Managing supply chains for a variety of distinct operations is complex and highly analytical yet often lacks the prestige of the rooms division, front office, F&B or spa. Still, it’s essential; if housekeeping represents the proverbial ‘heart of house’ then perhaps procurement is its ‘gastrointestinal tract’, the processing center for all raw goods ingesting.
Ahh, budget season… a time every hotelier knows all too well. It’s that annual crunch when departments scramble to justify their numbers, and finance teams work around the clock, pulling their hair out trying to predict next year’s revenue.
The business world is an eternal cycle of reinvention, where actors adapt to market conditions by establishing a new ecosystem that appears most relevant. Hospitality investors are no exception. Along the way, they’re integrating today’s new data for value creation into a 3.0 model that revives interaction over specialization.
A capitalization rate, or cap rate, is a measure of the income return on an asset, such as hotel or rental property, relative to its purchase price. It is calculated by dividing the net operating income (NOI) of the asset by its purchase price. That’s what this piece is all about. It also must be said from the get-go that understanding cap rates is not so difficult.
On March 16, 2023, the Federal Council of Switzerland declared an emergency order introducing the Public Liquidity Backstop (PLB)1. In doing so, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) granted a CHF 100 billion loan to Credit Suisse (federal default guaranteed)2. In September of the same year, the Federal Council also presented its (provisional) draft bill concerning the PLB for banks of systemic importance3.
The Fed recently gave us a surprise similar to the one my grandfather used to give my father. My father recently recounted to my son how his grandfather would give him a quarter and a Dr. Pepper each time he saw him. Occasionally, he would surprise him with a half dollar instead, and my father would be thrilled.
Although the coronavirus pandemic is in the rearview mirror, the hotel industry is still rebounding from the financial distress caused by the severely reduced number of travelers during that time. Years later, some positives have emerged for the industry. Lenders are cautiously optimistic about the potential for growth in hotel and hospitality investments. Increased consumer confidence, a rise in domestic travel, and a growing interest in experiential tourism are driving demand for new supply. Spread between cap rates and borrowing costs are narrow, attracting both institutional and non-institutional investors. Even though the gap between borrowing costs and cap rates are narrow, positive trends in hospitality along with projected interest rate declines make hotels an attractive investment compared to a lot of other real estate asset classes that are either overbuilt or suffering due to macro trends.
It’s that time of year – budget season. "Budget" – even the word sounds daunting to most people. The good news is the budgeting process for your hotel doesn't have to be overly difficult. The key assets when building a budget for your hotel company are:
In just one year, CBRE's Global Hotel Asset Management practice has grown to oversee 40+ properties with 8,500+ rooms worldwide. Our success stems from leveraging CBRE's vast resources and our team's global expertise to deliver unmatched results.
The hospitality sector is experiencing major transformations influenced by several key factors. As the industry grows, investors will prioritize opportunities that balance profitability with social and environmental responsibility, ensuring a dynamic and forward-thinking hospitality industry.
Rolling forecasts are nothing new but I must point out that most hotels don’t use them, and they really should. It’s an incredibly useful tool that is literally worth its weight in gold. That being said, it doesn’t weigh much but once you start to use one it’s an indispensable tool that you must have each month, and its impact and importance usually gains weight and momentum into the final few months of the year. Like the plot in a good mystery, it can take a sudden turn and produce an unexpected ending.
Hotels as an investment engine are easily considered one of the most, if not the most, complicated real estate classes because revenue levels can be unpredictable and are especially vulnerable to changes in the economy and external factors such as market conditions and weather.
Historically, hospitality professionals have viewed procurement as a cost centre. But now, after years of social, economic, and political upheaval, procurement is evolving into a strategic function that helps hospitality organisations realise their broader business goals.
The federal government per-diem rate is made up of a lodging allowance, a meals allowance, and an incidental expense allowance. The per-diem lodging rates, which set the maximum amount a federal traveler can reimburse, are based on the average rates for mid-priced hotels and are set annually by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
Each year, HVS researches and compiles development costs from our database of actual hotel construction budgets. This source provides the basis for our illustrated total development costs per room and per product type.
This summer, as we witnessed the world's top athletes compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, there were some profound parallels between pursuing excellence in sports and leading procurement in hospitality. Both domains demand precision, innovation, and a deep commitment to collaboration.
Now that’s a big statement to put out there, but I’m very confident that I’m pretty close to 100% correct with my observations. The reason why I’m so sure is that I know most hoteliers are not financial people and they are oblivious to the issue I am going to explain. On top of that – I see this all the time.
Spanish hotel transactions exceeded €1.6Bn in H1 2024, involving 56 properties and over 8,100 rooms. This is about a 3% increase compared to H1 2023 and 56% above the 5-year average (2019-2023). The Balearics, Barcelona, and Madrid were the most active hotel investment markets, supported by healthy operating results. Elevated investment activity is expected going forward, likely exceeding €3.0Bn by the end of 2024.
With my workshops and speaking, I often do an exercise where I challenge each leader to find a minimum of $250 in next month's forecast. That can be savings in the form of reduced payroll or expenses. It can also be a source of new revenue. The participants come up with some amazing ideas that really work. The great thing about these ideas is that we almost always get to repeat and compound. An idea that works next month just works EVERY month. Read more about creating asset value here.
One of the initial steps when considering a new hotel development is the all-important hotel feasibility study. Or is it the market study? Or should you, the developer, be considering an interim step?