The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index was up 31.0% in November to a level of 4,354. Year to date through the first 11 months of 2020, the stock index was down 17.4%.

"Election clarity and several positive vaccine updates caused a sharp reversal in investor expectations and led to significant outperformance for hotel stocks during November," said Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and director at Baird. "The positive vaccine updates allow investors to look to 'the other side' and reset their expectations for growth in 2022 and beyond. Worst-case scenarios, especially for the hotel REITs, are unlikely to unfold as previously feared, and more clarity exists regarding the timing of the broader travel recovery."

"Owners and operators can be excused for showing whiplash symptoms as the news governing the U.S. hotel industry was both good and bad in November," said Amanda Hite, STR president. "Multiple vaccine trials awaiting emergency authorization are seen as signs that the travel industry can count on some recovery in 2021 and that corporate transient and group demand could return in force. The rise in hotel stock prices certainly seems to have priced that in. On the other hand, the continued rapid increase in COVID-19 cases continues to put a damper on room demand. As offices remain empty and CDC officials urge Americans to stay home, hotel occupancies continue to wane and there is no change to that pattern in sight."

The Baird/STR Hotel Stock Index in November outperformed both the S&P 500 (+10.8%) and the MSCI US REIT Index (+10.6%).

The Hotel Brand sub-index increased 26.3% from October to 7,570, while the Hotel REIT sub-index jumped 47.7% to 1,068.

— 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 30 November 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.