Turning Plates into Profit: Reclaiming the Power of Hotel F&B

Early in my career, I spent a lot of time in food and beverage. I worked nearly every position and every shift. I was fortunate to have mentors who did not just teach the mechanics of the business, but the value behind it. They made it clear that food and beverage was not there to fill space. It was there to perform. I learned how to market to guests already in the building. I learned how to position a restaurant so it felt like a choice, not a convenience. Most importantly, I learned that when you get it right, the guest responds. They spend more. They stay engaged. They come back. That lesson still applies, but it is not being applied consistently across our industry. There was a time when hotel restaurants and bars mattered more than they do today. They were part of the reason people chose a hotel. They were part of the local community. Over time, we lost ground. Independent restaurants became more relevant, more creative, and more aggressive in going after the guest. At the same time, the growth of Select Service hotels lowered the overall focus on F&B. The result is what we see now: F&B outlets that are underutilized, under marketed, and under managed. The operating environment has also become more difficult. Food costs are up. Labor is harder to manage and more expensive. Guests have more options, and they expect more from every dining decision they make. That combination has pushed many operators to treat F&B as something to contain rather than something to build. If anything, the environment today requires more discipline and more attention, not less. Food and beverage should be managed with the same level of focus as rooms revenue. It has a direct impact on performance, and it is one of the few areas where we can still create a clear point of differentiation. When it is done right, F&B drives preference. Guests choose your hotel because the experience is better, not just because the room is available. This outcome shows up in occupancy, in rate, and in repeat business. It is not theoretical. It is measurable. And it starts with relevance. If the offering does not match the guest desires, the guest will leave the building to dine. That decision is made quickly, and once it is made, the revenue is gone. Operators must understand who their guest is and build an offering that fits. That includes the menu, the price point, and the experience. It also requires visibility. Too many guests walk through a hotel without a clear understanding of what is available to them. That is a failure at the property level. Team members should be talking about the outlet. The space should feel active and inviting. The messaging should be clear. None of that requires a major investment, but it does require attention. Execution matters just as much. A limited menu that is done well will outperform a broad menu that is inconsistent. Purchasing has

SAN DIEGO — Following the release of its 2025 performance data findings, Cloudbeds today shares the forward-looking analysis from its 2026 Independent Hotels Report, the industry’s most comprehensive annual benchmark, drawn from 90 million bookings across 180 countries. Where the data findings documented the performance shifts of 2025, this analysis examines the six macro trends that will determine which independent operators gain ground in 2026 and which fall further behind. The backdrop is a sector under real structural pressure. Global RevPAR for independent hotels declined 5.4% in 2025. OTA share of independent bookings rose to 63.4%. Labor now represents 60% of operating expenses, depending on the region. Against that context, the following trends represent both the sources of that pressure and, for operators who respond, the pathways through it. “2025 told many different stories for Independent hotels, and that divergence is only the beginning,” said Adam Harris, CEO of Cloudbeds. “With AI reshaping discovery, OTA dependence deepening, and margin pressure mounting, independent lodging has never needed clarity more. This report gives operators the sharpest view yet of the forces reshaping their market and most importantly, it provides a path forward.” Six Trends Shaping Independent Hotels in 2026 Beyond the 2025 benchmarks, the report identifies six macro trends that will determine competitive positioning in 2026 and beyond: Margins Under Pressure: The Era of Profit Discipline The post-pandemic revenue surge that masked operational inefficiencies has faded. Labor now represents 47-60% of operating expenses, depending on region, and OTA acquisition costs have grown faster than RevPAR since 2019. The strongest operators in 2026 are shifting their focus from top-line rate growth to bottom-line profitability, incorporating GOPPAR (gross operating profit per available room) alongside RevPAR to ensure performance is measured not just by what a hotel earns, but by what it keeps. A Widening Gap: Luxury Climbs, Economy Stalls The lodging market is exhibiting a classic K-shaped dynamic: ultra-luxury RevPAR grew 10.6% in 2025, while U.S. economy hotels experienced 18 consecutive months of RevPAR declines. Short-term rental platforms captured additional share from the budget segment. The report identifies "premiumization," or the strategic elevation of guest experience beyond room upgrades, as accessible even to non-luxury properties, and essential for operators seeking to drive yield in a bifurcated market. The Rise of Micro-Segments: Intent Replaces Demographics Traditional market segments are fragmenting into smaller, purpose-driven clusters. Event-driven travelers are building trips around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Winter Olympics in Italy, and major concert tours. Restorative travelers seek wellness retreats, "quietcations," and slow travel. Social-led travelers, represented by more than half of Gen Z and millennials, discover, book, and share trips within the same digital platforms. For independent hotels, each micro-segment represents a distinct demand opportunity that rewards specificity in positioning and programming. The Discovery Reset: Generative AI Rewrites Hotel Visibility The channel through which travelers find hotels is fundamentally changing. The share of U.S. travelers using traditional search engines for trip planning fell from 51% to 36% in a single year, while use of generative

Thursday's data tells a divided story: U.S. construction has now contracted for 15 straight months while Europe posts a €27 billion investment year, and a sharp opinion piece asks why hotels run empty for six hours every day. U.S. Hotel Construction Down 15 Consecutive Months as Greater China Doubles Fairfield Footprint CoStar data shows U.S. hotel construction has now declined for 15 straight months, with 136,990 rooms currently under construction. Luxury is the only segment with meaningful percentage growth, up 4.5%, while every other tier sits flat or contracting. The 15-month run is the longest sustained pullback since the post-2008 cycle, and it lines up with this week's earlier Q1 pipeline data showing supply growth holding at just 1.4%. The contrast with Asia Pacific is sharp. Marriott opened the 100th Fairfield in Greater China this week, doubling the brand's regional presence since 2024, with new expansion targets including Zhangjiajie. Where U.S. operators are choosing yield over volume and waiting out construction costs, the major chains are putting up midscale and upper midscale flags across China at a pace U.S. development cannot match. The geographic split is now structural, not cyclical. Read the analysis → European Hotel Investment Hit €27 Billion in FY 2025, But RevPAR Grew Just 2% The Market Beat Europe report shows hotel investment volume jumped 23% to €27 billion in 2025, the highest level since the pre-pandemic peak. The capital is moving back into European hotel real estate at scale, with cross-border activity and platform deals doing the heavy lifting. The market has clearly decided European hotels are an attractive asset class again. The operating side tells a different story. RevPAR grew only 2% across the year, and occupancy remained 1.5 points below 2019 levels, meaning the recovery on the operations line is still incomplete six years on. The gap between investor enthusiasm and underlying performance is now wide enough to matter, particularly for owners modelling exit scenarios on yield assumptions that the operating data does not yet support. Read the analysis → Hotels Sit Empty Six Hours a Day at Full Operational Cost An opinion piece pushes hard on a revenue gap most operators treat as fixed: hotels run for four to six hours every day with rooms sitting empty between checkout and check-in, while staff, energy, and overhead costs continue at full rate. The piece argues that daytime bookings, whether for workspace, day-use rooms, or short-stay leisure, can generate 30 to 40% higher ancillary spend than overnight stays because daytime guests are awake, on-property, and using F&B and amenities. The framing matters because it reframes a structural cost as a structural opportunity. With labor costs per occupied room rising and supply growth muted, operators looking for incremental revenue without capex are running out of obvious levers. Daytime utilization is one of the few that does not require new product, only a different distribution channel and a willingness to disrupt the standard arrival cycle. Read the analysis → Signals Travel Dreams 2026 finds AI investment averaging

Mexico City, Mexico, April 30, 2026 – Shiji, the global leader in hospitality technology, announced today that 3C Hotels , one of Colombia’s most dynamic hotel operators, has selected Shiji’s Full Stack solution, including Daylight PMS , Stellaris Digital Stay , and Infrasys POS , to support its rapid expansion. The implementation will span eight properties, beginning with new hotel openings in May 2026, and will provide a centralized, cloud-based platform designed to unify guest data, enhance personalization, and enable scalable growth across multiple destinations. Delivered in collaboration with local partner HORA, this partnership marks a key milestone in 3C Hotels’ strategy to reach 15 properties by 2027 and expand into international markets. With more than 15 years of experience, 3C Hotels operates a multi-brand portfolio that includes proprietary brands such as GIO Hotels & Suites and POP ART. The company currently manages nine hotels across six key destinations in Colombia, including Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, Manizales, and Valledupar. As the company continues its strong growth trajectory, it identified the need for a more robust, scalable, and standardized technology ecosystem capable of supporting increasing operational complexity while ensuring consistency in service delivery and guest experience across all properties. “3C Hotels represents a new generation of hospitality leaders in Latin America, forward-thinking, growth-oriented, and deeply committed to guest experience.” said Diego Rebecca, General Manager for Shiji Latin America. “With our full stack platform, they can unify operations, leverage a single guest profile, and scale efficiently across multiple destinations while maintaining the high standards their guests expect.” Shiji’s platform enables centralized configuration at the chain level, allowing rapid replication across properties while maintaining operational consistency. A single, unified database for guests, clients, and suppliers enhances data visibility, strengthens guest knowledge, and supports more strategic decision-making. The solution incorporates key capabilities such as web check-in, CRM, and loyalty program integration, empowering 3C Hotels to deliver highly personalized guest experiences and optimize conversion throughout the entire customer journey. Built on a cloud-native architecture, the platform ensures high availability, continuous connectivity, and robust data security standards, critical for a growing hotel group preparing for international expansion. The rollout will begin with two new hotel openings in May 2026, followed by implementation across the remaining properties throughout the year. “At 3C Hotels, we are committed to combining operational excellence with innovative technology to deliver outstanding guest experiences.” said Martha Isabel Soto, Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at 3C Hotels. “As we continue to grow across Colombia and beyond, we needed a platform that could scale with us while maintaining consistency across our properties. Shiji’s full stack solution provides the flexibility, centralized control, and guest-centric capabilities we were looking for.” This collaboration underscores the growing importance of integrated, guest-centric technology in enabling hotel groups to scale efficiently while maintaining high standards of service and operational excellence. By leveraging Shiji’s full-stack platform and HORA’s local expertise as Shiji’s regional representative, 3C Hotels is strengthening its competitive position in Colombia and reinforcing its broader growth strategy across Latin America.

TORONTO – Canada’s business travel and meetings market is gaining momentum, according to analysis and insights shared about the sector by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) during its 2026 Canada Conference , held April 27-29 at The Westin Harbour Castle. GBTA research shows that despite ongoing global uncertainty and economic pressures, business travel remains a critical driver of economic growth, innovation and face-to-face collaboration in Canada and beyond. Business travel continues to prove its resilience and relevance worldwide, and Canada is no exception. Our data shows that in-person meetings remain unmatched in driving business outcomes, making smart investment in travel essential as Canada continues to punch above its weight as part of the global business travel economy. Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA GBTA welcomed nearly 700 registered attendees from seven countries. This included 195 corporate travel managers from 136 organizations, representing a combined, self-reported $4 billion CAD in annual travel spending. Of the registered attendees, 214 attended the Conference for the first time, including 37% of corporate travel managers. Within the sold-out expo hall, 72 companies exhibited, including 15 for the first time. GBTA’s Canada Conference, now in its 22 nd year, featured main stage presentations, panel discussions and education sessions, all geared toward advancing the region’s business travel sector and its professionals. Canada’s Business Travel Growth Continues; Strong Economic Impact in Toronto In a featured main stage presentation, Neufang and Janette Acosta Sanchez, Country Director, GBTA Canada, unveiled new research reflecting the resilience of business travel, globally and in Canada, along with its significant economic contribution in Toronto. According to new analysis from the GBTA Business Travel Index (“BTI”), Canada ranked as the world’s 12th‑largest business travel market in 2025, up from 13th in 2024. Business travel spending in Canada was estimated to grow 9.6% in 2025, exceeding the 6.6% projected global growth rate. For 2026 , total business travel and meetings spending is projected to reach $40.1 billion CAD , a 4.3% year-over-year increase. Based on BTI survey findings, Canadian business travelers say they average 3.2 nights per trip, with most travel driven by conventions and conferences along with seminars and training. Sixty percent extended a business trip for leisure, while 83% say business travel is worthwhile to achieving their business objectives. GBTA also unveiled data from its upcoming International Business Travel Economic Impact Study outlining municipal economic impact of business travel among 25 of the world’s most popular business travel destinations. Based on 2024 data, business travel to and within Toronto generated $4.3 billion USD in industry‑driven revenue, including $586 million USD in tax contributions. More than half (53%) of every additional dollar spent on business travel remained in the local economy, supporting 21,282 jobs . GBTA estimates that business travel to and within Toronto also generated $1.3 billion USD in local value‑added revenue in 2024, reinforcing the city’s role as a key destination for meetings and events. “In Canada, business travel fuels local economies, supports jobs and enables the collaboration and innovation organizations rely on