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June 5 (Reuters) - Tighter lending standards from regional banks are making it harder for U.S. hotel developers to secure funding, slowing construction of new hotels at a time Americans' appetite for travel is ripe. Analysts say slower hotel development will also limit profits of blue-chip manufacturers like Caterpillar Inc. , whose commercial real estate customers account for around 75% of construction sales. Overexposed regional banks are now offloading commercial real estate loans at a discount. Troubled regional lender PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) announced in May it would sell $2.6 billion worth of real estate construction loans. Banks started to reduce their hotel loan portfolios in the first quarter of 2023, an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence found.

Persons: Joseph Delli Santi, James Hansen, Andy Ingraham, Ingraham, Evens Charles, Banks, Mitchell Hochberg, Bianca Flowers, Caroline Stauffer, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S, Silicon Valley Bank, Shopoff, Reuters, Build Central Inc, Hilton, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, Marriott International, Caterpillar Inc, Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, National Association of Black, Developers, Frontier Development, Hospitality Group, Washington D.C, PacWest Bancorp, P Global Market Intelligence, Lightstone, Thomson Locations: Silicon, California, Florida , Texas, Washington, Arizona, New York, Chicago, Bengaluru

Persons: Joseph Delli Santi, James Hansen, Andy Ingraham, Ingraham, Evens Charles, Banks, Mitchell Hochberg, Bianca Flowers, Caroline Stauffer, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S, Silicon Valley Bank, Shopoff, Reuters, Build Central Inc, Hilton, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, Marriott International, Caterpillar Inc, Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, National Association of Black, Developers, Frontier Development, Hospitality Group, Washington D.C, PacWest Bancorp, P Global Market Intelligence, Western Alliance, Lightstone, Thomson Locations: Silicon, California, Florida , Texas, Washington, Arizona, New York, Chicago, Bengaluru

[1/2] A woman checks the arrivals and departures board at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/File PhotoNEW YORK, May 10 (Reuters) - A gloomy forecast from vacation rental firm Airbnb (ABNB.O) weighed on travel-related stocks on Wednesday as an expected slowdown in bookings signaled an impending slump in travel demand with consumers seeking cheaper accommodation amid inflation and recession fears. Airbnb's forecast will heighten caution in the travel sector, which encompasses hotels, airlines, and vacation rental firms, according to an investor note by JPMorgan analysts, led by Doug Anmuth. "We also believe Airbnb's commentary will result in increased caution in the travel space, but more specifically around vacation and the U.S.," the analysts said. Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Lance Tupper and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Booking Holdings beats profit estimates on strong travel demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Booking Holdings Inc (BKNG.O) reported a better-than-expected profit for the first quarter on Thursday, as the online travel agency benefited from pent-up demand that drove consumers to book flights and hotels despite worries of an imminent recession. While experts in the industry largely remain confident about demand in the near-term, high inflation and concerns around a potential slowdown, however, threaten consumer spending. Last month, U.S. hotel operator Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (HLT.N) signaled signs of travel demand weakening in the second half of the year after it raised its full-year profit outlook. Booking reported an adjusted profit of $11.60 per share in the quarter ended March 31, compared to analysts' estimate of $10.61 per share, as per Refinitiv data. Reporting by Priyamvada C and Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Executives still remained confident about the momentum in demand continuing in the near-term, including in international travel, led by U.S. travelers and China's reopening. Hilton now expects full-year adjusted profit per share between $5.68 and $5.88, compared with a prior forecast of $5.42 to $5.68. The company's net unit growth - which reflects room additions - fell 32% to 5,300 rooms in the first quarter. "We predicted this air pocket (fall in net unit growth), and expect it to be short-term... but this will play to key investor concern on financing risk," Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke said, adding that investor focus was more on unit growth than demand. Hilton reported an adjusted profit of $1.24 per share, compared with analysts' average estimates of $1.13, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Where Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon takes the corporate jet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

"The Board fully supports the use of the Goldman Sachs planes for travel, just as it supported the use of private aircraft by previous Goldman Sachs executives," said Tony Fratto, a company spokesman. "Executives at Goldman Sachs have been flying on private aircrafts for decades as it is proven to be the most secure, effective, and cost-efficient solution to meet the extensive travel obligations for CEOs of firms like Goldman Sachs — which is why all of our peer institutions also extensively use private aircraft." John Waldron, president of Goldman Sachs Reuters/Brendan McDermidOccasionally, Solomon and Waldron switch planes, particularly when Waldron flies overseas. Goldman Sachs has a sponsorship deal with pro golfer Patrick Cantlay. "These estimates wildly overstate the cost of such flights to Goldman Sachs and are not an accurate representation," he said.

☆ Hilton misses 2022 room growth view on China COVID curbs; Q4 profit jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Priyamvada C | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hilton, which owns brands including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, reported a net unit growth of 4.7% in 2022, below its earlier forecast of about 5% growth. China's strict COVID-19 curbs, which have now been lifted, had halted construction of some luxury properties and impeded travel to a key global tourism markets. "They probably for the first time in quite a while missed on unit growth blaming on China so that obviously one of the reasons that their unit growth has been a bit softer," Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke said. Hilton expects annual net unit growth between 5.0% and 5.5%. Capital returns are projected to be between $1.7 billion and $2.1 billion, compared with $1.7 billion last year.

☆ Hilton profit, revenue beat on high room tariff, travel demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People enter a Hilton hotel in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 23, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File PhotoFeb 9 (Reuters) - Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (HLT.N) reported better-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue on Thursday, as the hotel operator sold rooms at higher prices benefiting from strong travel demand. Hilton, which owns brands including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, expects to post an adjusted profit per share between $5.42 and $5.68 per share for this year. For the fourth quarter, Hilton said revenue per available room, or RevPAR - a key metric for investors - rose 24.8% on a currency neutral basis from a year earlier. Excluding items, Hilton earned $1.59 per share for the quarter ended Dec. 31, beating analyst expectations of $1.22 per share.

☆ Lodging Companies Step Up Efforts to Lure Competitors’ Hotels to Their Brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kate King | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Spark by Hilton, a premium-economy-price tier brand announced in January, allows hotel owners to convert their properties for roughly $20,000 to $25,000 a room. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. and other big hotel companies are intensifying efforts to recruit properties from competing brands, a way to maintain growth as new hotel construction slows. Spark by Hilton is the company’s 19th brand, but it is the first one that was built to be a pure conversion vehicle with a consistent look and design at every property. The brand is aimed primarily at bringing independent and rival properties into the Hilton system, said Matt Schuyler , chief brand officer for Hilton.

☆ Don't make this common career mistake in your 20s, says the CEO of Hilton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The job taught Nassetta, the 60-year-old CEO of Hilton Worldwide — a multinational hospitality company with a $38.86 billion market capitalization, as of Tuesday morning — more than just how hotels operate, he says. "Young people have so much access and information to knowledge, but you don't want to confuse that with experience." In contrast, some of his friends spent their 20s and 30s rising through the career ranks to powerful positions — and quickly flaming out, he says. On finding help in unexpected places: 'To this day ... you just don't know what you don't know'I like to think I work hard, I'm well educated, I'm reasonably smart. But even to this day, and certainly when I was in my 20s and 30s trying to figure things out, you just don't know what you don't know.

☆ Hilton Sees a New Golden Age of Travel. Can It Last?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Chip Cutter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

If a recession is looming, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. so far is hardly feeling it. The company’s hotels are busy around the world, as consumers return to in-person experiences, travel restrictions ease and many fulfill a pent-up desire to see new places, says Chris Nassetta , the company’s longtime chief executive officer. People emerged from the pandemic with a new perspective on taking opportunities to get out, he says.

☆ Marriot shares slide on delayed opening of some properties in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Priyamvada C | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The market in China is most certainly where we're seeing the most challenges," Chief Executive Anthony Capuano said during an analyst call. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) from Greater China was $64.06 in 2021 company-wide, behind U.S. & Canada and Middle East & Africa. "Looking forward we expect that the recession will mute, but not derail, growth in the U.S. hotel industry. Marriott now expects 2022 adjusted profit per share of between $6.51 and $6.58, compared with its previous forecast of $6.33 to $6.59 per share. Adjusted profit per share was $1.69, one cent above expectations.

☆ Will a Peloton Bike Drive You to Pick One Hotel Over Another?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Dawn Gilbertson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Your next hotel workout might remind you of those at-home gyms we all hastily set up during Covid lockdowns—minus the cramped quarters, mismatched weight sets and kids clamoring for attention. With business and vacation travel bouncing back, Hyatt Hotels Corp., Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. and other chains are betting that travelers want hotels that help them take their pandemic-inspired fitness routines on the road. More hotels are bragging about their Peloton bikes and private exercise suites to lure travelers with the hope that they might actually work out on their next trip.

☆ Hotels Pitch Peloton Bikes, Private Gyms to Lure Guests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Dawn Gilbertson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Your next hotel workout might remind you of those at-home gyms we all hastily set up during Covid-19 lockdowns—minus the cramped quarters, mismatched weight sets and kids clamoring for attention. With business and vacation travel bouncing back, Hyatt Hotels Corp., Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. and other chains are betting that travelers want hotels that help them take their pandemic-inspired fitness routines on the road. More hotels are bragging about their Peloton bikes and private exercise suites to lure travelers with the hope that they might actually work out on their next trip.

☆ Hilton Boutique Brand to Make Debut on Broadway, as Times Square Revives
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-12 | by ( Kate King | Photographs Jackie Molloy For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has tapped a major development project in Manhattan’s Times Square to debut a boutique hotel brand, another sign the entertainment district is bouncing back after languishing for much of the pandemic. The hotel, which will be the first under the new Tempo by Hilton flag, will feature 661 rooms when it opens next year. It is part of TSX Broadway, a $2.5 billion, 550,000-square-foot tower located next to Times Square’s red bleachers and the TKTS discount-tickets booth.

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