Category: Editorial

O’Connor & Associates Hotel Forecast – Randy McCaslin Managing Director of CBRE Hotels Consulting, Speaker

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BY RAY HANKAMER
rhankamer@gmail.com

Takeaway: 2014 was a boom year for hotel occupancy in Houston (69%), but in 2015 there was the beginning of the drop in oil prices and the decline in demand (-2.6%). By 2021 occupancies will
have climbed slowly back to 66% barring any unforeseen events. The Super Bowl in the first quarter of 2017 was boon PR-wise for our city, but over the year it will have contributed only nominally to hotel occupancy / revenue.

  • 2016 was the bottom, as demand fell and new supply was coming on stream; 2017 transition year, with gradual return to stabilization over next 4-5 years
  • 2014 had been a stellar year with occupancies about 10 % over traditional levels
  • The new downtown Marriott convention hotel will be a ‘game-changer’ in Houston’s ability to attract future conventions-we now have an attractive number of rooms within 3-4 blocks of the George R. Brown Center
  • 5,200 new hotel rooms will have opened in the CBD by the end of 2017
  • Katy-Westchase-Energy Corridor, NW, and IAH have been hardest hit by lower levels of O & G industry travel

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CCIM Luncheon – Casey Wagner of Walker Parking: The Impact of the Self-Driving Car / Autonomous Vehicle (AV) on Commercial Real Estate

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BY RAY HANKAMER
rhankamer@gmail.com

  • Risks associated with AV include insurance, regulations by multiple government agencies, affordability, tech limits for cars, infrastructure limitations/cost, competition from transit, and other
  • Trust in the feature-by-feature addition to today’s cars is slowly increasing, with such features as automatic parallel parking [but as with so many ‘high tech’ gimmicks, who really needs many of them?]
  • “By 2025-2030 most new cars will have fully autonomous features…or maybe by 2040-2060.”

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Deed Restrictions and Airbnb

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BY TRAVIS L. HUEHLEFELD, ATTORNEY
WILSON CRIBBS + GOREN

 

 

 

 

 

The “sharing economy”, led by companies such as Uber and Airbnb, is in full force and continues to gain popularity.

I. INTRODUCTION
Of particular interest in the real estate industry is short-term rental with companies such as Airbnb, Home Away and VBRO. These companies offer an online marketplace for people to lease or rent short-term lodging in houses, apartments, vacation homes and thelike. Short-term rentals offer travelers an alternative to traditional sources of lodging, such as hotels. Short term
rentals also offer property owners a way to generate extra income from their residence. The rise in popularity of Airbnb and its competitors has led many neighborhoods to confront the question of what to do about short-term rentals. This article discusses the various ways neighborhoods can address short-term rentals.

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Mixing things up: How mixed-use development is changing the look and feel of Texas’ largest cities

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BY BRANDI SMITH

What might be considered one of the more modern approaches to development is, it turns out, rooted in some of our near-ancient history. Mixed-use development has been around for several
centuries and is exemplified by the medieval villages that cropped up all over Europe.

The rules for constructing a lasting village between the 5th and 15th centuries were fairly simple. It ought to be compact, dense, offer multiple uses and provide limited transportation systems. Within the walls, the village must provide a community that is not just functional, but productive.

Just as it didn’t in medieval times, mixed-use development today need not focus exclusively on residential, retail or entertainment.

 

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Brokering for Berkadia: Why a big name in Houston CRE made the move

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BY BRANDI SMITH

“I have spent the past 18 years learning the ins and outs of Houston: how it transforms, develops, and grows, who the players are and who the future players will be.” – Kristen McDade

For Kristen McDade, being a real estate broker boils down to one thing: integrity. “This goes for any industry you are in, but is especially meaningful in real estate where your reputation is
everything,” says the Senior Director at Berkadia. “Clients know they can trust me.”

McDade says she learned that early on while working across the desk from her father, legendary Houston broker Bill McDade. He also taught her the value of hard work.

“Keep listening. Keep learning. Keep calling. Keep pushing. He had a framed note on his wall for years that said ‘Press On,” she says. “I work hard. I do what I say I am going to do and then some.”
An added bonus is that McDade’s nearly two decades in commercial real estate have all been logged in her hometown of Houston.

 

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CCIM Luncheon May 11, 2017

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BY RAY HANKAMER
rhankamer@gmail.com

Speakers: Frank and Kirby Liu of POST HOUSTON; Jim Murnane of Imperial Market ‑ Sugar Land

POST HOUSTON:
Frank Liu and his son Kirby made a fascinating presentation of their plans to re-concept the old downtown Houston Central Post Office, located walking distance from the theatre district, and between I-10 and Buffalo Bayou.

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