Publications & Events

As with the rest of the country, the Tucson lodging market has been negatively affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After reaching an all-time peak in performance in 2019, following eight years of nearly year-over-year growth, hotel performance came to a screeching halt in early March when travel restrictions began to take place around the country.

Governor Sisolak authorized certain businesses, including restaurants, barbershops, hair salons, and most retail businesses, to reopen with limitations beginning May 9, 2020, and Nevada began its emergence from the pandemic shutdown. Nevada’s casinos were allowed to reopen on June 4, 2020, with restrictions. While the pandemic is far from over, this article examines some of the differences observed in casinos in the Las Vegas market since reopening and what has been learned thus far.

Three U.S. major professional sports teams—the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League, Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Association, and Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League—are based in Las Vegas. The importance of sporting events for the Las Vegas market extends beyond serving as the home for these professional teams. The return of sports will contribute to Las Vegas’ eventual recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While numerous lodging brands are available to hotel owners through franchises, new brands continue to emerge. In 2020, several new brands have been introduced, providing unique niches in the marketplace to meet the demands of both hotel owners and guests. This article reviews the brands announced in 2020 and considers how they are poised to operate during the current economic climate.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed at risk the substantial investment of state and local governments in the tourism and hospitality industries. Publicly funded destination marketing organizations (“DMOs”), tourism agencies, and convention centers face budget shortfalls, staffing reductions, and growing financial uncertainty. Targeted federal aid is urgently needed to support DMOs, tourism agencies, and convention centers whose work is critical to the recovery of vital sectors of the US economy.

What realistic choices does a bank have in handling anything from short-term loan modifications through major troubled debt restructuring without ultimately dealing with the adverse effects related thereto? And, as an alternative, does a lender really want to fight through a foreclosure process and likely Chapter 11 counter filings by the borrower?

A record-breaking decade of growth in the hospitality space in Southern California has now been brought to a halt by COVID-19. This article explores the impact of the pandemic on Los Angeles and other major Southern California hotel markets.

Based on patterns of recovery following the two most recent recessions, HVS projected the lodging tax revenues of 25 US urban markets. Compared to a baseline scenario without the pandemic, HVS estimates combined lodging tax losses across these markets could range from $4.4 to $6.1 billion. Losses of this magnitude will force stakeholders to consider steps such as debt refinancing or seeking alternative revenue streams until the hospitality industry recovers from this pandemic.

As a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the HVS Team has received many questions about when U.S. hotel transaction volume will return to reasonable, pre-pandemic levels. While we do not have a definite answer, as this circumstances are evolving daily, we have tried to use past events to provide some insight on the factors that would affect a possible rebound.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the related restrictions on travel, business activity, and individual movement are having an unprecedented impact on our industry and economy. Hotel owners, operators, lenders, and investors are all facing greater challenges than ever anticipated, as they grapple with plummeting occupancy, average rate (ADR), and RevPAR and seek solutions to mitigate the impact on EBITDA.