The U.S. is one of three world regions tracked by the industry analysis firm Lodging Econometrics that saw an increase in hotel pipeline projects late last year.
New figures compiled by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based company put Asia Pacific and Canada in the category of increased pipeline projects between the final quarter of 2021 and the last three months of last year.
Altogether, the global pipeline as of the last day of 2022 stood at 15,267 individual projects, comprising just under 2.3 million new rooms.
Leading into late 2022, Lodging Econometrics reports, the global pipeline “has remained relatively flat for three consecutive years, following the onset of the Covid 10 pandemic.”
That flatness, continues the report, followed on the heels of “peak project and room counts” in the final quarter of 2019.
As of late last year, the U.S. and China led the world in new hotel pipeline projects. China saw just under 3,600 new projects, for slightly over 675,000 rooms; while the U.S. had nearly 5,500 hotel projects in the pipeline, representing 650,626 rooms.
In a distant third place was India with 383 hotel pipeline projects and 43,332 rooms.
Three U.S. cities made up the top five cities with the largest construction totals: Dallas, at 176 projects, and just under 20,800 rooms; Atlanta, with 145 projects and 18,100 rooms; and Los Angeles, compiling 122 projects for 19,419 rooms.
Companies leading the project list: Marriott International, with 2,656 projects representing just over 429,000 rooms; and Hilton Worldwide at 2,662 projects and 384,498 rooms.
Third largest performer: the InterContinental Hotels Group with 1,736 individual projects in the pipeline, and 257,145 rooms.
Adding up all of last year’s figures, Lodging Econometrics is reporting that some 1,842 new hotels opened in 2022, representing just under 285,000 rooms.
By Garry Boulard
