Worldwide hotel sales are off to a strong start this year, with a total of $42 billion earned in the first half of 2015. Transactions have increased by 56 percent over the same period last year.
According to the Wall Street Journal, increased interest from Middle Eastern and Asian investors has driven sales. Investors are willing to take more risk for higher yields, since interest rates have remained low. Additionally, the article relates the growth to the number of sovereign-wealth funds and corporate investors that have entered the hotel market for the first time or simply increased exposure in 2015.