Feb 26, 2026
Conversions still beat new construction in a lot of markets right now, so I wanted to get specific on what Bruce Ford sees across the Americas pipeline.
I talked with Bruce Ford (SVP, Lodging Econometrics) about where projects are moving, where they’re stalling, and what owners/operators/investors should watch in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the U.S. for #NoVacancyNews.
Here’s what we
cover:
🏗️ Canada shows roughly 2x as many renovation/conversion rooms as rooms
under construction
🇨🇦 Bruce explains where he still sees room to grow in Canada,
especially upper midscale and upscale
🌎 In Latin America, he points to uneven activity, with stronger
momentum in Mexico than some other markets
🏝️ We talk Caribbean resort redevelopment, including repositioning
and storm-related rebuild activity
🏨 Bruce explains why soft brands matter when owners want local
character plus distribution power
🇺🇸 In the U.S., renovations/conversions still run at about
2x rooms under
construction
📉 He says the market likely needs another rate cut or two before
more projects move into the ground
⚽ We also hit World Cup city activity and why smart developers
don’t build around one event alone
💬 Bruce asks what topics you want next: cities, regions, new
construction, renovations, or broader real estate trends
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