Briefing: A surge in hotel investment

2015 has been a great year for hotel investment so far. There has been renewed positivity in the market and a rise in portfolio transactions. According to JLL, the UK has led transactions in the EMEA, with deals up 172% in the first half of 2015 compared to 2014. Overall in the EMEA region half year transaction volumes are up 85%. The US has also seen a rise in investment with transaction volume nearly doubling in the first half of 2015.

In this briefing industry insiders discuss the state of hotel investment, and who is investing in what:

JLL have reported that significant amounts of investments into the EMEA region has come from China and North America. Chinese investment has amounted to $1.9 billion so far this year.  Investment from North American private equity funds, which has reached $1.1 billion, has accounted for 57% of regional UK portfolio deals.

International investment into America amounted to $6.6 billion in the first half of 2015 representing nearly 30% of deal volume and showing a marked increase on 2014.

Some portfolio moves this year have included Accor’s restructuring of HotelInvest’s assets, which has involved the sale of 29 hotels in Germany and the Netherlands under a €234 million sales & Franchise back agreement in April, and the sale of seven hotels in the UK and Ireland for €38 million in May.

In June, Ashford Trust announced its intention to sell a 23 select-service hotel portfolio. And last month Pinnacle Hotel Management (PHM) sold a 15-hotel, select-service portfolio comprised of Marriott- and Hilton-branded hotels for $203 million to the Blackstone Group.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by yBC for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Understanding brand power in a new landscape

What does it mean to be a hospitality brand in 2015? Travellers today will not be as influenced by a brand name as they once were when booking accommodation. According to Mintel Group, 48% of guests will not visit the hotel’s website before arrival, and 79% see price as a key factor when choosing a hotel. However strong brands in the industry are still growing.

These videos look at the way new brands are developing, how powerful brands are staying relevant, and what might happen with brands in the future:

In todays’ hospitality landscape technology has changed distribution forever, given independents more power and has sparked the emergence of new brands.

There is some debate over the possible consolidation of brands in the future as discussed in the above videos.  At the moment more and more brands are being created, often within existing brands, to serve new markets.

In other industries the power of the brand is still immensely strong particularly in the technology industry. Apple currently tops Forbes list of The World’s most Valuable Brands, with a brand value of $145.3 Billion. Microsoft, Google and Coca-Cola and IBM make up the rest of the top 5.

The MKG group’s Hospitality database shows that in January 2015, IGH was the top ranked Hotel Brand. It had 710 295 rooms and a growth of 3.4% on 2014. Hilton and Marriot were ranked 2nd and 3rd and showed growth of 5.4% and 5.9% respectively.

A survey from BDRC found that 42% of European leisure travellers rate review sites as important when selecting a hotel for leisure. In comparison 36% rate hotel brands and important. BDRC also found that leading brands can still command a higher price than unknown brands, with an uplift of €26.98 in the luxury market.

If you’ve been sent to this page and you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by yBC for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: lifting the lid on the industry’s biggest event

As you know, we have been sending you regular briefings featuring key people from right across the hospitality industry. These briefings are produced in conjunction with our good friends, yourBusinessChannel who launched The Hospitality Channel 3 years ago. A channel which we have been a key partner for since the outset. We have had some great feedback to these interviews.

One of the great opportunities for the yourBusinessChannel team to capture a lot of this content is the annual International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) held in Berlin each year. This week’s briefing is a video that they put together from comments people made about last year’s conference as they thought it would be interesting for those who have never been IHIF conference to understand why people attend.

These comments are not scripted and yourBusinessChannel’s interviewees were not expecting to be asked this question so it’s a great insight into why people attend the conference and why there is so much buzz and business done over the 3 day event.


Briefing: essential elements of successful hotel deal-making

Doing deals has become a much more lengthy process post-recession, but there are certain components of doing good deals that stand the test of time and are paramount in any successful negotiation. Understanding what product will work well in particular locations, creating and recruiting the best management team possible to drive the new venture forward, and ascertaining the right funding mix are all imperative variables to get right.

Experts in this briefing discuss the market for deals and what components of a deal are integral, including comment from:

  • Laurence Geller CBE, Founder, Former Chairman & CEO of Strategic Hotels & Resorts on what hotel product he thinks is going to work well
  • Richard Candey, Senior Director – Head of Hospitality of DTZ on the fundamental components of a good deal
  • Arthur de Haast, Chairman – Hotels & Hospitality Group of Jones Lang LaSalle on increased liquidity seen in the marketplace
  • Renzo Iorio, CEO – Italy of Accor SA on what good deals should start with…
 


If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Europe needs to demonstrate growth to attract investment

With the green shoots of growth being seen across the European market, many believe we are seeing early optimism for not only the hospitality sector but all industry. However, with increasing influence of alternative markets, like China and Brazil, the EU needs to showcase itself as a great place too for capital investment.

As a mature market it has many strengths and we have seen a resurgence in deal making. The long-term prospects of hospitality are paramount, but with the incessant need for short-term returns, is Europe going to be able to show strong enough growth for investors to persevere? In this briefing we hear from:

  • Arthur de Haast, Chairman – Hotels & Hospitality Group for Jones Lang LaSalle on confidence being seen in the market.
  • Josh Wyatt, Partner – Hospitality & Leisure at Patron Capital Advisors LLP on whether Europe is the most exciting place for investment.
  • Richard Candey, Senior Director – Head of Hospitality for DTZ on the resurgence in deal making across Europe
  • And Andrew Taylor, National Head of Leisure for NatWest on London being a very different market to anywhere else in Europe.
 


If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: investment in data is the future of hospitality

Staying connected to your customer is of paramount importance as customer loyalty is to brands. The hospitality sector is very unusual as the amount of data a hotel might have about an individual is perhaps more than any other industry. But how should hospitality embrace new technology to capitalise on the enormous amount of data it has?

Many believe there is a revolution coming in the way we communicate with consumers, colleagues and stakeholders and investment decisions about the use of new technologies requires much thought and understanding.

In this briefing we hear from technology experts in the realm of hospitality that discuss where the future of the digital world lies and where hospitality fits into this picture, including:

  • Nigel Huddlestone, Industry Head for Travel at Google on making data relevant to your business
  • Andrew Sangster, Editorial Director for Hotel Analyst Distribution & Technology on connecting the huge data silos within a hotel business
  • Cyril Ranque, SVP of Global Market Management for Expedia Lodging on his company being the ‘technology lab’ for many hotel business
  • And Arthur de Haast, Chairman – Hotels & Hospitality for Jones Lang LaSalle on the speed in which digital technology speeds up businesses.
 


If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Opportunities growing in emerging economies

It is no secret that the emerging economies are now seeing some very good results in terms of growth and ROI. This is the case across all industries not only for the hospitality sector.

Integral to anyone moving into these areas is the need for a local partner who understands the continuing obstacles faced with a fast-moving, unknown market.

In this briefing we hear from:

  • Konstanze Auernheimer, of STR Global, on the conditions for opportunity in hospitality across all 4 BRIC economies
  • Andrew Sangster, of Hotel Analyst, speaking about measuring the risk and reward of moving into these markets.
  • And James Lisbon, of Mishcon de Reya, about investment opportunities in Russia, Latin America and Africa
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Briefing: Moving into new markets

In this briefing we hear from leaders in the hospitality industry on how they are tackling opportunities in the BRIC countries and Africa. Those interviewed include Gebhard Rainer of Hyatt Group, Miguel Ruano of Hotel Solutions, Arthur de Haast of Jones Lang Lasalle Hotels and Robert Cook of Malmaison & Hotel du Vin.

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If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

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