The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index was mostly flat in October, down just 0.2% to a level of 3,323. Year to date through the first 10 months of 2020, the stock index was down 36.9%.

"Hotel stocks outperformed modestly in October despite heightened stock market volatility during the month as investors focused on rising nationwide coronavirus case counts and uncertainties regarding the upcoming election and timing of additional stimulus," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "Going forward, we believe clarity surrounding the election outcome should be a near-term boost to broader investor sentiment and travel-related stock prices."

"Preliminary data suggests that RevPAR declines, which had eased in prior months, actually worsened in October," said Amanda Hite, STR president. "Historically speaking, Labor Day has been the line of demarcation between leisure travelers returning home and corporate travelers hitting the road. But this year has obviously been different, and the lack of those two demand generators will make operators and owners look at the remainder of the year with trepidation. We publish a revised forecast during NYU's upcoming virtual conference, but the industry should not expect much improvement from the previous version."

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index in October outperformed both the S&P 500 and the MSCI US REIT Index, which both dropped 2.8%.

The Hotel Brand sub-index increased 0.4% from September to 5,993, while the Hotel REIT sub-index decreased 2.1% to 723.

— Source: STR— Source: STR
— Source: STR

About the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index and Sub-Indices

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index was set to equal 1,000 on 1 January 2000. Last cycle, the Index peaked at 3,178 on 5 July 2007. The Index's low point occurred on 6 March 2009 when it dropped to 573.

The Hotel Brand sub-index was set to equal 1,000 on 1 January 2000. Last cycle, the sub-index peaked at 3,407 on 5 July 2007. The sub-index's low point occurred on 6 March 2009 when it dropped to 722.

The Hotel REIT sub-index was set to equal 1,000 on 1 January 2000. Last cycle, the sub-index peaked at 2,555 on 2 February 2007. The sub-index's low point occurred on 5 March 2009 when it dropped to 298.

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index and sub-indices are available exclusively on www.HotelNewsNow.com. The indices are cobranded and were created by Robert W. Baird & Co. (Baird) and STR. The market-cap-weighted, price-only indices comprise 20 of the largest market-capitalization hotel companies publicly traded on a U.S. exchange and attempt to characterize the performance of hotel stocks. The Index and sub-indices are maintained by Baird and hosted on Hotel News Now, are not actively managed, and no direct investment can be made in them.

As of 31 October 2020, the companies that comprised the Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index included: Apple Hospitality REIT, Chatham Lodging Trust, Choice Hotels International, DiamondRock Hospitality Company, Extended Stay America, Hersha Hospitality Trust, Hilton Inc., Host Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Park Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, RLJ Lodging Trust, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Service Properties Trust, Summit Hotel Properties, Sunstone Hotel Investors, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Xenia Hotels & Resorts.

This communication is not a call to action to engage in a securities transaction and has not been individually tailored to a specific client or targeted group of clients. Research reports on the companies identified in this communication are provided by Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, and are available to clients through their Baird Financial Advisor. This communication does not provide recipients with information or advice that is sufficient on which to base an investment decision. This communication does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation or need of any particular client and may not be suitable for all types of investors. Recipients should consider the contents of this communication as a single factor in making an investment decision. Additional fundamental and other analyses would be required to make an investment decision about any individual security identified in this release.

About STR

STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 15 countries with a North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. For more information, please visit str.com and costargroup.com.