Could gas prices mean fewer tourists?
from the San Diego Union Tribune (March 17, 2012) :
“San Diego hotel owner Bob Rauch said he’d be open to offering a
gas card-type promotion if prices reach $5 a gallon. While he recently raised room rates by 5 percent at his Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton, it was planned before the run-up in gas prices.
SD Business Journal: Executive Profile – Robert A. Rauch
San Diego Business Journal, March 12, 2012:
Robert A. Rauch serves as president of R. A. Rauch & Associates Inc., the firm that manages the Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn in Del Mar, and others. Rauch has a B.A. in hotel administration from Western International University and a M.S. in tourism administration from Arizona State University. He has served as chair or president of several tourism organizations. Rauch teaches at Arizona State University, publishes Hospitality Innsights at hotelguru.com and is a certified hotel administrator. Read More…
News from the HotelGuru “Good Times 2012” Conference
On February 9th, HotelGuru.com operator R.A.Rauch & Associates sponsored a conference “Let the Good Times Roll” at the Del Mar Hilton Garden Inn. Hand picked experts in Finance, Law, Real Estate and Hospitality spoke about the bright future of the business. Bob Rauch, hotelguru.com, put number predictions on area hotel prospects: “Occupancy in San Diego will exceed 70 percent at over $130 in 2012,” he said.
Here are the highlights, as covered by major local and industry publications:
“Hotel property prices rising, but financing is scarce” (February 10, 2012)
The state of the hotel market was the topic during a HotelGuru.com-sponsored event hosted by Robert Rauch at his Hilton Garden Inn on Thursday.
Rauch said while the hotel industry has been through a great deal, he is looking at 2012 as if it were 2004 — right before it experienced some of its best years ever.
“Good times” for hotels in 2012, experts say (February 10, 2012)
By most accounts, 2011 brought long-awaited financial gains for hotels battered by the recession, and it’s likely 2012 will deliver more of the same. But don’t count on much in the way of new hotel development anytime soon, said a panel of industry experts meeting this week in San Diego.
Across the board, revenues, daily rates and hotel occupancies are up in San Diego County, although the growth continues to lag other California counties, and the performance has yet to match levels seen before the economic downturn.
“This is a good time to be in the hotel business,” said Alan Reay, founder of Atlas Hospitality Group, a brokerage firm that also tracks the California hotel market. Reay was among a group of panelists speaking at a forum dubbed “Let the Good Times Begin.” Last Thursday’s forum was organized by San Diego hotel owner and consultant Robert Rauch.
Panel: SoCal Back to Pre-recession Metrics (February 14, 2012)
Hotel markets in southern and coastal California are hopping and as buyers who have been sitting on the sidelines begin to jump back in, the window of opportunity on attractive deals is starting to close, according to a panel of experts last week.
“We’re in the second inning of the recovery,” said Gary London, a San Diego real-estate economist and president of The London Group Realty Advisors. “We have a long way to go,” but the worst appears to be over, London said, pointing to strong gains in occupancy, revenue and transaction pricing in California’s coastal markets in 2011. Lenders remain cautious, however, making this primarily a cash market.
London and three other hotel real-estate experts offered forecasts and advice to an audience of investors and hotel operators from around the San Diego region at a panel called “Let the Good Times Begin.” Robert Rauch, president of R.A. Rauch & Associates, a San Diego-based hospitality management company, hosted and moderated the event in Del Mar.
Region leads state in foreclosed hotels in 2011
from the San Diego Daily Transcript January 11, 2012:
Hotel developer and consultant Robert Rauch agrees there should be fewer hotels heading toward foreclosure this year.
“I don’t think we will see more foreclosures I think there will likely be more technical defaults,” Rauch said also suggesting that extensions and workouts may give hotel owners more time than they have had in a while.
Local Analyst: SD Tourism Industry Recovering
from 10news Broadcast January 8, 2012:
…”For the next five years, I foresee good times ahead after three horrendous years for our industry,” said Rauch.
According to Rauch’s hospitality firm R.A. Rauch & Associates, tourism in San Diego County in 2012 is expected to rake in $10 million in new tax revenue, create 1,000 new jobs and have 450,000 more hotel rooms occupied across the county….
Tourism Industry Looks to Build on Recession Recovery Gains
from the San Diego Business Journal (Jan 2, 2012):
Robert Rauch, president of hospitality consulting firm R.A. Rauch & Associates Inc. in San Diego, foresees more deals in the $5 million to $25 million range in 2012, mostly by single investors and small investment firms. (more…)
Region Rings Up Plenty of Hotel Sales in 2011
From the San Diego Business Journal (Jan 2, 2012):
Hotel business has not returned to pre-recession levels, but experts say the segment registered year-over-year improvement in 2010 and 2011, and the general trend should carry forward in 2012.
“It’s not explosive growth, but it’s very positive,” said Robert Rauch, president of local hospitality consulting firm R. A. Rauch & Associates Inc., who also operates two Hilton-branded hotels in Carmel Valley. (more…)
Hospitality industry poised to roar into 2012
from the North County Times (Dec. 30, 2011):
And local hospitality veteran Bob Rauch said he and nearly all of his peers have been very busy this December.
“There’s a bunch of pretty happy people going into 2012,” said Rauch, who operates a Homewood Suites and a Hilton Garden Inn in Carmel Valley. (more…)
San Marcos drops sale price for proposed hotel
from the North County Times (Dec 24, 2011):
Robert Rauch, a San Diego hotel owner and consultant, said San Marcos was a strong location for a new hotel, largely because the university would drive occupancy.
He said, however, that financing was exceptionally tight, and most lenders expect prospective borrowers to come up with half the cash required for their projects. The San Marcos project, he said, could cost about $18 million to build, including the land.
Rauch said the city loan was an unusual arrangement, and questioned whether the company would have sufficient capital to secure a loan for construction.
“It’s not typical that the city would loan them the money,” he said.
“If they can’t pay for the land, how are they going to afford to build a hotel?
”
However, the arrangement could help with financing requirements by reducing the amount the company must borrow from other lenders, Rauch said.
“It’s a great deal, if they can get the city to loan them the money at a low interest rate,” he said.
North County Times: Job Picture Improves in November as economy begins to heal
from the North County Times December, Friday December 16, 2011:
Over the past year, the leisure and hospitality sector added 6,000 jobs.
“The industry tried to hold on to its labor force, but we shed jobs in 2009 and 2010, and in 2011, there wasn’t much hiring until very recently,” said veteran hotelier Bob Rauch of R.A. Rauch & Associates Inc., a San Diego-based hotel management company.
Last week, Rauch opened his La Jolla-based 40-room Pantai Inn, a super-luxury boutique hotel with a Balinese theme. He hired 15 people for the Pantai and has added here and there at his other properties, including the Homewood Suites by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn, both of which are in Carmel Valley.