(Hendersonville/Tennessee, USA – September 14, 2012) The total active U.S. hotel development pipeline comprises 2,745 projects totaling 304,825 rooms, according to the August 2012 STR/McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Pipeline Report. This represents a 3.5-percent decrease in the number of rooms in the total active pipeline compared to August 2011. 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.
“August posted an increase in the number of rooms in construction in all regions, with the East North Central and East South Central regions leading with 55.2 percent and 46.5 percent, respectively,” said Duane Vinson, VP of database content and integrity at STR. “In sheer numbers, the Middle Atlantic exceeded all regions with 15,879 rooms in construction and the South Atlantic led rooms in the total active pipeline with 68,833 rooms..”
“We’re seeing a gradual draw down in all areas with perhaps the exception of New England and the Middle Atlantic regions,” Vinson continued. “The total active pipeline is up 3.9 percent in New England due to continued heavy development in the New York market. Pre-planning rooms in both regions rose considerably with a 16.4 percent-increase in the Middle Atlantic to 16,644 rooms and a 34.3 percent-growth to 5,018 rooms in New England.”
Among the nine regions in the U.S., the West North Central region reported the largest increase in rooms in the total active pipeline, rising 13.8 percent with 15,744 rooms, followed by the East North Central region (+5.6 percent with 25,893 rooms) and the New England region (+3.9 percent with 9,331 rooms). The South Atlantic region posted the largest decrease, falling 12.5 percent with 68,833 rooms in the total active pipeline. The South Atlantic region ended the month with the most rooms in the total active pipeline (68,833 rooms).
Four regions reported increases of more than 20 percent in the number of rooms under construction: the East North Central (+55.2 percent with 6,974); the East South Central (+46.5 percent with 5,289); the West South Central (+32.4 percent with 10,344 rooms); and the New England region (+22.8 percent with 1,006 rooms). Overall, the Middle Atlantic region reported the largest number of rooms in the In Construction phase with 15,879 rooms.