HVS Global Hospitality Services, in cooperation with New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, is pleased to present the eleventh annual Manhattan Hotel Market Overview.

Manhattan hotels pushed their aggregate performance to new heights in 2007, setting records for occupancy, average rate, and RevPAR. Occupancy in the leading hotel market in the U.S. rose to 85.9%, while average rate soared to $298.81. For the fourth consecutive year, RevPAR recorded double-digit growth in 2007, climbing 14.3%, indicative of the continued strength of the Manhattan lodging market. These high rates were caused primarily by continued strong lodging demand levels in 2007, which allowed hotel operators to be more selective with lower-rated demand and increasingly boost rates, thereby accommodating greater numbers of higher-rated travelers. We note that the market’s overall occupancy level of roundly 86% in 2007 indicates that Manhattan continued to operate at near-maximum-capacity levels. Because of a limited supply increase in 2007, the market continued to experience many sell-out nights, causing a significant amount of demand to remain unaccommodated. Given the larger-than-ever construction pipeline in Manhattan, a substantial portion of previously unaccommodated demand is expected to be accommodated in the future. However, as a result of the recent credit crunch and the protracted disruption in the capital markets, some of the hotel developments proposed for Manhattan may not come to fruition, thereby reducing the number in the current pipeline, which bodes well for the market’s existing lodging facilities.

HVS Global Hospitality Services

HVS is a global services and consulting organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Since the launching of the firm in 1980, our clients have relied on our specialized industry knowledge and expertise for advice and services geared to enhancing economic returns and asset value. Through a network of more than 20 offices staffed by over 350 seasoned industry professionals, HVS offers a wide scope of services that track the development and ownership process.

Starting with an HVS market feasibility and appraisal study, a newly conceived project is justified. Financing through the HVS investment banking team is then arranged, interiors designed, and management hired. Sales and marketing strategies are developed, and organizational assessments are made. When a client requires actual, on-site hotel or restaurant management and marketing, HVS offers these specialized services as well. HVS asset management provides constant operational oversight to ensure the maximization of economic returns and asset value. No other organization offers such a broad range of services. HVS also has specialists in parking operations, golf courses, and convention centers.

Since the year 2000, HVS has performed more than 20,000 assignments throughout the world for virtually every major industry participant. Our principals literally “wrote the book” on hospitality consulting, authoring numerous authoritative texts and hundreds of articles. HVS is client driven, entrepreneurial, and dedicated to providing the best advice and services in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

About NYU’s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management

The Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, a division of NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies (www.scps.nyu.edu), offers undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs that develop professionals with in-depth industry knowledge and the critical thinking skills necessary for leadership roles in the fields of hospitality, tourism, and sports management. The Center’s full-time and adjunct faculty is composed of leading practitioners and researchers. Its board of advisors includes senior executives who advise on curricula development and help ensure that coursework reflects the latest industry trends and needs. The Tisch Center’s location in the heart of New York City—one of the world’s premier tourism and sports destinations—provides its students with multiple internship and networking opportunities, as well as the chance to study at several on-site “industry classrooms” at such venues as The New York Marriott Marquis, The Waldorf=Astoria, Chelsea Piers, and the NBA Store.

New York University Annual International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference

For 30 years, HVS has played an integral role in New York University’s Annual International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference. Once again, our team of professionals looks forward to welcoming you to this prestigious event, which is scheduled for Sunday through Tuesday, June 1 to June 3, 2008, at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York City.

Acknowledgements

Randy Smith of Smith Travel Research (STR) provided the Survey’s comprehensive hotel statistics for Manhattan. STR continues to be the leading source of hospitality industry operating statistics. HVS also acknowledges the assistance of STR’s Jan Freitag, who rendered valuable support. We would also like to thank Joseph E. Spinnato and Rick Amatto of the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC), as well as Donna Quadri-Felitti, Brenda Fields, and Kathie Stapleton of the Big Apple Chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) for their assistance. Additionally, in cooperation with New York University, the data-gathering process was largely a contribution of four Tisch Center graduate students—Diana Alfonso, Avery Fletcher, Sajni Patel, and Melissa Pierre—through the coordination of Dr. Mark M. Warner. HVS is pleased to have been a part of this enriching educational process.

HVS Global Hospitality Services would also like to thank its own Manhattan specialists, Roland de Milleret and Jonathan Sebbane, for their invaluable contribution and dedication to this project.