Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Hilton Reports 560 Hotels And 75,000 Rooms In Its Development Pipeline
Hilton Hotels Corporation (NYSE:HLT) announced that its Hilton Family of Hotels led the U.S. hotel industry in new room additions from new construction and brand conversions in the first three quarters of 2005 and is projected to maintain that position at least through 2007, according to data recently released by Lodging EconoMetrics(LE), the nation's hotel real estate investment and supply side research authority.
According to LE, the Hilton Family of Hotels is expected to add approximately 170 hotels and 24,000 gross rooms to its system in 2005, up from 122 projects with 15,227 rooms in 2004, the year that Hilton became the hotel industry leader in number of new rooms added. Through the first three quarters of 2005, the Hilton Family opened or re-flagged 127 hotels, aggregating 17,731 rooms.
Hilton anticipates a 6.3 percent addition to its U.S. room supply in 2005, up from 4.4 percent in 2004. In 2006, the company expects to add 175 to 200 hotels and 23,000 to 27,000 rooms to its system. Hilton reported 560 hotels and 75,000 rooms in its development pipeline - the largest it has ever been -- as of September 30, 2005.
As of the end of the 2005 third quarter, LE data indicates that Hilton accounts for 17.4 percent of all rooms in the U.S. Active Construction Pipeline (hotels currently under construction or expected to begin construction in the next 12 months). According to LE, InterContinental Hotels Group is projected second with 14.4 percent of rooms and Marriott third with 13.5 percent of rooms.
"Our development pipeline has never been larger, and we maintain our industry leadership position in U.S. hotel development," said Tom Keltner, president-brand performance and development group, Hilton Hotels Corporation. "Validated by another record quarter of management and franchise business in the third quarter 2005, owners and developers recognize that the Hilton Family of Hotels offers unsurpassed program support, providing hotels with the tools to help achieve success: superior technology solutions and increasing online bookings performance on brand.com; HHonors, a leading guest reward program; strong worldwide sales support; excellent year-round and seasonal marketing programs; highly effective cross-selling practices within its worldwide reservations centers; and award-winning brands.
"When we look at the development cycle, developers and lenders continue to recognize the importance of strong brands and have favored them during the current upswing in the hotel industry, as evidenced by our leadership in the hotel industry development pipeline."
LE has reported that few new hotel projects have entered the construction pipeline in the central business districts of major cities, which is typical in the early phase of a hotel industry rebound. As a result, most new construction is occurring in the focused-service sectors.
"Based on forecasts by industry consultants, the outlook for development remains strong at least for the next several years," said Bill Fortier, senior vice president - franchise development, brand performance and development group for Hilton Hotels Corporation. "We see strength across all of our brands in the U.S., as well as continued growth in Canada and Central and South America."
According to LE, the Hilton Family of Hotels is expected to add approximately 170 hotels and 24,000 gross rooms to its system in 2005, up from 122 projects with 15,227 rooms in 2004, the year that Hilton became the hotel industry leader in number of new rooms added. Through the first three quarters of 2005, the Hilton Family opened or re-flagged 127 hotels, aggregating 17,731 rooms.
Hilton anticipates a 6.3 percent addition to its U.S. room supply in 2005, up from 4.4 percent in 2004. In 2006, the company expects to add 175 to 200 hotels and 23,000 to 27,000 rooms to its system. Hilton reported 560 hotels and 75,000 rooms in its development pipeline - the largest it has ever been -- as of September 30, 2005.
As of the end of the 2005 third quarter, LE data indicates that Hilton accounts for 17.4 percent of all rooms in the U.S. Active Construction Pipeline (hotels currently under construction or expected to begin construction in the next 12 months). According to LE, InterContinental Hotels Group is projected second with 14.4 percent of rooms and Marriott third with 13.5 percent of rooms.
"Our development pipeline has never been larger, and we maintain our industry leadership position in U.S. hotel development," said Tom Keltner, president-brand performance and development group, Hilton Hotels Corporation. "Validated by another record quarter of management and franchise business in the third quarter 2005, owners and developers recognize that the Hilton Family of Hotels offers unsurpassed program support, providing hotels with the tools to help achieve success: superior technology solutions and increasing online bookings performance on brand.com; HHonors, a leading guest reward program; strong worldwide sales support; excellent year-round and seasonal marketing programs; highly effective cross-selling practices within its worldwide reservations centers; and award-winning brands.
"When we look at the development cycle, developers and lenders continue to recognize the importance of strong brands and have favored them during the current upswing in the hotel industry, as evidenced by our leadership in the hotel industry development pipeline."
LE has reported that few new hotel projects have entered the construction pipeline in the central business districts of major cities, which is typical in the early phase of a hotel industry rebound. As a result, most new construction is occurring in the focused-service sectors.
"Based on forecasts by industry consultants, the outlook for development remains strong at least for the next several years," said Bill Fortier, senior vice president - franchise development, brand performance and development group for Hilton Hotels Corporation. "We see strength across all of our brands in the U.S., as well as continued growth in Canada and Central and South America."
# posted by John @ 12:22 PM 
