According to Reed, “Statistics show that Miami is not the only hotel market in South Florida illustrating strong performance indicators. Investors could benefit from widening their ‘gateway city myopia’. We would encourage investors to explore alternative South Florida markets such as the Florida Keys, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.”

Reed continues, “The South Florida region displays strong tourism growth potential, with Fort Lauderdale set to capture Miami’s overflow, as the area’s international visitation continues to grow and international airlift to Fort Lauderdale continues to expand.” West Palm Beach is also brought to the forefront; noting HVS’ U.S. Hotel Valuation Index (HVI), the city’s hotels lost 77% of their value from 2006 through 2010. Upside exists and a favorable outlook for the area is projected. The most recent HVI states that hotel values in West Palm Beach grew 37% from 2010 to 2011 and will continue to grow by nearly $90,000 per room, from now through 2016.

Reed concludes by advising investors to “anticipate that local hotel operators will achieve strong ADR growth in the [South Florida] region’s primary markets, likely at the expense of occupancy in the mid-term (being displaced to secondary submarkets), until the development financing bottleneck is relieved, and developers are able to bring new hotels on line (already underway in downtown Miami and more so in Miami Beach).”

One can download a complimentary copy of the Fall 2012 Florida Newsletter, titled “Hotel Investment in Miami Still Hot: Opportunities in Fort Lauderdale and Florida Keys Upcoming” by clicking here.