Hotel Owner

New hotel investment viability tool launched

A new interactive software package for hotel investors was recently launched to great acclaim at the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin.

HINT – or Hotel Investment Tool – by AECOM unites the expertise of the company’s cost consultancy and economics teams to create an online tool that makes it possible to see how an investment can be balanced against potential income within seconds.

“Because it provides an instant glimpse of whether a project may be sound, we hoped that HINT would capture people’s imaginations and inspire confidence in the marketplace, but the response has exceeded all expectations and has been phenomenally positive,” commented AECOM’s vice president for the global leisure and culture business Kevin Underwood.

“The hotel industry has proved to be extremely resilient and agile during the global economic downturn, however investment has slowed. Understandably, there is greater caution than five or 10 years ago, but we know there are opportunities too. HINT incorporates reliable and recognized industry data to provide developers with an instant glimpse of what’s possible.”

HINT factors in basics, such as location, type of hotel and number of rooms, before it assesses cost variables like shell and core construction costs; land price; professional fees; furniture; fittings and equipment; and additional items. The information is then balanced with anticipated room rates, occupancy levels and non-room revenues before displaying profitability levels.

To see how HINT works, a simplified version of the tool is now available at www.aecom.com/hint