U.S. hotels' 2012 capital expenditures for improved amenities and services will total $5 billion, up 33 percent from 2011,

according to New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality dean Bjorn Hanson. U.S. hotel capital spending steadily has increased since 2010 and is nearing pre-recession levels. Capital expenditures this year include such improvements as in-room iPads, expanded business centers, new restaurant concepts to appeal to younger travelers and new meeting room technology.