Defying the expectations of many, the U.S economy has demonstrated resilience driven in part by a solid employment report with stronger than expected wage growth during June, along with continued healthy levels of consumer spending. With this said, the U.S. economy has been slowed by the Federal Reserve’s aggressive drive to tame inflation through a series of interest rate hikes that began early last year. Although trending downward, with inflation remaining above its two percent target, the Federal Reserve is on track to raise interest rates again this month and mull another hike as soon as September. Despite elevated inflation, which is now easing, and ongoing fears of impending economic recession, unemployment rates remain low, and Americans continue to spend money on goods, services, and experiences.
The Meet the Money® 2023 conference wrapped up earlier this month, after 3 days of informative panel discussions exploring opportunities, challenges, and trends in the hospitality industry. The summaries below outline discussions our experts and executives presented to an audience of hotel owners, developers, investors, lenders and operators.