Hotel Analyst Podcast

Accor's firing on all cylinders, but its progress is slightly hobbled by its property owning affiliate AccorInvest, which needs to sell down properties - sometimes losing Accor the operational gig. Hyatt, meanwhile, continues to judiciously deploy cash, as it chooses its own path for growth. And, as it appears finance for hotel deals is getting easier, who are the winners?

The Hilton juggernaut accelerates its growth, leading the pack with NUG. Wyndham looks to ancillary income growth, after reorganising its tech stack. At Pandox, the deals stalemate is over, as it buys in London and Edinburgh, with more to come. While Dalata has set out its plans for European growth.

The mood of the market is lifting, as investor optimism rises - and, barring international tensions, local economic conditions are looking benign for the hotel sector. Technology remains a complex, yet valuable support for the hotel sector - but what impact will AI have on the big players? And Indian group Oyo confuses us once more with another cross-court volley - this time buying US economy hotel chain Motel 6.

More and more conversions are making their way into hotel brand pipelines. While converting other hotels to your brand is easy, converting from offices can be much harder. Why investors are liking the look of adjacent spaces of buildings with beds, notably build to rent in the UK. And the power of events, both sporting and entertainment, to drive hotel performance.

A refinancing at PPHE points to the end of cheap debt - but what is the right long term level for interest rates? In the US, regulators are bearing down on the airlines and loyalty programmes. Such attention can often be unwelcome...And the latest moves in Greece and Indonesia, as well visited tourist destinations work out how to manage the perceived curse of over tourism.

Holiday packages are becoming more popular once more, and that could put renewed pressure on hoteliers, as TUI and its peers increase their market power. The investment market is starting to warm up, with Pandox clocking up two acquisitions as sellers and buyers come to agreement on pricing. And more of Blackstone's private equity funds are heading into not just hotels, but hotel tech, as they acquire US software platform M3.

On the ropes aparthotel group Sonder finds a lifeline in a deal with Marriott - will this help it to profit? And Hyatt joins the big league with a lifestyle division, as it buys the Standard International brands and, with them, the creative team behind them. Plus, normalisation is here as hotel groups face a quarter of softening demand, and therefore the graphs start to slip downward. But as ever, while there are losers, we also spot some winners.

It’s second quarter results season, so we mull over the results - weaker in China and the US, holding up elsewhere. Plus, how the different CEOs presented their outlooks, as many trimmed their expectations for the full year. Who has the best momentum? And, we told you so, business travel continues to improve in volume, returning close to pre-pandemic levels.

We run through some winners and losers in the current marketplace, and ponder the demise of Selina - where are the digital nomads? There’s something not quite right about the finance markets, as private debt outperforms private equity. And branded residences may be a small niche, but they are a fast growing market that hotel brands seem to love.

One PE house sells Village Hotels to another PE house - what next for the vertically integrated UK chain, and was the deal more about redemptions and investment needs, than either party getting a great deal? Barcelona has called time on short term rentals, aiming to restrict further tourism growth in the city. What's the solution to over tourism? And Hyatt discovers a new conversion brand, wrested from partner Lindner, to give it more power in the growing landscape for switching existing properties.