The travel industry will do really well this year. It's a great time to be an operator. What that means for the individual is: Book early, book often.
It looks like people have been paying attention rates are stabilizing, occupancies are increasing.
It looks like people have been paying attention ù rates are stabilizing, occupancies are increasing.
We expect to see only a moderate increase in room supply: about 1.2% this year, compared with a historical average of 2.2% in the U.S..
What's noteworthy is the rates did not fall when the demand dropped after 9/11. So hotels are now in a great position to grow the rates moving forward.
We are seeing the pipeline, or the planning and construction stage for new hotels, at a historic low this year.
It's a very strong showing. The good news is a lot of people want to come there.
I doubt anyone can speak with authority about this number, since even the definition of what constitutes a hotel is unclear when you leave the U.S..
It's good news for existing hotels, since they benefit from an increase in demand. For the consumer, it's not so great.