on The relationship between hospitality companies and online travel agencies (OTAs) has widely fluctuated over the past two decades. The industry’s responses to the threat of OTAs have thus far had limited impact. This article explores a more drastic solution: vertical integration. When OTAs emerged in the late 90’s, many hospitality companies held a positive outlook… Continue Reading Frenemies: Is Vertical Integration the Answer to OTAs?
on Companies look inland for improvement. The third in a series of articles on how changes in port infrastructure and development can impact industrial real estate. The first article addressed the need for government authorities to prioritize spending on port infrastructure. The second article addressed the shifting role of rural river ports in communities. To read… Continue Reading Inland Possibilities
on Photo Credit: Commons Retail properties in the US are sliding again. After two years of more favorable investor sentiment, retail has become the lowest ranked property type in 2017 amongst investors, developers, and retail operators. There are however, some areas in retail that standout against these falling figures. One retail type seems to be doing… Continue Reading Dollar Stores: Finding a Multi-billion Dollar Niche
on Last Thursday, Paul MacPherson returned to Cornell for his second time as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series. Paul is the Executive Vice President of Global Business and Real Estate Development of Kerzner International in Dubai. He has lived in Dubai for 12 years and his visit was in anticipation of the Second-year Baker student’s international… Continue Reading DSS Wrap-up: Paul MacPherson Returns to Ready Students for Dubai Trek
on As many retailers continue to face reduced sales and store closures due to Amazon and other e-commerce alternatives, several of the big box names are pushing back with a combined tactic of partnering with Google, closing down and converting underperforming stores into distribution fulfillment centers, and focusing on growing stores near… Continue Reading The Future of the Big-Box Industry with E-Commerce
on The importance of rivers is pervasive in urban history. Rivers initially provided humans with a source of food (fish) and fresh water, but most importantly allowed for agriculture which provided for the growth of substantial urban populations. In the United States, the major growth of cities took place during a global period of rapid industrialization,… Continue Reading Taking Back the Riverfront in America’s Largest Cities
on Often times Cornell alumni within the real industry return to campus to speak to current students about the work they are doing. A couple of weeks ago, Preston Mendenhall, Class of ‘93, Head of Corporate Affairs at Rendeavour was on campus to talk to students about the work the company is doing throughout sub-Saharan Africa… Continue Reading Looking at Africa as the Next Emerging Real Estate Market
on When I was working at Deloitte, many of our clients that were US based real estate investment management companies approached us to help structure exits for their investments in India. The regulations laid down several restrictions on foreign investors. The added layer of complexity was the absence of a mechanism for absorption of stabilized product.… Continue Reading Office investment activity in India
on The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into place in 1993, with a goal to reduce trading costs, increase business investment and help North America be more competitive in the global marketplace. The agreement is between Canada, the United States and Mexico, and put into place policies to facilitate cross border activity of… Continue Reading How Can NAFTA Negotiations Impact Industrial Real Estate?
on Once each year, real estate professionals from across the country come together for one of the largest gatherings in the industry: the ULI Fall Meeting. One of the principal goals of this meeting is to bring together professionals from every sector of real estate and encourage them to engage in discussions with thought leaders about… Continue Reading A Baker’s Experience at the 2017 ULI Fall Meeting