Investment Profile: In the Lap of Luxury

Investment Profile: In the Lap of LuxuryBuyers continue to book high-end hospitality assets.By Sara Drummond
It’s hard to find an unhappy hotel owner, developer, or investor at any level this year. Global travel and tourism topped $6 trillion in 2005, growing 5.7 percent, and 4.2 percent annual growth is forecast for the next 10 years, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Business travel also has returned to levels unseen since Sept. 11, 2001, and is expected to grow by 2 percent, according to Marcus & Millichap.
For luxury properties the outlook is especially strong. Just three years ago, PricewaterhouseCoopers forecast 1 percent growth in luxury revenue per available room. In 2005, its estimate jumped to 12.8 percent. While PWC moderates luxury RevPAR growth for 2006 and 2007 to 9.4 and 8.9 percent respectively, those forecasts are among the highest for all hospitality segments. Luxury occupancy is expected to gain 70 basis points to 71.4 percent, according to Marcus & Millichap’s Spring 2006 Hospitality Research Report, which also forecasts a 7.6 percent increase in average daily rates for luxury properties.
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