Increased travel, tourism fueling surge in hotel construction
Hundreds of new hotels are rising across the United States as the lodging industry seeks to cash in on rising room rates and strong demand from travelers.

The number of hotel rooms under construction in July jumped 20 percent from a year earlier, a report from industry tracker Smith Travel Research shows. More than 196,000 rooms at more than 2,000 hotels will open within two years. That's the highest number of new rooms in the pipeline in more than seven years.

For travelers, the boom will provide more lodging selections in many markets. In some places, including San Antonio and Phoenix, the buildup of hotel rooms could push down rates, says Jan Freitag, Smith vice president. But in the two markets with the most rooms under construction - Las Vegas and New York - traveler demand is so strong that room rates should continue increasing, Freitag says.

Arizona Republic