U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Dips 12% in April

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According to the April 2011 STR/McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Pipeline Report released this week, the total active U.S. hotel development pipeline comprises 3,053 projects totaling 322,423 rooms.

This represents a 12.2-percent decrease in the number of rooms in the total active pipeline compared to April 2010. The total active pipeline data includes projects in the In Construction, Final Planning and Planning stages, but does not include projects in the Pre-Planning stage.

"The number of projects in the U.S. active hotel pipeline continues to moderate in 2011," said Lana Yoshii, VP of content management at STR. "Projects in the U.S. active hotel pipeline continues to moderate in 2011. Although the Upper Midscale segment has the most number of rooms in construction (15,536 rooms), this represents only 76 percent of the rooms that were under construction in April 2010. There are reductions in all chain scales for total active pipeline phases, ranging from a 4-percent decline (Upscale) to 36 percent (Economy). However, projects in the pre-planning phase is definitely on the rise, including 6,600 proposed Luxury rooms and 22,000 possible new Upscale rooms."

Among the Chain Scale segments, the Economy segment experienced the largest decrease in rooms in the total active pipeline, falling 36.0 percent to 4,243 rooms. Three other segments ended the month with a decrease of rooms in the total active pipeline of more than 15 percent: Luxury (-27.8 percent to 3,918 rooms); the Midscale (-22.3 percent to 28,162 rooms); and Upper Upscale (-19.9 percent to 14,994). The Upscale segment reported the smallest decrease in rooms in the total active pipeline, falling 3.5 percent to 77,090 rooms.

U.S. pipeline by Chain Scale segment (number of rooms and percent change April 2011 vs. April 2010):

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