Editor's Note: Some linked articles may be behind subscription paywalls.
1. Wyndham, Accor Report Earnings
Accor reported earnings for the first half of 2021 today, while Wyndham Hotels & Resorts reported for the second quarter.
On Accor's call, Jean-Jacques Morin, Accor's chief financial officer and deputy CEO, said revenue per available room was down 60.4% across the first two quarters of this year compared to 2019 because of the challenging macroeconomic environment. The luxury and upscale and the economy segments across the French company's portfolio posted 33.5% occupancy. Midscale hotels posted 33.8% occupancy
While the recovery is in different stages across the globe, Accor CEO and Chairman Sébastien Bazin said his company is ready for the bounce back.
“We are ready for the rebound. Germany is better than we expected, as is Brazil, with now a fast vaccination rollout. … Bad news, and we have to learn to be patient, in Southeast Asia, which relies on international travel, and there are some poor markets in South America, such as Argentina,” Bazin said.
Wyndham reported RevPAR for its global portfolio of $36.92 for the second quarter, down 17% versus 2019, according to an earnings release. RevPAR declined 5% in the U.S. compared to 2019 and dropped 44% internationally.
- Read more from Wyndham's second quarter call.
2. Weekly Results for the US Hotel Industry
For the week ending July 24, hotel occupancy for the U.S. hotel industry reached its highest level since October 2019, according to data from STR, CoStar's hospitality analytics firm.
Occupancy declined 7.8% from the comparable week in 2019 to 71.4%, average daily rate increased 4% to $141.75 and RevPAR decreased 4.2% to $101.24.
The middle weeks of July are usually the highest occupancy weeks in the U.S. each year, and 2021 was no different "even as demand slows week to week," according to the release.
3. Flight Attendants, Pilots Struggle To Find Hotel Accommodations
The surge in demand this summer has overwhelmed airports and hotels, and now pilots and flight attendants with American Airlines Group are struggling to find hotels and transportation, The Wall Street Journal reports.
"Pilots and flight attendants have said they have sometimes arrived at airports to find they don’t have a hotel for the night, and often face long waits while arrangements are made. That has made it harder for crew to get the rest they are required to have between flights, union leaders said in statements announcing the grievance claims against American," the news outlet reports.
The airline is looking into concerns raised by the union, a spokesman for American told the news outlet.
4. Texas Hotels See Demand From SpaceX Employees
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has asked employees to temporarily relocate to the Brownsville/Boca Chia area of Texas where the Starbase SpaceX launch site is located in an effort to launch Starship SN20 and Super Heavy B4 prototypes into orbit, which has hotels near capacity, local station KVEO reports.
A Quality Inn and America's Best Value Inn located near the site reported being near or at capacity with the arrival of SpaceX employees.
5. Tech Changing Hotel Lobby Design
More and more hotel brands, including Marriott International, have moved to contactless check-in for guests throughout the pandemic, which has removed the need for a front desk in some cases, changing lobby design layouts, Architectural Digest reports.
Hotel lobby design could change to have less seating, more vending machines and modular furniture that can be easily sanitized, according to the news outlet.
Glen Coben, founder of Glen & Company, a firm that designs luxury and boutique hotels, told the news outlet he's seeing a trend in "bringing in residential sensibility."
“People are craving community, but in a less pretentious environment. They’re looking for an escape, but we want them to feel like they’re at home," he said.