Kabani Hotel Group, led by CEO and founder Ahmed Kabani and partner Suraj Dalal, brokered the sale of Holiday Inn Express & Suites Florida City, a 105-room property in Florida, for $13.2 million at a price per key of $125,714.
Vishnu Rageev R is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience in business journalism. Before joining Asian Media Group in 2022, he worked with BW Businessworld, IMAGES Group, exchange4media Group, DC Books, and Dhanam Publications in India. His coverage includes industry analysis, market trends and corporate developments, focusing on retail, real estate and hospitality. As a senior journalist with Asian Hospitality, he covers the U.S. hospitality industry. He is from Kerala, a state in South India.
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & Suites Florida City, a 105-room property in Florida, was sold for $13.2 million at a price per key of $125,714. The deal was brokered by Kabani Hotel Group, led by CEO and founder Ahmed Kabani and partner Suraj Dalal.
This transaction marked Kabani's fifth successful deal of the year, the company said in a statement.
“We were already familiar with this property, having successfully facilitated its sale in 2023 to the previous owner,” said Kabani. “Following the completion of renovations and the required PIP, we leveraged our market expertise and targeted outreach to carefully select a buyer who recognized the property’s potential.”
However, the terms and conditions of the transaction were not disclosed.
Florida's hospitality sector saw continued investor interest in 2024, driven by tourism growth, population increases, and demand for branded limited-service hotels, the statement said. Despite economic shifts and financing challenges, assets like Holiday Inn Express & Suites Florida City attract institutional and private buyers seeking long-term value.
“Our team successfully navigated the sale of this hotel through a strict, confidential, and targeted process,” said Dalal. “We identified the buyer within 15 days. Despite facing multiple headwinds, such as limited capital market availability and high insurance premiums, the deal closed on time.”
Miami-based Kabani Hotel Group completed 15 hotel transactions in 2024, including five in South Florida, and has closed about $2 billion in hospitality deals over 15 years.
In January, Kabani brokered the $22 million sale of Radisson Red Miami Airport, a 157-room property east of Miami International Airport, at $140,127 per key. Meanwhile, the company hosted its 8th Annual Hotel Investment Forum on Oct. 24 at JW Marriott Marquis Miami, themed "The Time Is Now," with sessions and panels.
Global pipeline hit a record 15,871 projects with 2.4 million rooms in Q2.
The U.S. leads with 6,280 projects; Dallas tops cities with 199.
Nearly 2,900 hotels are expected to open worldwide by the end of 2025.
THE GLOBAL HOTEL pipeline reached 15,871 projects, up 3 percent year-over-year, and 2,436,225 rooms, up 2 percent, according to Lodging Econometrics. Most were upper midscale and upscale, LE reported.
The U.S. leads with 6,280 projects and 737,036 rooms, 40 percent of the global total. Dallas leads cities with 199 projects and 24,497 rooms, the highest on record.
LE’s Q2 2025 Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report showed 6,257 projects with 1,086,245 rooms under construction worldwide, unchanged in project count and down 3 percent in rooms from last year. Projects scheduled to start in the next 12 months totaled 3,870 with 551,188 rooms, down 3 percent in projects but up 1 percent in rooms. Early planning reached 5,744 projects and 798,792 rooms, up 10 percent in projects and 9 percent in rooms year-over-year.
Upper midscale and upscale hotels accounted for 52 percent of the global pipeline, LE said. Upper midscale stood at 4,463 projects and 567,396 rooms, while upscale reached 3,852 projects and 655,674 rooms. Upper upscale totaled 1,807 projects and 385,396 rooms, and luxury totaled 1,267 projects and 245,665 rooms, up 11 percent year-over-year.
In the first half of 2025, 970 hotels with 138,168 rooms opened worldwide. Another 1,884 hotels with 280,079 rooms are scheduled to open before year-end, for a 2025 total of 2,854 hotels and 418,247 rooms. LE projects 2,531 hotels with 382,942 rooms to open in 2026 and 2,554 hotels with 382,282 rooms to open globally in 2027, the first time a forecast has been issued for that year.
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HAMA is accepting submissions for its 20th annual student case competition.
The cases reflect a scenario HAMA members faced as owner representatives.
Teams must submit a financial analysis, solution and executive summary.
THE HOSPITALITY ASSET Managers Association is accepting submissions for the 20th Annual HAMA Student Case Competition, in which more than 60 students analyze a management company change scenario and provide recommendations. HAMA, HotStats and Lodging Analytics Research & Consulting are providing the case, based on a scenario HAMA members faced as owner representatives.
Student teams must prepare a financial analysis, a recommended solution and an executive summary for board review, HAMA said in a statement.
“Each year, the education committee looks forward to the solutions that the next generation of hotel asset managers bring, applying their own experiences to issues in ways that reveal new directions,” said Adam Tegge, HAMA Education Committee chair. “This competition demonstrates that the future of hotel asset management is in good hands.”
The two winning teams will each receive a $5,000 prize and an invitation to the spring 2026 HAMA conference in Washington, D.C. HAMA will cover travel and lodging.
Twenty industry executives on the HAMA education committee will evaluate submissions based on presentation quality, the statement said. HAMA mentors volunteer from September through November to assist teams seeking feedback and additional information. Schools will select finalists by Jan. 15, with graduate and undergraduate teams reviewed separately.
The competition has addressed topics in operating and owning hospitality assets and HAMA consulted university professors to update the format for situations students may encounter after graduation, the statement said.
This year’s participants include University of Denver, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Boston University, Florida International University, Michigan State University, Columbia University, Morgan State University, Howard University, New York University and Penn State University.
Stonebridge Cos. added the Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton, to its managed portfolio.
The hotel, opened in 1956 and relaunched in 2017, is owned by Centurion American Development Group.
The property is near Main Street Garden Park, the Arts District and the Dallas World Aquarium.
STONEBRIDGE COS. HAS contracted to manage the Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton in Dallas to its managed portfolio. The hotel, opened in 1956 and relaunched in 2017, is owned by Centurion American Development Group, led by Mehrdad Moayedi.
It has an outdoor pool and more than 26,000 square feet of meeting space, Stonebridge said in a statement. The downtown Dallas property is near Main Street Garden Park, the Arts District, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Deep Ellum, Klyde Warren Park, and the Dallas World Aquarium.
“The Statler is an extraordinary asset with a storied history in Dallas, and we are thrilled to welcome it to our managed portfolio,” said Rob Smith, Stonebridge’s president and CEO. “Its blend of modern hospitality with timeless character makes it a natural fit within our lifestyle collection. We look forward to honoring the property’s legacy while enhancing performance and delivering an elevated guest experience.”
Stonebridge, based in Denver, is a privately held hotel management company founded by Chairman Navin Dimond and led by Smith. The company recently added the 244-room Marriott Saddle Brook in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, to its full-service portfolio.
Comfort Hotels will host the one-day Waffle Lounge in New York City on Aug. 21.
The Union Square event runs from 12 to 7 p.m.
Visitors can win a one-night stay at a participating Comfort or other Choice hotel.
CHOICE’S COMFORT HOTELS is bringing its signature breakfast item to life with the Waffle Lounge, a one-day pop-up event in New York City on Aug. 21. The event, timed to coincide with National Waffle Day on Aug. 24, highlights the brand’s role in offering guests a sense of home during their travels.
Waffles have been served at Comfort Hotels since the early 1990s, with more than 30 million made annually across its properties, Choice said in a statement. A recent national survey found that 70 percent of consumers prefer familiar meals over gourmet options.
“Waffles are a recognizable and meaningful part of the Comfort brand experience,” said Jenny Aboudou, Choice’s head of upper midscale brands. “Hosting a community event in New York City is a great way to highlight how this simple offering continues to resonate with travelers.”
The Waffle Lounge, located in Union Square, will be open from 12 to 7 p.m., the statement said. The event also marks more than 40 years of the Comfort brand, which includes Comfort Inn, Comfort Inn & Suites and Comfort Suites and operates more than 2,100 locations worldwide.
Guests can get free waffles with toppings, iced lattes, nail art, massage chairs and waffle-themed merchandise, Choice said. Visitors can also enter to win a one-night stay at a participating Comfort or other Choice hotels. The celebration extends online with a contest awarding 10 winners a one-night stay. To enter, users can tag a friend on Choice Hotels’ Instagram Waffle Day post and sign up for the Choice Privileges rewards program.
Choice recently launched two campaigns — “Stay in Your Rhythm” and “The WoodSpring Way” — to increase awareness and bookings across its four extended-stay brands.
Hospitality job openings fell by 308,000 in June, the largest drop of any industry.
National openings held at 7.4 million, a 4.4 percent rate.
Hospitality quit rates remain above the national average.
THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR saw the largest decline in job openings of any industry in June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accommodation and food services fell by 308,000 positions from the previous month.
The “BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey” found the drop occurred despite overall U.S. openings holding at 7.4 million, a 4.4 percent rate. The hospitality category, which includes accommodation and food services, has been a major driver of labor demand in recent years but continues to face volatility in hiring needs and high turnover.
Nationally, the number of quits remained unchanged at 3.1 million, a 2 percent rate, the report said. However, hospitality continues to experience quit rates well above the national average, reflecting persistent retention challenges.
While industries such as retail trade and information saw increases in openings in June, the contraction in hospitality suggests a recalibration in staffing needs ahead of the second half of 2025. The next JOLTS report, covering July 2025, will be released on September 3 and will indicate whether the downturn in hospitality job openings is a short-term adjustment or the start of a longer trend.
A survey by Expert Market found 48 percent of accommodation businesses view staffing as their top risk for the year, followed by labor costs at 34 percent and maintenance at 27 percent.