JW Marriott foreclosure auction could be a broader sign of distress for the downtown hospitality industry

  • 📰 chicagotribune
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 55 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 25%
  • Publisher: 91%

United States News News

United States United States Latest News,United States United States Headlines

The foreclosure is a possible sign of distress for a downtown hospitality industry still struggling to recover from the pandemic. Business travelers remain sparse, so the hard times may not be over, and other hotels could also be headed for trouble.

Wells Fargo Bank took control of the 610-room JW Marriott Chicago hotel Friday morning with a winning bid of nearly $251 million during a foreclosure auction.

“JW Marriott may not be the last hotel to find itself in the soup,” said Maverick Hotels and Restaurants CEO Robert Habeeb. “If a prominent hotel like that can fall into foreclosure, it’s a sign of some weakness in the market.”The hotel opened in 2010, soon after developers began transforming aging Financial District office buildings into hotels to serve convention-goers and the growing tourist trade.

Most hotel operators have so far avoided getting dragged into court by their lenders, Habeeb said, even though back in 2020 many thought the pandemic-related flood of red ink might overwhelm the industry. But the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which funneled billions to suffering businesses, along with the willingness of many lenders to renegotiate hotel loan payments, got many hotels past the initial crisis.

The real test will come when summer ends and most tourists vanish. Business travelers historically filled Chicago’s hotel rooms in colder months, but with offices nationwide less than half full, most companies are reluctant to send employees on trips.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 8. in US
 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

It's COVID. 25% of us are not doing unsafe things like traveling. People are out sick both short and long term. We'll see more and more of this across all industries/sectors. The pandemic IS the economy. We've been telling you this for almost two years. Slow learners.

Crime is a problem

The public is traveling, just avoiding war zones.

Beetlejuice told me the hotels were jammed with tourists. You must be mistaken.

Thank you Chicago democrats ! EricZorn royalpratt trib still backing democrats eve after 50 years of disaster

stop blaming Covid

Won’t happen to the Hyatt chain, just sayin. Maybe someone should look at those loans and how they were dispersed?

United States United States Latest News, United States United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

U.S. adds 372,000 jobs in June as job market remains strongThe United States added 372,000 jobs in June, and the data shows professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and health care industries saw notable increases in workforce participation. abc15 It’s always at its stronges before a recession/depression. Be wary good citizens. Thanks President Biden!
Source: abc15 - 🏆 263. / 63 Read more »