Hotel Cap Rates: Adjusting to a New Reality

Erich Baum | May 22, 2024

By Erich Baum A capitalization rate (“cap rate”) is a shorthand expression of a given investment’s return and represents the weighted average return to the debt and equity positions. As detailed in this article, hotel cap rates are higher than they’ve been in recent years and are unlikely to decline anytime soon. Component Parts A cap rate can be constructed using the “band-of-investment” technique, requiring assumptions as to both debt financing terms and the equity investor’s return requirement, measured by the dividend (cash on cash) rate. The following table identifies this technique using typical pre-pandemic inputs fo...