Service Properties Trust has to do what’s best for shareholders, and maybe that includes severing ties with Marriott and IHG. But don’t rule out a business traveler rebound, especially with a vaccine looking more likely in the new year.
It only takes a little momentum for a snowball growth effect to transpire, and the unlikely Sonesta seems to have plenty of it to hit an extraordinary five-year growth goal.
Don't count the major brands out quite yet, but Sonesta's growth continues to fly in the face of industry belief that hotel owners will flock to bigger brand franchise agreements during the pandemic recovery.
IHG’s loss stands to be the first in several gains for Sonesta if the hotel company continues to partner with its lodging trust investor on pandemic-related investment and rebranding opportunities around the world.
IHG could become the first major victim of a coronavirus-related financial drag on hotels in North America, but its default may be a strategic play on a financial structure unusual for such a global brand.