Host Hotels (HST) Q2 Revenue Jumps 8%

Globe and Mail

6 days ago

Key Points
Revenue (GAAP) for Q2 2025 reached $1,586 million, topping GAAP expectations by $76.0 million and up 8.2% compared to the prior year (GAAP).
Though down 5.9% from the same period in 2024.
Comparable hotel RevPAR increased 3.0% in Q2 2025 (non-GAAP) as transient demand offset weaker group trends, while Margins fell in Q2 2025 due to lower insurance proceeds and rising wages.
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Host Hotels & Resorts (NASDAQ:HST), the largest lodging real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on luxury and upper-upscale hotels, published its Q2 2025 results on July 30, 2025. The headline news was a revenue figure of $1.59 billion (GAAP) for Q2 2025, well ahead of analyst expectations for $1.51 billion (GAAP) revenue in Q2 2025. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) landed at $0.32, but marking a slight dip from last year's $0.34. While revenue and adjusted earnings were robust, Margins tightened in Q2 2025 due to lower insurance proceeds and rising wage costs. Overall, the quarter reflected solid top-line growth and strong operating execution—even as profitability came under some pressure in Q2 2025.
Source: Analyst estimates provided by FactSet. Management expectations based on management's guidance, as provided in Q1 2025 earnings report.
Business Overview and Key Priorities
Host Hotels & Resorts owns a portfolio of 81 luxury and upper-upscale hotels as of February 21, 2025, mainly located in top U.S. urban and resort destinations, plus a handful of international assets. Its hotels operate under premium brands such as Marriott, Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, and Four Seasons. Host generates most of its revenue from hotel operations, including room sales, food and beverage, and events, rather than from direct property development or leasing.
Recent years have seen the company sharpen its focus on owning a geographically diverse portfolio and maintaining a strong investment-grade balance sheet. Management closely monitors market trends, reinvests heavily in property upgrades, and uses enterprise analytics to benchmark performance and improve returns. Key success factors include capturing high-value demand across business, leisure, and group segments, staying ahead on renovations, and balancing capital allocation between growth investments and shareholder returns.
Quarter in Review: Notable Financial and Operational Trends
The second quarter brought several standout results. Total revenue (GAAP) reached $1.59 billion in Q2 2025, up 8.2% from the prior-year period and outpacing expectations by 5.0%. This outperformance was supported by both room and food-and-beverage revenue, as well as a notable rebound in leisure travel. Comparable hotel revenue increased 4.2% in Q2 2025 (non-GAAP), and comparable hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) grew by 3.0% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. RevPAR is a core metric in hospitality calculated as room revenues divided by the available room nights.—indicating both pricing power and demand.
Performance varied across segments. Transient business (rooms rented to individual travelers and vacationers) grew with a 1.6% year-over-year increase in room nights and a 6.8% rise in related revenue. The contract segment, representing corporate room blocks and airline crew contracts, also saw double-digit gains in both nights and revenue. Group business faced some headwinds: group room nights fell 6.1%, and group revenue declined 4.9%. Management attributed this in part to planned hotel renovations, which disrupted group volumes, especially in Maui, and a short-term shift in business mix away from group bookings. Despite these group pressures, total demand for leisure and contract customers remained healthy.
Geographically, certain markets were standouts. Maui led the portfolio with an 18.6% surge in comparable hotel RevPAR. Miami, Atlanta, San Francisco/San Jose, and New York also delivered double-digit RevPAR or Total RevPAR increases. On the flip side, key markets such as Washington, D.C. (Central Business District), Nashville, and Austin underperformed, posting comparable hotel RevPAR declines between 7.3% and 40.9%. Host's diverse portfolio helped balance these swings, mitigating the impact of any single region.
Profitability trends revealed both strengths and vulnerabilities. Adjusted EBITDAre, a measure of hotel-level earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and real estate gains or losses, grew to $496 million—up 3.1% compared to the second quarter of 2024. However, the margin story was less favorable: both comparable hotel EBITDA margin and GAAP operating margin declined compared to the prior year. The comparable hotel EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) slipped to 31.0% from 32.2% in Q2 2024, mainly due to lower insurance recoveries and higher wage expenses. Food and beverage profit margin also dropped by 1.5 percentage points to 34.5% compared to Q2 2024. Management expects margin pressure to persist in 2025 as insurance proceeds normalize and labor costs continue to rise. GAAP net income for Q2 2025 was $225 million, down 7.0% year over year, largely attributed to lower gains from insurance settlements rather than core operations.
From a capital management perspective, Host continued to prioritize both reinvestment and shareholder returns. It sold The Westin Cincinnati for $60 million, removing a property with hefty upcoming capital needs, and recorded a $21 million gain on the sale. The company repurchased 6.7 million shares for $105 million, leaving $480 million in remaining authorization for future buybacks as of June 30, 2025. It also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, consistent with previous quarters and reflecting ongoing commitment to capital return.
Asset reinvestment was another theme. Through the first half of 2025, $298 million was spent on capital projects. Of this, $109 million went to high-ROI renovations for the year-to-date ended June 30, 2025, $129 million to routine replacements and renewals for the year-to-date ended June 30, 2025, and $60 million to reconstruction (mainly related to storm recovery). The major property upgrade program—the Hyatt Transformational Capital Program—accounted for $54 million year-to-date, targeting further improvements across several core assets. Management noted that recently renovated hotels have consistently outperformed peers, with some renovations driving an average RevPAR index share gain of over 8.9 points.
Host ended the quarter with $13.0 billion in total assets and $2.3 billion in available liquidity. The company refinanced $500 million in maturing notes at a higher interest rate in May 2025 to extend its debt maturities, with average debt now maturing in 5.4 years at an average cost of 4.9% as of June 30, 2025.
Looking Ahead: Guidance and Investor Watchpoints
Management raised its financial outlook for FY2025, reflecting the strong first-half results and outperformance seen in the quarter. Revenue guidance under GAAP now stands at $6,054–$6,109 million for 2025, up 6.5%–7.5% compared to 2024. Net income (GAAP) is targeted at $601–$631 million for FY2025, with adjusted EBITDAre of $1,690–$1,720 million for the full year and comparable hotel RevPAR growth of 1.5%–2.5% over 2024. The company expects full-year comparable hotel EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) to range from 28.4% to 28.7%, slightly down from last year, as wage increases and normalized insurance proceeds weigh on profitability.
Management also noted ongoing sensitivity to RevPAR swings: a 1 percentage point change in RevPAR can move annual net income and Adjusted EBITDAre by $32–$37 million, based on 2025 guidance. Guidance also calls for capital expenditures of $590–$660 million for the full year, with a continued focus on ROI-driven renovations and property renewals. Investors should continue to monitor trends in group bookings, business mix, and cost inflation, as well as any shifts in market-level demand in cities like Washington, D.C, and Austin. Host's portfolio resilience and strong balance sheet are key watchpoints in sustaining dividend payments and shareholder returns.
The quarterly dividend was maintained at $0.20 per share.
Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.
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