Palm Springs

Key events included DiamondRock Hospitality's upgrade, Hyatt and Apple Hospitality lowering guidance, and IHG reporting strong new room signings despite challenges in China.

San Francisco’s two largest hotels have lost over $1 billion in value, now worth $553.8 million, prompting a downgrade in bond ratings and a rush to sell before foreclosure.

The DJIA ended Friday with a gain of 395 points, while NASDAQ was up 255, the S&P 500 rose 59 points and the 10-year treasury yield ticked up a little to 4.15%. Lodging stocks were mostly…

STR reported US lodging data for the week ended December 30. RevPAR was down -9.7% led by a -7.1% decline in occupancy. Speculators are questioning whether everyone is thinking the Fed is going to cut interest rates more than they really will. Real estate developers  Fort Partners and Merrimac Ventures  are building a  Four Seasons  hotel and condo resort in  Telluride, Colorado .

Sonder Holdings announces a 1 for 20 reverse split to maintain its Nasdaq listing, with Selina also considering a reverse split. STR reports US hotel data with a slight increase in US hotel RevPAR but a decrease in Group RevPAR for the week ending 9/16. Various hotel acquisitions and developments are underway, including Omni Hotels & Resorts in Raleigh, Travel + Leisure Co.'s sports-themed resorts, Life House in Palm Springs, and more.

B of A Securities gives IHG Hotels & Resorts a Buy rating. Sonder announces a 1-for-20 reverse stock split. Hyatt plans to expand with over 30 new hotels in the Americas by 2025, emphasizing luxury, resort, and lifestyle rooms. Miraval Resorts unveils its spa after a $60 million renovation. Raffles Boston and The Fontainebleau Las Vegas announce their openings.

Stock market: DJIA fell 233 points, Nasdaq rose by 53 points, and S&P 500 increased by 4 points Federal Reserve: Paused interest rate hikes but anticipates at least two more in the next 6 months, causing confusion in the financial markets Lodging industry: SOND experienced a notable decline of -7%, while other lodging stocks were modestly lower. Various hotel companies reported on post-pandemic themes, opportunities for rate growth, and potential impacts of a recession scenario.

Last week BP plc completed the acquisition of TravelCenter of America Inc . Service Properties Trust received $379.3 million in cash as part of the transaction. Sonder Holdings was cut to Perform from Outperform by Oppenheimer and InterContinental Hotels Group was upgraded to Neutral from Sell by Redburn. The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index rose 1.4% in April from March. The Hotel Brand sub-index rose 2.5% from March while the Hotel REIT sub-index was down -2.6%.

Soho House reported mostly in-line estimates. Adjusted EBITDA was in line despite revenue being slightly lower than expectations. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Hyatt to $142 from $139 while maintaining their Overweight rating. Marriott International announced a 30% increase in their quarterly dividend, to $0.52 a share.

Lodging stocks were mixed but the big movers were all to the downside. SLNA traded down another -7% to another all-time low. VCSA and MCG were both down -6%. Service Properties Trust kept its positive momentum going, reporting a 159% increase in normalized FFO in 4Q22. Xenia Hotels & Resorts reported 4Q results slightly ahead of expectations but gave a mixed 2023 outlook.