
macroeconomic uncertainties remain, many are subsiding, and we are confident in
the ongoing successful delivery of our growth algorithm.” – Elie Maalouf, IHG
Hotels & Resorts   Read story

“This strategic acquisition marks the next chapter in Choice
Hotels’ 70-year presence in Canada, Canada presents an attractive opportunity
with the lodging market projected to grow at an average annual rate of more
than 5% over the next five years, reaching over $50 billion in total revenue by
2030.” – Patrick Pacious, Choice Hotels International   Read story

“The pipeline of single assets, portfolios and platforms
available (or expected to become available) on an off-market and marketed basis
in the near-to-medium term is robust. Both L+R and Midstar have decades of
experience in transacting across this region and will make full use of our
combined networks and deal sourcing capabilities.” – Cody Bradshaw, L+R Hotels   Read story

“Generally, trades that are occurring are smaller in size
and being consummated with financing through debt funds with less restrictive
requirements than large banks, and regional banks with more favorable spreads.
However, so far this year there have been several large hotel sale transactions
of ‘trophy’ properties and/or institutional grade assets that can be acquired
for less than replacement cost.” – Daniel Lesser, LW Hospitality Advisors   Read story

“We would expect to continue to see over the next few years
that we would have, call it roughly a third of rooms opening that are
conversions… We will continue [strength] in the conversion space. As we look at
a pipeline that is over 5% higher than a year ago, with this heightened element
of several years of conversions, we’re confident that we’re building the track
record for mid-single digits net rooms growth over the next several years.” –
Leeny Oberg, Marriott International  
Read story

“I’m excited about the investments we’ve made in our core
portfolio, as we continue to enhance asset quality and strategically allocate
capital… We are confident that reinvesting in our portfolio is the highest and
best use of our capital, positioning us for sustained growth and outperformance.”
– Thomas Baltimore, Park Hotels & Resorts  
Read story

“We are a great engine for the recycling of intellectual
property in the hotel space and bringing the more impactful, iconic brands to
where they need to be for the next cycle of that box’s useful life.” – Kaunteya
Chitnis, Portman Holdings   Read story

“Our activity in Spanish hotels, with an emphasis on the
luxury and convenience segments, is in line with of our wider thematic focus on
the European accommodation sectors, covering living, hospitality and everything
in between, where there is a shortage of institutional-quality product relative
to investor demand.” – Saul Goldstein, ActivumSG   Read story

“The Detroit hospitality market has become very dynamic and
has many more demand drivers than just automotive companies. In that time, we
opened the Element Detroit at the Metropolitan [Building], where we also
operate the Monarch Club rooftop bar and The Lone Goat pub on the ground floor,
and then converted [an] Aloft to the Hotel David Whitney, Autograph Collection
(which opened last year).” – Adam Dahan, Azul Hospitality Group   Read story

“The Nashville hospitality market continues to demonstrate
impressive growth and resilience, particularly in the future East Bank
district, which is poised to become a vibrant epicenter anchored by Oracle’s
forthcoming headquarters.” – Pranav Bhakta, Driftwood Capital   Read story

Here is a
compilation of the most important executive moves of the past week in the hotel
investment world, alphabetically (by company):

New HR
exec at Dreamscape.
Dallas-based Dreamscape Hospitality has appointed Alma Colakovic as corporate
human resources manager. Colakovic has over two decades of hospitality HR
experience and spent over a decade with Aimbridge Hospitality, serving in
various HR roles, including regional director of human resources and corporate
director of human resources.

Highside
adds executives. Denver-based Highside Companies has named Trisha Grisko as vice president of
asset management and Robert Plimpton as director of finance. Grisko brings more
than 20 years of hospitality leadership experience across national portfolios
and previously served as vice president of sales for Spark Hotels. With nearly
20 years of commercial real estate finance and executive leadership experience
spanning a wide range of asset classes, Plimpton held previous roles at
Prologis, Spirit Realty Capital (now Realty Income), Invitation Homes, Progress
Residential and Northwood Investors.

Leonardo
names HR exec. Leonardo Hotels Central Europe has appointed Anke Maas as chief human resources
officer. She will assume responsibility for all the hotel group’s strategic
staff-related matters in Central Europe. She has held senior HR roles for
around 30 years. After beginning in the public sector, she later moved into the
private sector and became a human resources director at Leonardo Hotels Central
Europe in 2012.

Stonebridge
adds CDO. Denver-based Stonebridge has appointed Kevin Dingle as chief development
Officer. With over two decades of hotel real estate experience, Dingle joins
Stonebridge from Aimbridge, where he was senior vice president of development
and acquisitions. Before joining Aimbridge, Dingle co-founded Compass Lodging
Advisors and also worked at Crow Holdings.

Trunk
names president for international. Tokyo-based Trunk has appointed Toni Hinterstoisser as
president – international. He brings over 30 years of experience in the
development, operations, and management of luxury and lifestyle hotels across
Europe, North America and Asia. He was most recently vice president of Asia
for citizenM Hotels, where he oversaw operations across the Asia Pacific
region. He has also held key leadership roles, including GM, at properties such
as Park Hyatt Tokyo, Andaz Wall Street and Andaz Amsterdam.