THE HUNTER HOTEL Investment Conference opened its 2025 meeting this week with news that it will move to a new location next year. Also, speakers at the conference gave their views on the current turbulence buffeting the U.S. economy.
The theme of this year's conference was “Elevate your game,” said Lee Hunter, conference chairman and COO of sponsor Hunter Hotel Advisors, in his opening comments Tuesday at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown Atlanta. More that 2,200 people attended the conference.
“As leaders, we know in order to be successful, you have to rise above ordinary,” Hunter said. “Over the next few days, we're going to learn talk about pushing boundaries, eliminating and overcoming obstacles, and learning how to elevate not just our businesses and our teams, but our relationships and ourselves as well.”
Moving on
Opened in 2024, the Signia by Hilton Atlanta near Mercedes Benz Stadium, Georgia World Congress Center and State Farm Arena, will begin hosting the Hunter Hotel Conference next year.
The Marquis had hosted the conference for the past 17 of its 36 years, HHA said in a statement. Beginning next year, however, the Signia by Hilton Atlanta near Mercedes Benz Stadium will be its new home.
“We are deeply grateful to the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, which has been an exceptional host and partner, offering a welcoming and dynamic setting for our event for nearly 20 years,” Hunter said. “Looking ahead, our move to the Signia by Hilton Atlanta allows us to grow alongside our attendees while preserving the unique, close-knit atmosphere that makes our event so special.”
Opened in 2024, the Signia also is near the Georgia World Congress Center and State Farm Arena. The $5 billion mixed-use project known as Centennial Yards in the former Gulch area is being developed nearby.
"We are delighted to welcome the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference to the beautiful Signia by Hilton Atlanta beginning next year," said Danny Hughes, president, Americas, Hilton. "As an economic catalyst and a beacon of unparalleled hospitality in the heart of downtown Atlanta, Signia is the ideal venue for HUNTER. We are honored to be the new home for this important conference that is at the center of our industry’s growth and development each year.”
Turbulent times ahead for the economy
Speaking on a panel at the Hunter Hotel Conference are, from left, Vision Hospitality President and CEO Mitch Patel; Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree Group; and Robert Webster, vice chairman at CBRE.
During the Market Overview: Financial Analysis and Forecast panel discussion at the beginning of the conference, led by Vision Hospitality President and CEO Mitch Patel, panel members discussed the nation’s current economic forecast. The impact of recent events, such as the Trump administration’s on again-off again tariffs on Canada and Mexico as well as cuts to the federal government workforce, factored into the conversation.
Teague Hunter, HHA president and CEO and brother of Lee Hunter, acknowledged that the industry is facing some headwinds.
“I think we've got some chopping times ahead, for obvious reasons,” Teague Hunter said. “There's been tons of government spend and that's about to evaporate, and that's going to have impact and pain everywhere. Part of the reason I think is that the top is so much and printed a ton of money, that money fell into the hands of capital owners, and it didn't quite triple that, so now you're going to evaporate that. There's clearly going to be some pain going ahead. Hopefully it's all for the good. Hopefully it's a long-term benefit.”
At the moment, in terms of rates, things are not good, he said.
“In the economy and the mid-market level, we have been in a recession for two years now. So that's happened. Values are off 20 percent, maybe even more. In some cases, it's still market to market. But values are off. It's just when rates go from 4 percent to 9 percent there's a problem.”
Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree Group, discussed the possibility of a recession as well.
“I think it's sort of an interesting environment. You look at the new administration, I think that's probably the toughest part, is all the new policies, what the new administration is trying to accomplish with tariffs,” said Greg Friedman. “There are factors that could potentially drive us into an economic recession, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it could help bring rates down, but some of that challenge is the volatility is going to make 2025 really tough to operate in this type of environment.”
Friedman said he expects to see “some business pull back” for hotels and that the environment will remain challenging for a while.
“On the flip side, at some point, I think you're going to see the transaction market opened up for us to be able to go buy assets,” Friedman said. “That's what gets us excited, given the fact that everyone's dealing with this higher interest rates that need to renovate assets, and I think that's going to create a buying opportunity for us.”
