Hotel Online
News for the Hospitality Executive


advertisement
.


Hotel Lawyers in Los Angeles at the ALIS Hotel Investment Conference
with Good News - A Lot of Good News


 
For the most recent update on this topic, click here

By Jim Butler
and the Global Hospitality Group®
Hotel Lawyers
| Authors of www.HotelLawBlog.com
January 29, 2013

Hotel Lawyer with the mood of the hotel industry from the ALIS conference

If you didn't attend the ALIS hotel conference in Los Angeles this year, you really missed something!

Hotel investment conference attendance is a barometer for the health of the hotel industry. Companies send lots of delegates to these conferences when they are doing well, expect increased business, and are optimistic about the future. By that standard, things are really looking up for the hotel industry in 2013 and beyond!

But industry fundamentals also backup this optimism. And there was more consensus than we have seen for many years that things are good and continuing to get better - - with at least a five-year run of improving economics and values. (5 years!)

But there is more good news . . .

A lot of good news

Here are some bytes of good news to consider:

  • ALIS attendance exceeded 2500 registrations. This is the third largest registration in 14 years, second to 2007 and 2008.
  • 2012 turned out considerably better than most hotel industry experts expected. 2013 and 2014 are expected to continue that trend and get stronger. The industry is positioned for continued increases in prosperity and hotel values through at least 2017.
  • Uncertainty is the "new normal" and did not affect record demand for hotel rooms.
  • Seven of the top 25 markets have broken out with double digit RevPAR increases. The experts look for a trickle-down to continue to the other 18 top 25 markets, and also in the secondary and tertiary markets. (If Starwood Capital and Blackstone have already gone to secondary markets, everyone else will too.)
  • ADRs are increasing faster than occupancy growth. RevPAR growth is projected to reach almost 6% per year on a national basis this year and next. Continued economic improvement will drive hotel industry profits and values.
  • The hotel industry statistics are good but more impressive than they seems. ADR growth is being weighed down by new hotel opening offering cheap rates to get established. Also, as most industry statistics measure "growth," continued improvement gets tougher when the comparative numbers continue to increase as they have been doing.
  • Transaction volume is picking up substantially and projected to increase significantly in the next five years. Arthur Adler of JLL says we should expect a 10% increase in volume for each year over the next 5 years, but could be more for a number of reasons. Five markets in the US (New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, and Miami) accounted for more than 30% of the hotel transactions in 2012.
  • The upper end (upper upscale and above) continues to lead the market and to increase ADRs.
  • We should return to the peak levels of RevPAR in 2015 on and inflation-adjusted basis.
Challenges remain

Despite all the good news, many challenges will remain. Hotel industry leaders say that controlling expenses will be one of the top issues. Costs are rising for employee benefits, taxes (income, real estate, personal property, TOT, etc), insurance, franchise fees, PIPs, software costs, and chain services.

Some point out that with all the cost-cutting done since the Great Recession it is hard to cut costs any further. They have already been cut. Our "fixed costs" (as the Uniform System calls them) are not fixed anymore. They are skyrocketing.

Others point out that the impact of Hurricane Sandy is still coming. There'll be a huge increase in insurance and issues of availability when renewals come up on May 1, 2013.

Competitive financing for existing, cash-flowing hotels

Hotel financing continues to be a "Tale of Two Cities."

Hotel development continues to be done by a select few with deep cash reserves, long established relationships, and EB-5 financing.

But for stabilized hotels with good cash flow, debt financing is plentiful, competitive and cheap. For instance, Phil Ribolow of Deutsche Bank thinks the debt markets are maybe back to 2005 or 2006 levels, with 10 year, fixed-rate debt available at about 4% interest. Loans are now being underwritten at a 10-11% debt yield instead of on a debt service coverage ratio basis.

__________________________

This is Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and hotel lawyer, signing off. We've done more than $60 billion of hotel transactions and have developed innovative solutions to unlock value from hotels. Who's your hotel lawyer?
__________________________
Our Perspective. We represent hotel lenders, owners and investors. We have helped our clients find business and legal solutions for more than $60 billion of hotel transactions, involving more than 1,300 properties all over the world. For more information, please contact Jim Butler at [email protected] or +1 (310) 201-3526.
 
Jim Butler is a founding partner of JMBM, and Chairman of its Global Hospitality Group® and Chinese Investment Group™. Jim is one of the top hospitality attorneys in the world. GOOGLE "hotel lawyer" and you will see why.

Jim and his team are more than "just" great hotel lawyers. They are also hospitality consultants and business advisors. They are deal makers. They can help find the right operator or capital provider. They know who to call and how to reach them.


 

Contact:

Jim Butler
[email protected]
310.201.3526


.
Receive Your Hospitality Industry Headlines via Email for Free! Subscribe Here

To Learn More About Your News Being Published on Hotel-Online Inquire Here
.
Also See: Department of Justice Sues Three of NYC's Top Zagat-Rated Restaurants for ADA Violations / Jim Butler / January 2013

EB-5 Financing and the SEC: How to avoid trouble! / Jim Butler / January 2013

Security Interest in Golf Course Revenues Cut Off by Bankruptcy / Jim Butler / January 2013

ADA Defense Lawyer: Pool lift deadline of January 31, 2013 looms, but may be a diversion from enterprise-wide ADA compliance / Jim Butler / January 2013

Can I Use the EB-5 Visa Program for Financing Hotel Acquisition and Renovation? / Jim Butler / January 2013

Due Diligence Tips for Your Next Hotel Acquisition / Jim Butler / January 2013

Hotel Lawyer Privacy Alert: Do your hotel mobile apps comply with new interpretations of online privacy rules? / Jim Butler / January 2013

Hotel-Retail Mixed-Use: Hospitality Industry Trend for 2013 / Jim Butler / December 2012

Buying a Hotel? Financing a Hotel? 10 Things Every Borrower Should Know. (Part 2) / Jim Butler / December 2012

Buying a Hotel? Financing a Hotel? 10 Things Every Borrower Should Know. (Part 1) / Jim Butler / December 2012

Hotel Lawyer with the New Guide for International Hotel Transactions -- Doing Business Abroad or With Foreigners / Jim Butler and Bob Braun / November 2012

The Hotel Purchase and Sale Agreement -- What is the Value of the Seller's Representations and Warranties to a Hotel Buyer? / Jim Butler & David Sudeck / November 2012

Seller Representations and Warranties in a Hotel Purchase Agreement -- What are the big issues today? / Jim Butler & David Sudeck / November 2012

Hotel Lawyer Alert: U.S. Hotel Owners could lose $2.1 billion in hotel value with new Expedia program / Jim Butler / November 2012

David Loeb Shares the Robert W. Baird Industry Analysis on C-Corps and REIT's / Jim Butler / October 2012

Hotel Lawyer with PKF's 'U.S. Lodging Market Outlook' - What if we hit the Fiscal Cliff? What if we postpone it? Recession in 2013? / Jim Butler / October 2012

How to Buy a Hotel - What you don't know about undocumented workers could really hurt you! / Jim Butler & Guy Maisnik / October 2012

3 Nuggets of Information from Vail Brown of STR on Hotel Industry Prospects for 2013 and Beyond / Jim Butler / October 2012

JMBM's Hotel Lawyers Post 500th Blog; HotelLawyer.com and Hotel Law Blog are resources for hotel owners and lenders / Jim Butler / October 2012

Phoenix Rising - Insights from the Phoenix Lodging Conference / Jim Butler / October 2012

Hotel Liability for Guest Information - What you need to know and how to avoid liability. / Jim Butler & Robert Braun / October 2012

JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® releases 2nd Edition of The HMA Handbook, Hotel Management Agreements for hotel owners, developers, investors and lenders / Jim Butler / September 2012

Finally, Some GOOD NEWS from Washington, DC / Jim Butler, Catherine Holmes and Victor T. Shum / September 2012

EB-5 Financing for Hotels is Now Mainstream Institutional / Jim Butler / September 2012

JMBM's Chinese Investment Group Happenings and Events / Jim Butler / August 2012

Dodd-Frank Act Presents Hotels with Decisions on Credit and Debit Card Charges / Jim Butler & Robert Braun / August 2012

Hotel Restructuring, Workouts, Receiverships and Bankruptcy. The Art of Heavy Lifting. / Jim Butler / August 2012

How to Buy a Hotel Handbook: Franchise issues in hotel purchase and sale transactions / Jim Butler / August 2012

Hotel Lawyer: Experts Share Top 5 Tips on Picking the Right Hotel Operator and Brand for Your Hotel / Jim Butler & Robert Braun / July 2012

Losing the Expectation of Privacy bit by bit, byte by byte / Jim Butler and Mark Adams / July 2012

How to Buy a Hotel Handbook: Labor and Employment Tips; Buying a hotel - the Hotel Purchase Agreement documentation and process / Jim Butler, Catherine DeBono Holmes and Marta M. Fernandez / July 2012

How to Terminate a Hotel Management Agreement: A Tale of Two Hotels - Marriott's Edition Waikiki and Fairmont's Turnberry Isle Resort; Two owners terminate long-term hotel management agreements, seize control of their hotels from branded operators, and then settle their litigation / July 2012

EB-5 Lawyer Alert #3: Update on California TEA designation procedure. What's the problem in California! / Jim Butler, Catherine DeBono Holmes and Victor T. Shum / June 2012

How to Finance Hotel Development in 2012....Alternate financing for new hotel construction in a brave new world / Jim Butler / June 2012

'Cyber Accessibility' is the New Frontier for ADA Lawsuits. Your Next DOJ Investigation or ADA Class Action Could be Just a Mouse Click Away! / Jim Butler / June 2012

ADA Compliance and Defense Lawyer: ADA Experts Discuss Hottest Issues Facing the Hotel Industry Today / Jim Butler / May 2012

HotelLawyer.com Launches; Portal to Knowledge for the Hospitality Industry; JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® of Hotel Lawyers Provide Comprehensive Hospitality Resource / May 2012

Update on California's EB-5 Policy Regarding Designation of Targeted Employment Areas or TEAs / Jim Butler / May 2012

Successful Joint Ventures for Hotel Development, Acquisition and Financing / Jim Butler / May 2012

Hotel Lawyer: Clarification on the DOJ's Amendment to the Pool Lift Extension / Jim Butler / May 2012

Hotel Lawyer from Meet the Money® - Lodging Industry Investment Council (LIIC) Announces its Top 10 Challenges for Hotel Industry in 2012 / Jim Butler / May 2012

Meet the Money® Conference Talks about Hotel Loans and Equity Investment, Creating Value with Hotel Value-add and Repositioning, Hotel Opportunistic Investment, Deal Making and Much More / Jim Butler / May 2012

ADA Compliance and Defense Lawyer Alert: Charles Schwab settles claim over website accessibility / Jim Butler / May 2012

EB-5 ALERT: California's New TEA Approach will Discourage EB-5 Investment in California / Jim Butler / May 2012

JMBM is One of 20 Hottest Law Firms in the U.S. Per the National Law Journal's Latest List / April 2012

Hotel Labor Lawyer: California Supreme Court Finally Gives Employers Some Good News in Brinker Restaurant Corporation v. Superior Court / Jim Butler & Travis Gemoets / April 2012

How to Negotiate a Hotel Management Agreement. 10 Tips for a Smoother Process / Jim Butler / March 2012

ADA Defense Lawyer: What does the ADA pool lift compliance extension mean to you? / Jim Butler / March 2012

DOJ Turnabout: Pool lift compliance deadline extended to May 15 / Jim Butler / March 2012

5 Things to Remember when Buying Hotel Notes / Jim Butler / March 2012

ADA Defense and Compliance Lawyer: More clarification or confusion on March 15 ADA standards? / Jim Butler / March 2012

ADA ALERT - A Call to Action Before the March 15, 2012 ADA Deadline / Jim Butler / February 2012

GlobeSt.com Interviews JMBM's ADA Defense and Compliance Lawyers: Hotels Handle Pool Lift Regulations / Jim Butler / February 2012

FBI Tips for Hotels; How to spot terrorists and what to do. / Jim Butler / February 2012

ADA Defense and Compliance Lawyer Advisory: DOJ Clarifies March 15, 2012 Mandatory Pool Lift Requirement! (Uh-oh!) / Jim Butler & Martin Orlick / February 2012

Quick! Can You Pass This 3-Question ADA Pop Quiz? / Jim Butler / January 2012

Hotel Lawyer in Los Angeles: ALIS - What's the commotion all about? Closing the conference hotel to outsiders. / Jim Butler / January 2012

Hotel Management Contract Disputes: Importance of 'Fiduciary' Duties in Owner-Operator Lawsuits / Jim Butler / January 2012

Litigation and Disputes Between Hotel Owners and Operators are on the Rise? Why? / Jim Butler / January 2012

ADA Defense Lawyer: New ADA Regulations Kick in Soon. Say goodbye to 'grandfathering' under the ADA / Jim Butler / November 2011

Hotel Lawyer in Washington D.C. - Why the Lodging Industry Will Continue to Do Well Despite Bumpy Markets and More / Jim Butler / November 2011

Chinese Investment in U.S. Hotels: What the Real Estate Professionals Want to Know / Jim Butler / October 2011

Hotel Lawyer in Dallas Listening to the Special Servicers / Jim Butler / October 2011

Hotel Lawyer with Optimism for the Hotel Industry from the Dallas Lenders Conference, Fishing for Solutions 2011 / Jim Butler / October 2011

Updating Service Animal Policies of Your Hotel or Other 'Place of Lodging' / Jim Butler, Martin Orlick and David Sudeck / October 2011

Hotel Industry Alert: Some things to feel (very) good about! / Jim Butler / September 2011

Hotel Lawyers in Phoenix: It's not just me. The market has changed in just the last 60 days! / Jim Butler / September 2011

Hotel Labor and Employment Lawyer Update: Controversial Union Rights Notice Subject to Legal Challenge - Employers Should Not Rush To Post It / Jim Butler & Scott Brink / September 2011

Hotel Franchise Lawyer: Hotel Franchise Agreements and the 5 Biggest Mistakes a Hotel Owner Can Make / Jim Butler & Robert Braun / September 2011

Hotel Labor and Employment Lawyer Alert: The NLRB is making it harder to stay union free / Jim Butler & Scott Brink / September 2011

Tips from Hotel Franchise and Management Lawyers: Beware the Trap of Changing Brand Standards / Jim Butler & Robert Braun / September 2011

Labor and Employment Alert: New Law Requires Employers to Post Employee Rights Notice by November 14, 2011; NLRB Publishes Final Rule for Notification of Employee Rights / Scott Brink , JMBM / September 2011

Hotel Lending Lawyer: What every hotel lender needs to know about hotel due diligence / Jim Butler & Guy Maisnik / September 2011

Hotel Lending Lawyer: What every hotel lender needs to know about Cash Controls / Jim Butler & Guy Maisnik / August 2011

Hotel Lawyers on Terminating Hotel Operators: M Edition Lawsuit Against Marriott Has a New Twist Marriott is Replaced Overnight / Jim Butler / August 2011

Hotel Lawyers on Terminating Hotel Operators: Turnberry Resort Drops Fairmont Flag / Jim Butler / August 2011

Hotel Lending Lawyer: What every hotel lender needs to know about SNDA's / Jim Butler & Guy Maisnik / August 2011

Hotel Lending Lawyer: What every hotel lender needs to know about HMAs and hotel franchise agreements / Jim Butler & Guy Maisnik / August 2011

Hotel Lawyer on the Importance of Brands - Intellectual Property Rights and What They Mean: Family Suites Resorts v. Viacom International d/b/a MTV Networks - a Suit Over Branding / Jim Butler / August 2011

Hotel Lawyer on the Fiduciary, Contractual and Agency Duties of Hotel Brokers - Host Hotels & Resorts LP v. Molinaro Koger Litigation / Jim Butler / August 2011

M Waikiki's Edition Lawsuit Against Marriott International and Ian Schrager - an Owner's HMA Dispute with Marriott and What it All Means / Jim Butler / August 2011

Hotel Investment: Why Asian investors are targeting U.S. hotels for purchase and investment, and what could it mean for you? / Jim Butler / August 2011

Hotel Developers: Why a "regional center" may be the key to financing your next hotel development or expansion. And what you need to know... / Jim Butler / July 2011

How to use the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program for financing / Jim Butler / July 2011

JMBM Announces Formation of the Chinese Investment Group™ - Hotels, Real Estate, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visas / July 2011

Hotel Lawyer: How do you know when you should set up a captive insurance company for your hotel? Take our "litmus test". / Jim Butler & Gordon Schaller / July 2011

Hotel Lawyer: What you need to know about the "ancillary benefits" of setting up a captive insurance company / Jim Butler & Gordon Schaller / June 2011

Hotel Lawyer: Are you thinking about setting up a captive insurance company? Maybe you should be. . . / Jim Butler & Gordon Schaller / June 2011

Hotel Lawyer in New York with pre-NYU industry forecast: Sunny with occasional clouds and NO storms on the horizon / Jim Butler / June 2011

Hotel Lawyer with the Executive Roundtable Results; Debt is returning, equity is out looking, and we've passed the bottom of the trough. Why now is the time to purchase a hotel. / Jim Butler / June 2011

ADA Defense Lawyer: How to Quickly Lose Business. (No ADA-Compliant Reservation System) / Jim Butler & David Sudeck / May 2011

Hotel Lawyer with Fresh Perspectives on the Hotel Industry from Smith Travel / Jim Butler / May 2011

Hospitality Lawyers with PKF and Mark Woodworth's Lodging Overview / Jim Butler / May 2011

Hotel Lawyers' Updates on Capital and Debt Markets for Hotels, Transaction Sales Data and Financings / Jim Butler / May 2011

Hotel Lawyer with Updates on Hotel Cap Rates, Values and Transactions / Jim Butler / May 2011

Hotel Lawyer with nuggets from JMBM's Meet the Money® 2011 / Jim Butler / May 2011

Hotel Lawyer: The hotel transaction market is heating up! / Jim Butler / April 2011

Hotel Lawyer with good news! A new federal court decision upholds condo hotel structure. No "securities" involved as structured. Disgruntled condo hotel unit purchaser lawsuit dismissed. / Jim Butler / April 2011

Meet the Money®: Hotel Financing Renaissance is Underway! / Jim Butler / April 2011

JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® announces publication of The HMA Handbook, a FREE practical guide for negotiating Hotel Management Agreements for Hotel Owners, Developers, Investors and Lenders / March 2011

Buying a Hotel? Don't Buy an ADA Lawsuit or DOJ Investigation / Jim Butler / March 2011

Hotel Lawyer on Hotel Management Agreements: Exculpation Clauses for Protecting the Owner's Assets / Jim Butler / February 2011

ADA Defense Lawyer: How to handle an ADA lawsuit....and How not to do it / Jim Butler / February 2011

Hotel Lawyer: 5 Key Elements for Good Hotel Management Agreement Budget Provisions / Jim Butler / February 2011

How improving fundamentals make 2011 the year of "Great Expectations" for the Hotel Industry / Jim Butler / February 2011

Ask the Hotel Lawyer: 2011 is starting as the year of "Great Expectations" for the hotel industry! / Jim Butler / January 2011

Hotel ADA Defense Lawyer: How a recent ADA case affects all hotels but particularly conference centers and meeting hotels / Jim Butler / January 2011

Hotel Lawyer: So, You Think You Want to Buy a Hotel? For savvy investors, the time could be right / Jim Butler / January 2011

Sheraton Universal Hotel Sale Facilitated by JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® / Jim Butler / January 2011

.


To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.OnlineSearch

Home | Welcome | Hospitality News
| Industry Resources

Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.