The apartment market isn’t the only CRE sector on a hot streak. Rising business and leisure travel, fueled in part by lower gas prices, is filling up hotel rooms across the country, with full-year revenue per available room (RevPAR) projected to increase by 5 percent in 2016. And while construction activity in the Chicago area has slowed in 2016, it’s expected to ramp up again next year, with thousands of rooms in the pipeline. Which hotel concepts are faring best, and how long will the growth continue? Mark Zettl, chief operating officer at Taylor Johnson client Waterton, offered insights and predictions in a recent interview with REJournals.com.

Hotel lobbies have become “engagement centers” that encourage guests to spend more time socializing in common areas, says Waterton COO Mark Zettl.