Latest news with #SouthernUS
The Independent
15 hours ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Heat wave is expected to bring high temperatures to parts of the South and Midwest
A new 'heat dome' is forecast to bring triple-digit temperatures to over 100 million Americans in the coming days. The severe heat will primarily affect the Midwest and Southern US, including parts of Nebraska, Missouri, Texas, and Louisiana, with daytime temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This weather phenomenon, caused by a high-pressure area trapping warm air, is anticipated to persist through the end of July. The current heatwave follows similar extreme conditions experienced on the East Coast last month, where cities like New York and Boston recorded triple-digit temperatures. The intense heat is expected to hinder manual labor jobs and impact athletic training, while the Northeast will experience a temporary respite.
Skift
4 days ago
- Business
- Skift
U.S. Hotel Construction Volume Falls to 20-Quarter Low
CoStar said the volume of US hotel rooms under construction decreased year over year for a sixth consecutive month, down by almost 12%. The DJIA ended Friday down 142 points while Nasdaq was up 10, the S&P 500 fell close to a point, and the 10-year treasury yield was down .03 to 4.43%. Lodging stocks were mixed. We are back after a rare week of rest, and we have a lot of news to go through. Please be patient as we try to catch up in the next couple of days ahead of the start of earnings season. CoStar said the volume of US hotel rooms under construction decreased year over year for a sixth consecutive month, down by almost 12%. This is a 20-quarter low and a real difference from a year ago. CoStar said the impact of hotel demand trending downward, unrelenting economic uncertainty, and rising construction costs are contributing to this plunge. The majority of the rooms under development are in the Southern US states, most in secondary and tertiary markets. JD Power's 2025 Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index was released for North America. The top spot by segments included Ritz-Carlton for Luxury; Omni Hotels & Resorts for Upper-Upscale; Drury Hotels for Upscale; Hyatt House for Upscale Extended Stay for a fourth consecutive year; Hampton by Hilton in Upper Midscale; Home2 Suites by Hilton for a third consecutive year in Upper Midscale/Midscale Extended Stay; Tru by Hilton for a third consecutive year in Midscale; Microtel by Wyndham for a third consecutive year in Economy; and in Economy Extended Stay, WoodSpring Suites was named at the top for the third consecutive year. Portman Holdings revealed that a new Marriott convention center hotel will be built in Cincinnati, just south of the Duke Energy Convention Center, expected to be one of the largest and highest-profile hotel developments in the region. The Marriott will open in 2028 with 700 rooms, more than 62,000 square feet of meeting space and a 17,445 square foot events terrace with group, business, and recreational travelers in focus. The convention district is undergoing a $828 million project, including $264 million to renovate the Duke Energy Convention Center, with the Marriott to be attached by a sky bridge. The REMI, Scottsdale, Autograph Collection will open on July 22nd in the heart of Scottsdale, AZ's Hospitality District. The boutique-style hotel will be operated by Crescent Hotels & Resorts and will include five dining destinations curated by Alliance Hospitality Group. TownePlace Suites by Marriott announced the grand opening of TownePlace Suites Bozeman West, a newly constructed 107-suite extended stay hotel located just outside Bozeman, Montana. The hotel is co-owned by Braxton Development and includes a bar and restaurant. Construction took 18 months. The AC Hotel Wichita Downtown opened in an Art Deco building that was once home to a Russell Stover candy shop. The renovations turned the 11-story building into a 118-room boutique hotel, the first AC Hotel by Marriott in Kansas. The hotel includes a fitness center, event space, lounge and kitchen offering breakfast in the morning and tapas and cocktails at night. Wichita's government insists it needs more hotel rooms. The Wichita City Council recently approved a 110-room downtown hotel development. Downtown Wichita believes it needs another 500 rooms. Excel Group purchased the Hampton Inn & Suites Coconut Creek and the neighboring Residence Inn Fort Lauderdale Coconut Creek. The latest is the $21.17 million purchase of the 105-room Florida Coconut Creek Residence Inn. The seller was Coconut Creek Hotel M-RI, a partnership between Butters Construction & Development and Morlin Group. The same party had sold the Hampton Inn Coconut Creek to Excel as well for $17.28 million. Coury Hospitality said they assumed the management of Plunge Beach Resort in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida, on July 1, followed by Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town South at Carlyle in Alexandria, VA on July 8th. Plunge Beach is a 163-room oceanfront boutique property, while the Residence Inn Alexandria is a 181-suite extended stay hotel. After many delays, New York's Waldorf Astoria is supposed to finally open in August. The renovation lasted nearly eight years and cost $2 billion. Hilton retains a long-term lease on the hotel. When it closed for renovation, it had 1,400 rooms with 372 private residences. It is now said to be a 375-room hotel and has 372 residences. The rooms and suites are expected to be some of the largest in Manhattan. The hotel's 43,000 square feet of meeting and event spaces will return on September 1. Hilton announced the signing of Spark by Hilton Ponce, marking the debut of the premium economy Spark brand in the Caribbean and Latin America. The 120-room hotel is expected to open in late 2025, owned by Ponce Resorts Inc. It will be managed by HI Development P.R. Corp. Azul Hospitality announced the addition of the Hilton Garden Inn Colorado Springs Downtown to its portfolio. The 168-room hotel is located in the heart of Colorado Springs' downtown with amenities including an indoor pool, fitness center, and almost 5,000 square feet of meeting space, along with a rooftop bar that will open in the fall. HHM Hotels announced its 25th managed hotel in Florida, the 126-key Homewood Suites by Hilton Tampa-Brandon. Dreamscape Hospitality announced it assumed management of three premium-branded hotels in Houston, Texas. The newly added properties include the Hilton Garden Inn Houston/The Woodlands; Homewood Suites by Hilton Houston NW at Beltway 8; and the Hyatt Place Houston/The Woodlands. The hotels are owned by New Horizons Hospitality. Separately, Dreamscape also announced it will assume management of Ambros Daytona, a boutique oceanfront retreat in Daytona Beach, FL. Hyatt Regency Times Square has opened, the first Hyatt Regency hotel in Manhattan. The property is owned by Argent Ventures and is managed by Highgate. The 795-room hotel includes an exclusive Mamma Mia!-themed guestroom. The show returns to Broadway on August 2nd. The newly reimagined Hyatt Regency Times Square noted that they have one of the largest hotel fitness centers in Manhattan. Frontier Development & Hospitality Group LLC, in partnership with Basis Investment Group, announced the opening of the Hyatt House Washington DC Downtown Convention Center. The 184-room hotel is located steps from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The hotel is operated and managed by Donohoe Hospitality Services. Later this fall, the hotel will unveil an all-weather rooftop bar and lounge. Aimbridge Hospitality has been selected to manage a new addition to Nashville's skyline. The 600-foot tower was developed by DAC Developments and will feature 53 floors, 400 guest rooms, 100 luxury residences and 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The full-service hotel will open at 319 Peabody in 2026 and will include a rooftop pool, multiple dining and retail outlets and more. Pendry Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with SomeraRoad and Trestle Studio, has officially broken ground on the Pendry Nashville and Pendry Residences Nashville. Slated to open in 2027 in the Paseo South Gulch district, the hotel will feature 180 rooms and suites along with 146 Pendry Residences. Sales for the Residences are expected to launch this fall. Additional partners of Pendry Nashville include JE Dunn Capital Partners and Clark Construction. Extended Stay America announced the opening of the Extended Stay America Select Suites Wildwood - The Villages. The hotel is located in Wildwood, FL, and was developed by Southern Hospitality. The 124-room property is the first to feature the Select Suites' new construction prototype. The Cambria Hotel Templeton-Paso Robles, franchised by Choice Hotels International, announced its grand opening in California's Central Coast. The Filipponi family locally owns the property in partnership with the principals of Pacific Templeton. The 132-room boutique-style hotel, which soft-opened in late June, is now officially open to the public. Pacifica Hotels manages the property. Ensemble Investments, LLC announced the completion of the $15 million-plus renovation and repositioning of the former Vintners Resort into Vinarosa Resort & Spa, a new hospitality offering in Sonoma County, CA's Russian River Valley. The 92-acre working vineyard property has been fully reimagined with a new vision, introducing elevated guest accommodations, a redefined arrival and lobby experience, enhanced culinary and wellness offerings, and more. Ensemble acquired the property in May 2023 in partnership with the Jackson family. JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group announced the $5.6 million sale of the Grand Eastonian Hotel & Suites, a historic 50-room hotel located in downtown Easton, PA, in the Lehigh Valley. JLL represented Nature Nurture Founding, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which sold the property to CanalHouse Hospitality Enterprises LLC. JLL also announced its Hotels & Hospitality Group sold the Clarion Hotel Airport, a 149-room hotel in Portland, Maine. JLL represented the seller in the transaction. Jamsan Hotel Management will manage the hotel for the new ownership group. Hunter Hotel Advisors announced the sale of the 133-key SpringHill Suites Baltimore BWI Airport. A local investor acquired the property in a court-appointed receiver sale on June 24, 2025. The hotel was renovated in 2015. Hunter Hotel Advisors also announced the sale of the 139-key Hampton Inn & Suites El Paso-Airport. Nexgen Management purchased the property from an institutional seller on June 25, 2025. Finally, Hunter announced the sale of the 124-key Hyatt Place Miami Airport-West/Doral. Baywood Hotels purchased the property on June 26th for an undisclosed amount. HREC Investment Advisors announced it arranged the sale of the 126-guestroom Homewood Suites Tampa Brandon. An institutional buyer acquired the property. HREC exclusively represented the seller in the transaction. Alchemy Real Estate Advisors announced the sale and closing of the 100-room La Quinta Inn & Suites in Portland, Maine. Alchemy said they represented an institutional seller in the transaction with a private investor buying the hotel, sold through a competitive, traditional marketing process that generated multiple offers. White Lodging announced it expects to top out the 258-room Trinity Hotel, Autograph Collection hotel in Austin, Texas, by the end of the year, with a projected opening before the end of 2026. White Lodging owns or operates 12 other hotels and more than 220,000 square feet of meeting space in the Austin metro area. Personnel News Marriott International announced that Leeny Oberg will retire from the company on March 31, 2026, after 26 years with the company. Oberg is currently Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Development with MAR. Jen Mason, a 33-year MAR veteran, will assume the role of Executive Vice President and CFO when Oberg steps down. Mason is currently Global Officer, Treasurer, and Risk Management, and previously held the role of CFO of MAR's largest segment, US & Canada. MAR also said Shawn Hill will be Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, effective January 1, 2026. Hill has been with MAR for nearly 28 years and is currently the Chief Development Officer for MAR's Asia Pacific Excluding China region. White Lodging announced the hiring of Noah Hoppe as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Jared Garner as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Bruce Hoffmann, currently EVP and CFO, will transition to an Emeritus role to ensure an orderly transition over the next year. Hoppe joins White Lodging after spending nearly two decades with Hyatt Hotels, most recently SVP of Transactions. Garner joins White Lodging from Concord Hospitality, where he is the immediate-past General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. He was previously VP, Legal for Radisson Hotel Group. Remington Hospitality announced the return of Lisa Carlson as Senior Vice President of Operations. Carlson originally joined Remington in 2022 as part of the company's merger with Chesapeake Hospitality.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US hotel construction hits five-year low
The number of hotel rooms under construction in the United States fell for the sixth straight month in June 2025, reaching its lowest point in five years, according to CoStar's latest data. The total stood at 138,922 rooms, an 11.9% decrease compared to June 2024. This marks a significant slowdown in hotel development, reflecting broader economic challenges and shifting market dynamics. Economic uncertainty and rising costs dampen development Analysts attribute the decline to several factors, including reduced demand for hotel stays, persistent economic uncertainty, and escalating construction costs. Isaac Collazo, senior director of analytics at STR, noted that the current environment has led to a 20-quarter low in the number of rooms under construction. He added that more than half of the rooms in development are located in the Southern United States, primarily outside the top 25 metropolitan markets, with many projects still in the early planning stages and unlikely to commence construction soon. Regional trends and market focus The Southern region accounts for over half of all rooms currently under development, with a significant portion situated outside major metropolitan areas. Despite the overall slowdown, the upscale and upper upscale segments continue to dominate new developments, comprising the majority of rooms under construction. These segments remain the focal point for developers, even as the number of new projects is expected to decrease in the near future. Future outlook for hotel development Looking ahead, the hotel construction pipeline remains active, with 349,802 rooms in the planning phase, a 4.8% increase from the previous year. However, the majority of these projects are still in the early stages, and many may face delays or cancellations due to ongoing economic pressures. The industry will need to navigate these challenges carefully to maintain a balanced and sustainable development trajectory. The sustained decline in hotel construction underscores the need for developers and investors to adapt to the current economic landscape. While the planning phase shows some growth, the actualisation of these projects will depend on the resolution of economic uncertainties and the stabilization of construction costs. "US hotel construction hits five-year low" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Condé Nast Traveler
15-07-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
How to Plan a Trip Along Amtrak's New Mardis Gras Route to New Orleans
This summer, Amtrak is finally resuming a decades-old route through the Southern US, newly minted as the Mardis Gras Service. The train line is restarting service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans via the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for the first time in 20 years. Passenger rail operations have been suspended in the region since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the coast in 2005. But that's changing on August 18, when Amtrak will relaunch its route along the Gulf. Tickets are now on sale for the Mardi Gras Service, which will operate two trains per day through four coastal towns in Mississippi—including Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascalouga—before arriving in either Mobile or New Orleans. The relaunched route is sure to make for a scenic—and affordable—trip, as adult fares to ride the line from end to end start at just $15 one way, and can be even less for shorter hops. Although many travelers will book the nearly four-hour train journey to visit New Orleans or Mobile, it's well worth stopping in some of the lesser-known destinations along the way. Each of the smaller towns on the route offer attractions like white-sand beaches, fresh seafood, historic hotels, and notable museums.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Coffee, tea or … yaupon? Will Trump's tariffs force Americans back to their home-grown brew?
Name: Yaupon. Age: Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) is North America's only native caffeinated plant. It was long used by Indigenous people pre-colonisation. Appearance: A variety of holly, evergreen, can grow to 10m tall, mostly found in the southern US … Wait, Ilex vomitoria, you say? Sounds sick! (Old meaning.) A misconception, from an observation by European settlers that consumption was followed by vomiting in certain ceremonies. Actually, Native Americans may have used an infusion made from the leaves as a laxative. Same kind of idea, different end. Anyway, why have I never heard of it? The Europeans brought their tastes and habits with them, including good old tea. Oh yeah, I don't remember learning about any Boston Yaupon Party. Exactly. The Sons of Liberty chucked all that tea in the sea to protest against the unpopular Tea Act of 1773, which gave the East India Company a sweet deal selling tea from China and increased tensions between Britain and American colonists. I think of it as more of a coffee place, but did America have a taste for tea back then? It did, and it didn't grow its own, so people turned to alternatives, so-called 'liberty teas', including yaupon … Like freedom fries. 'Liber-teas' would've been better. Anyway, come independence tea imports resumed, and the yaupon pot went on the back burner, so to speak. And now history is repeating itself? Exactly. As with coffee, the US grows hardly any tea, but it imports hundreds of millions of dollars' worth from India and China. And … And Trump's tariffs! Correct. Tea now carries its highest tariff rates since that Tea Act of 1773. Bad news for America's tea lovers. Trump's proposed tariffs on Brazil threaten to hit US coffee prices too. So bad news for America's caffeine lovers all round. If only there were a homegrown, tariff-free alternative. As Christine Folch, an infusion enthusiast and cultural anthropologist at Duke University, told the Washington Post: 'Maybe this is yaupon's moment in the sun.' Sick! (New meaning.) What is the process for yaupon tea? Similar. Dry leaves are chopped and roasted to create green and black varieties. What does it taste of? Bryon White, co-founder and CEO of Yaupon Brothers American Tea Company, told Martha Stewart's website it tastes a lot like regular tea, but less bitter due to less tannin. 'I would describe the flavour as 'earthy' or 'grassy'.' Mmmm, earthy, grassy … 'But in a very pleasant, mild way,' he added. Do say: 'Myga!' Eh? Duh! Make yaupon great again. Don't say: 'Phew, he's dropped the tariff. Make mine a builder's, milk two sugars, ta.'
