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Skift Take
Despite the worst of the pandemic being behind the hospitality industry, executives largely don’t see a full recovery this year. It’s hard for them to do so when the industry hasn’t still solved its labor shortage problem.
Here’s a sampling of what the Daily Lodging Report provided to its readers this past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Don’t wait. Sign up now here.
Sunday, April 10
Two Toronto boutique hotels, Templar Hotel (now The Slate) and The Beverley Hotel, are now operated through Sonder. Although the company has been compared to Airbnb, Sonder describes themselves as a global hospitality provider, not a platform. Sonder leases the hotel or apartment unit and then takes over the daily operations of the property. In January 2022, Sonder announced an expansion in Toronto with over 110 units contracted in four additional locations. These units are in addition to the over 120 live units across the five existing Sonder locations in Toronto.
Skift Note: Sonder, which has made vocal its desire to upend the hospitality industry, is focused on adding high-end properties in popular destinations to its portfolio.
Monday, April 11
The Ching Ming holiday didn’t bring any relief to the Macau casino resorts with only 48,536 tourist arrivals over the three day period. That was down -50% from the holiday in 2021. China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism said an estimated 75 million domestic trips were made during the Ching Ming holiday, down -26.2% from last year. As for what Macau is getting hurt worse, the main reason is the Covid situation in feeder markets prompting a 24 hour testing requirement for major markets. Macau was hoping to have that changed from 24 hours to 48 hours for Zhuhai visitors if Zhuhai did not report any local Covid-19 cases for seven consecutive days. The last local case in Zhuhai was recorded on April 3. The problem is that Guangzhou reported at least 11 Covid cases on Friday, at least two of which were the Omicron variant. As a result, Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center announced the current 24 hour validity will remain in place. Guangzhou’s health authority warned that the current situation may be more serious than the local outbreak caused by the Delta variant this past May. Meanwhile in Shanghai, another 30,000 cases were reported on Sunday.
Skift Note: Despite China’s struggling hotel performance amidst a surge in Covid cases, industry giants are still expressing optimism that business will rebound in the country.
Following its successful launch last month, the Radisson Hotel Group Americas Development team took Radisson Inn & Suites on the road to drive momentum and awareness for the brand. Radisson Hotel Group Americas anticipates signing 100 Radisson Inn & Suites over the next 12 months. The design elements that differentiate Radisson Inn & Suites include the café inspired lobby and the Creative Content Studio. The café inspired lobby is like an urban coffee shop while the Creative Content Studio features state-of-the-art monitors, gaming chairs, and a high-speed internet connection for social media content creation or videogame play.
Skift Note: The Radisson Hotel Group Americas taking to the road to create awareness for the Radisson Inn & Suites is a positive step for a company that has struggled to differentiate its brands.
Tuesday, April 12
Ennismore and ActivumSG Capital Management signed a long-term management agreement to bring Ennismore’s SLS lifestyle brand to Europe for the first time, opening a 490-room hotel on the seafront of Barcelona in the second half of 2024. SLS Barcelona will provide roof-top dining and bars as part of a distinctive food and beverage program. The hotel will feature three pools, a 772 square-meter ballroom, a spa and beauty salon, and a well-being and fitness center. The project is an investment by ActivumSG’s fifth real estate fund as part of a pan-European hotel strategy that ActivumSG began in Spain in 2015.
Skift Note: Ennismore, which merged with Accor last year, is well regarded in the hotel industry for its ability to build cool brands.
Wednesday, April 13
The Hospitality Asset Managers Association released the results of its Spring 2022 Industry Outlook. In total, 84 asset managers, comprising approximately half of membership, participated in the survey. Highlighted results include: One-third of respondents currently forecast 51-75% of their hotels to exceed 2022 budgeted RevPAR. Three-quarters of surveyed asset managers are more optimistic about the remainder of 2022 since the Covid-19 Omnicom variant has subsided. The top three concerns of asset managers are labor availability (90.48%), wage increases (70.24%) and supply chain delays (61.9%). 61.9% of participants believe RevPAR will return to 2019 levels for the entire U.S. by 2023, and nearly 90% of those surveyed actively are seeking acquisition opportunities.
Skift Note: The group’s concerns about labor shortages echo those of executives worried about hotels having enough staff for the busy summer season.
Thursday, April 14
Hyatt Hotels Corporation is expected to have up to 90 hotels in India in the next five years as it seeks to tap the country’s potential of leisure and hospitality. The company opened its third Hyatt Centric hotel in India this week and will increase its total number of hotels to 50 by next year, up from the present 34 hotels. Hyatt said India is their third fastest growing market after the US and China. They expect 50 hotels next year and in the next five years it could go up to 80 to 90 hotels. The brands they have been operating will be represented in the 50 hotels they will open as there is no new brand that they plan to launch in India. Their newest hotel is the Hyatt Centric Janakpuri New Delhi. The hotel opened on Wednesday with 224 rooms.
Skift Note: India developing a much needed coherent tourism policy would go a long way in helping the country become the lucrative destination Hyatt expects it to become.
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