For the first time since 2009, the US hotel industry in 2020 is projected to have a non-growth year in revenue per available room (RevPAR), the industry’s standard measurement, according to STR and Tourism Economics, which released their forecast at The Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles. It projected flat growth in 2020 with a slight uptick in 2021. Amanda Hite, president of STR, said that 2019 was the industry’s worst year since the recession for RevPAR growth, which came in at an “uninspiring” 0.9% increase after nine years of “basically 3% or higher.” She said the good news was that it was another record year for demand and still saw RevPAR growth on top of an all-time high level. Hite said that concern continues around average daily rate (ADR), which has grown below the level of inflation for six straight quarters. Supply growth has been “manageable” in terms of total numbers, said Hite, but there has been a disproportionate amount of new inventory entering the limited service marketplace, which will put even more pressure on performance levels for that segment.