Quotes of the Week: JLL, LARC, Axe Management Partners, Ovolo

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We all now see that the economy, by and large, has held steady. Some of the noise around tariffs has settled. Investors have a lot of capital to deploy. So, we feel better today versus three months ago as it relates to hotel sector liquidity and certainly overall capital markets liquidity dynamics.” – Lauro Ferroni, JLL   Read story

“With increasing economic uncertainty, LARC also expects U.S. hotel cap rates to rise 25 bps through 2029, on average. This increase is driven by widening spreads (or risk premia), offset by expectations for the Fed to cut rates.” – Lodging Analytics Research & Consulting   Read story

“For the luxury 5-star hotels, that buyer pool is deep, but maybe not as deep as it was 10 years ago or even three years ago, but there’s lots of high-net-worth capital, There are lots of high-net-worth groups that have partnered with private equity firms to do deals. Those groups are probably not writing a billion-dollar equity check to buy the whole company, though.” – Michael Bellisario, R.W. Baird   Read story

“More broadly when it comes to holiday spending, Gen Z plans a 23% cut in holiday spending (after a 37% surge last year), while Boomers plan a 5% increase.” – PwC   Read story

“Japan’s tourism has great potential in the coming years. We feel a lot of untapped opportunities, and we are fully geared to capture them. We are ready to expand across segments, including upper midscale and upscale segments across key regional cities that we think have great growth potential.” – Gary Kwok, Axe Management Partners   Read story

“We would rather have three proper Ovolo hotels than six that are hit-and-miss. We’re willing to have fewer franchised hotels, but making sure everyone who comes onboard is better than the last.” – Shivang Jhunjhnuwala, Ovolo Hotels   Read story

“We are thrilled to partner with JTB as we enter the next phase of our company’s incredible history. Our shared commitment to the travel industry, cultural alignment, and collective expertise – combined with the opportunity to accelerate Northstar’s geographic expansion in the Asia Pacific region – will enhance our ability to deliver value to our audiences and customers as we advance our mission.” – Jason Young, Northstar Travel Group   Read story