By Jonathan Phelps, New Hampshire Union Leader
Hotel bookings are expected to continue to increase as business travel slowly returns to pre-pandemic levels.
After a several-year wait because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the developer of a proposed Home 2 Suites by Hilton to be built at 270 S. River Road in Bedford is ready to start the project after receiving new approvals last month — a sign of new growth.
A national Hilton executive thinks business travel will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. Others are less optimistic.
The Home 2 Suites was first approved by the Bedford Planning Board in April 2019, but was put on hold.
“The COVID issue hit, and the hotel business just went flat,” said Jeff Kevan of TFMoran, who represented Akhil Hotel Group at a planning board meeting last month.
The company said business has started to pick up in the past year and hopes to start construction as soon as possible, but the approvals had lapsed and needed to be reapproved. The board approved the plan on April 18.
Hilton Worldwide reported record numbers last summer and is expecting a similar turnout this year, Hilton Worldwide CFO Kevin Jacobs told Yahoo Finance. While it’s been mostly a leisure-led recovery, he expects corporate travel to return to near pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.
Mike Somers, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, said hotel bookings for business travel are “trickling back.” Some say pre-pandemic levels might not return to 2024, he said.
Extended stay hotels often draw workers who are working on longer-terms projects in the region or take temporary jobs.
“I think that business is pretty robust,” Somers said. “It’s not where it was prior to the pandemic, but it’s been steady.”
Hotel stays for leisure travel have been strong, industry leaders have said.
