Vignette Collection

Choice Hotels issued a press release urging Wyndham stockholders to tender their shares before the March 8 deadline. We would characterize the press release as of begging WH shareholders to threaten they will pull the plug.

The tensions with the Maldives have Indian tourists diverting to other coastal tourist destinations and Sri Lanka is already reaping the benefits, surpassing Maldives in the number of tourists for the first time.

Canada is seeing a surge of hotel construction in major cities, with Vancouver leading the way in new building applications. It is now seen as the most attractive bet by analysts because it leads the way in hotel profits and occupancy, which was almost 80% in October.

In 2023, the Taj brand strengthened its presence in key metro and commercial cities, including Delhi, Cochin, Dhaka, and Bhutan. Vivanta and SeleQtions collectively added 17 hotels while Ginger signed agreements for six new hotels.

Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. completed the previously disclosed acquisition of Bluegreen Vacations. The transaction broadens HGV’s offerings, customer reach, and sales locations, creating a premier vacation ownership, and experiences company.

Sydney hotels achieved their highest occupancy levels on New Year’s Eve at 94% followed by 93.8% on December 2nd. There were only two days in the month when occupancy was not above the 60% mark.

Apple Hospitality REIT declared a regular monthly cash dividend and a special distribution. Bluegreen Vacation Holdings' acquisition by Hilton Grand Vacations moved forward with the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. Several new hotel openings and acquisitions were announced, including AC Hotels by Marriott in Naples, Moxy by Marriott in Houston, IHG's first Garner hotel, and Choice Hotels International's 100th Suburban Studios hotel.

The Tokyo Edition, Ginza, designed by Ian Schrager and Kengo Kuma, is now open with 86 guestrooms, including 10 suites. It follows Edition's first Japan venture with the Tokyo Edition, Toranomon, and features large standard rooms and a blend of old and new architecture. IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor announce multiple global openings for 2024, including luxury and premium hotels in various locations like France, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, and others.  Banyan Tree and China Vanke are dissolving their joint ventures, with Banyan Tree acquiring and selling stakes in different ventures for a combined 480 million yuan.

Choice Hotels International purchased more shares in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in its unsolicited exchange offer to acquire the company. The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 9.3% in November, with the Hotel REIT sub-index up 7.6% year-to-date and the Hotel Brand sub-index up 30.6% year-over-year. BCD Travel forecasts a global decrease in airfares and a 6.8% increase in hotel rates in 2024.

Park Hotels & Resorts announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 and a special top-off dividend of $0.78, totaling nearly $635 million returned to shareholders in 2023. R New and renovated Holiday Inn properties opened in Mansfield, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. LuxUrban Hotels signed agreements to operate two New York City hotels.