Topic: How To Invest

Q: Hi Pat. Can you please give me your take on American Hotel Income Properties REIT? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: American Hotel Income Properties REIT, $7.37, symbol HOT.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 78.1 million; Market cap: $575.1 million, www.ahipreit.com), owns 112 hotels, comprising over 11,523 rooms in 33 U.S. states. American Hotel began trading in February 2013, after it sold 10.1 million units to the public at $10.00 each. The REIT operates in two segments: The Premium Branded Hotels business consists of 67 hotels, with 7,684 guestrooms. Those properties are primarily located in secondary markets under some of the world’s leading hotel brand partners such as Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group, Choice Hotels International and Wyndham Hotel Group. The Economy Lodging Hotels business consists of 45 hotels (comprised of 3,839 guestrooms) that cater primarily to mobile workforce employees in the transportation, construction, and resource industries. This includes four of the biggest North American railway companies: Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX and Canadian Pacific. American Hotel believes this is a profitable niche market, as contracts with large railways keep occupancy rates high relative to…