Robert Mandelbaum's blog

Taxes and the Deficit

Posted Mon, 2012/05/21 - 10:20 by Robert Mandelbaum

Normally, this column is supposed to cover the tax changes over the prior year and how they impact the hospitality industry.

Giving And Taking Credit

Posted Wed, 2012/04/25 - 15:32 by Robert Mandelbaum

From 2008 and 2009, the average U.S. hotel suffered a 13.2 percent decline in occupancy along with a 5.9 percent drop in average daily rate (ADR).

Hotel Spas Lag Industry Recovery

Posted Thu, 2012/03/15 - 21:19 by Robert Mandelbaum

Hotel Spa Recovery Lags Over the years, PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) has analyzed the cyclical nature of lodging industry.

Hotel Managers Labor to Control Labor

Posted Mon, 2012/01/23 - 12:28 by Robert Mandelbaum

Coming out of lodging industry recessions, we have historically observed fairly significant increases in hotel operating expenses.

2012 Hotel Forecast: Recovery Better For Some, Not All

Posted Sat, 2011/12/24 - 11:10 by Robert Mandelbaum

PKF-HR forecasts that rooms revenue (RevPAR) for U.S. hotels will rise 8.1 percent in 2011, and increase another 6.1 percent in 2012. Analyzing the performance of U.S. hotels in 2010 and 2011, we have seen the progression of indicators that one would expect during an industry recovery.

Lodging Asset Values in Recovery

Posted Tue, 2011/11/22 - 10:02 by Robert Mandelbaum

Despite inconsistent economic news, increases in lodging demand and property-level net operating income (NOI) have most industry participants feeling optimistic that hotel property values are heading upward.

2010 Was A Budget Beater for Hotels

Posted Wed, 2011/10/12 - 02:46 by Robert Mandelbaum

After suffering through record-breaking declines in revenues and profits during 2009, it is not surprising that U.S. hoteliers were a bit conservative when preparing their operating budgets for 2010.

Hotel Operators Control Utility Costs

Posted Mon, 2011/09/19 - 18:16 by Robert Mandelbaum

After two years of declining revenues and profits, U.S. hotels turned the corner in 2010. According to the 2011 edition of Trends in the Hotel Industry published by PKF Hospitality Research (PKR-HR), the average hotel in the nation achieved a 4.8 percent increase in total revenue during 2010.

Price Begets Profits

Posted Wed, 2011/08/17 - 15:45 by Robert Mandelbaum

In the March 2011 edition of our monthly Hospitality Market Update newsletter, PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) made the following observation: "The driving force behind revenue growth in 2011 is clearly price positioning. The higher the room rate the greater the projected growth in ADR and, consequently, RevPAR."

One Night Stands Are Expensive

Posted Tue, 2011/07/19 - 19:24 by Robert Mandelbaum

On paper, the formula for success at an extended-stay hotel is very sound. By accommodating guests for an extended period of time, these properties are able to "cover up" the soft spots on their calendars and achieve extraordinary annual levels of occupancy.