At the end of 2018, analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE) reported that the total U.S. construction pipeline continued to trend upward with 5,530 projects/669,456 rooms, both up a strong 7% year-over-year (YOY). However, pipeline totals continue to trail the all-time high of 5,883 projects/785,547 rooms reached in the second quarter of 2008.
Project counts in the early planning stage continue to rise reaching an all-time high of 1,723 projects/199,326 rooms, up 14% by projects and 12% by rooms YOY. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months stand at 2,153 projects/255,083 rooms. Projects currently under construction are at 1,654 projects/215,047 rooms, the highest counts since early 2008.
Also noteworthy at year-end, the upscale, upper-midscale, and midscale categories are at record-highs, for both rooms and projects. Luxury room counts and upper-upscale project counts are also at record levels.
In 2018, the U.S. had 947 new hotels/112,050 rooms open, a 2% growth in new supply, bringing the total U.S. census to 56,909 hotels/5,381,090 rooms. The LE forecast for new hotel openings in 2019 anticipates a 2.2% supply growth rate with 1,022 new hotels/116,357 rooms expected to open. The pace for new hotel openings has slowed slightly because of construction delays largely caused by shortages in skilled labor.
Lending at attractive rates is still accessible to developers, but lenders are growing more selective as we move deeper into the existing cycle.
The pipeline has completed its seventh consecutive year of growth. Moving forward the growth rate is expected to slow as the economies of most countries, including the United States, more firmly settle into the “new normal" marked by slow growth and low inflation.
While there are no visible signs of a recession on the horizon, the risks to the economy are not insignificant and include tariff conflicts, swings in the stock market, unforeseen geopolitical problems, any of which could send the economy lower.
Related Stories
Contractors | Feb 14, 2023
The average U.S. contractor has nine months worth of construction work in the pipeline
Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined 0.2 months to 9.0 in January, according to an ABC member survey conducted Jan. 20 to Feb. 3. The reading is 1.0 month higher than in January 2022.
Office Buildings | Feb 9, 2023
Post-Covid Manhattan office market rebound gaining momentum
Office workers in Manhattan continue to return to their workplaces in sufficient numbers for many of their employers to maintain or expand their footprint in the city, according to a survey of more than 140 major Manhattan office employers conducted in January by The Partnership for New York City.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 7, 2023
Multifamily housing rents flat in January, developers remain optimistic
Multifamily rents were flat in January 2023 as a strong jobs report indicated that fears of a significant economic recession may be overblown. U.S. asking rents averaged $1,701, unchanged from the prior month, according to the latest Yardi Matrix National Multifamily Report.
Market Data | Feb 6, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending dips 0.5% in December 2022
National nonresidential construction spending decreased by 0.5% in December, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $943.5 billion for the month.
Architects | Jan 23, 2023
PSMJ report: The fed’s wrecking ball is hitting the private construction sector
Inflation may be starting to show some signs of cooling, but the Fed isn’t backing down anytime soon and the impact is becoming more noticeable in the architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) space. The overall A/E/C outlook continues a downward trend and this is driven largely by the freefall happening in key private-sector markets.
Hotel Facilities | Jan 23, 2023
U.S. hotel construction pipeline up 14% to close out 2022
At the end of 2022’s fourth quarter, the U.S. construction pipeline was up 14% by projects and 12% by rooms year-over-year, according to Lodging Econometrics.
Products and Materials | Jan 18, 2023
Is inflation easing? Construction input prices drop 2.7% in December 2022
Softwood lumber and steel mill products saw the biggest decline among building construction materials, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index.
Market Data | Jan 10, 2023
Construction backlogs at highest level since Q2 2019, says ABC
Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator remained unchanged at 9.2 months in December 2022, according to an ABC member survey conducted Dec. 20, 2022, to Jan. 5, 2023. The reading is one month higher than in December 2021.
Market Data | Jan 6, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending rises in November 2022
Spending on nonresidential construction work in the U.S. was up 0.9% in November versus the previous month, and 11.8% versus the previous year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
