April 2, 2008 - Capital Hotel Management (CHM), a leading hotel asset management and investment advisory firm, today announced that it has been engaged by Losan Hotels World to asset manage the recently acquired Renaissance M Street Hotel in Washington, D.C.

CHM engaged as a hotel investment advisor to RexCorp Realty LLC (“RexCorp”), to asset manage the newly acquired Marriott Long Island Hotel & Conference Center in Uniondale, New York.

Asset managers are continuing to work overtime - in every sense of the word - when it comes to reaching, maintaining and exceeding the goals of owners.

Our industry has made a sizable investment in recent years to improve the guest experience, specifically the sleeping experience.

The management agreement is the single most important contract entered into by the hotel owner. Careful negotiation of this legally binding document is critical, as it sets the rules that define the long-term relationship between the owner and operator and is referenced routinely throughout the life of the contract.

Real Estate is one of the most dynamic and enticing businesses in our capitalistic society. Much of the great wealth accumulated in this country has its origins in the development, ownership, and management of real estate. While the office, retail, and residential segments all have their challenges and rewards, most view lodging as the most diverse, complex, and multi−dimensional of real estate asset classes.

Some general managers unnecessarily cringe when they hear the phrase "asset manager." Owners, on the other hand, smile with the satisfaction that an asset manager is carefully watching over their investments.

As a result of the recent sharp declines in the stock market, investment advisors are counseling their clients to rebalance their investment accounts to reflect the dynamics of a changing economy. The same advice can be applied to hotel owners and their capital expenditure allocations.

When the International Society of Hospitality Consultants met in Chicago in September, its members had a lot on their minds. The group corralled those thoughts to create its annual top 10 list of issues and challenges facing the industry, which includes the changing distribution channel, terrorism and safety and financial issues.

Beverly, Mass.-based Capital Hotel Management said it is benefiting from the current trend in the industry to use hotel asset managers.

Capital Hotel Management (CHM) has signed a contract to asset manage the Hilton Hotel & Conference Center in Scranton, PA, a project which has been stalled since 2001 due to financing issues. The 175-room, nine-story hotel began construction in 1999. The hotel now is scheduled to open in July 2003.

CHM announced that it has been awarded the asset management contract for the Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel on behalf of the Baltimore Hotel Corporation (BHC), a non-profit corporation established by the City of Baltimore.

CHM is pleased to announce the launch of CHM Government Services, a new division dedicated to assisting government and public agencies, and their partners, with complex issues surrounding the ownership and operation of hospitality and recreation assets. [more]

 

The general sentiment in the industry is that hotels are nearing, if not at, the peak of the pricing cycle, not too dissimilar from the climate surrounding the late 1990’s. However, a couple of key points of differentiation separating today’s market vs. STLC (same time last cycle). For one, by 2001 a slowdown had been projected, but 9/11 and the series of events that followed, literally pushed the industry over a cliff. As we stand today, to quote an industry catch phrase, RevPAR is “increasing at a decreasing rate”, whereby growth rates are slowing to a historical norm, but performance is not presently or anticipated to decline anytime in the near future. [more]

CHM provides some "Food For Thought"...dispelling the top five myths surrounding hotel dining and suggests strategies for maximizing food and beverage departmental profits.

Here we are again, about to embark on yet another year...counting our blessings for successes achieved as an industry in 2006, with aspirations of reaching new milestones, improving overall performance and continuing to enhance returns in 2007.

Find out how effective hotel asset management adds value during a transition period, whether following a hotel acquisition, change in hotel brand and /or operator. Asset managers play a critical role in mitigating risk and ensuring owner investment objectives remain a focus and are not lost during a transition.

Like many, pension funds have chosen real estate investments as an opportunity to diversify their portfolios and improve overall fund returns.

Pareto's Principle, otherwise known as the "80/20 Rule", reminds us to focus on those things that matter most, as typically 20% of the issues control 80% of the outcome. While we are firm believers of this proven philosophy, we also subscribe to a second philosophy, which we refer to internally, as Low Hanging Fruit.

Ken Wilson, CEO and co-founder of CHM, and 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry, lends his thoughts on the current hotel cycle, including what opportunities exist for investing and where were headed for '06 and beyond.

Budget season is upon us once again and this year the experts are giving hotel owners and investors much cause for celebration, promising continued demand growth and great strides in rate. Time will only tell to what degree market optimism is shared by operators. For this reason, the Operaitng Budget is much like a crystal ball, providing a snap shot of future property performance expectations, but also providing insight into your operator's goals, objective and the level of commitment they have to creating value for Ownership.

Studying the forecast, monitoring group pick-up, reviewing financial results, benchmarking to the competition - these are effective means of assessing hotel operations, and at this level, assuming competent managment, your operator has it covered - after all that is what they are paid to do. There is, however, a more broad meaning and purpose implied by the term "operational assessment", typically not captured as part of the daily oversight.

Highest and Best Use (HABU)...just what the hotel industry needs, another acronym. Most commonly associated with identifying potential uses of vacant land and commercial real estate, HABU is a concept that is readily adaptable to hotels. At CHM, we incorporate HABU as a critical component of hotel investment strategy, always evaluating and identifying ways to maximize profitability and enhance asset value and Owner returns.

"Top Five Tips", "Top Three Hints", "Top Ten Thoughts"......if only enhancing hotel value were that easy and that obvious. Although the presence and practice of hotel asset management has evolved considerably over the past ten years, many of the articles written on the subject focus more on the "how" than on the "why" asset management is so effective. CHM offers the following perspective on hotel asset management and how it can deliver "what" owners need...results.

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