Market Trends

📅 In a recent reflection, Arturo Blas discussed the homogenization of short-term rentals in Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico. He highlighted the trend of rentals lacking local cultural identity, making them indistinguishable worldwide. This approach, while perceived as modern, relies heavily on catalog furniture and overlooks local craftsmanship. Blas argues that unique, culturally-rich rentals can attract guests despite less central locations, boosting local economies by showcasing artisans and designers often excluded by generic rental models.

📈 In November 2026, CHICOS will host its 15th annual conference in The Bahamas, highlighting over 200 hospitality projects across the Caribbean, led by the Dominican Republic with 103 projects. Nearly 60% of these are luxury or upper-upscale hotels, with 71.1% of keys in the same category. The Caribbean's top markets, The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos, host 40.6% of branded residences. Jamaica features a higher keys-to-projects ratio, reflecting its upscale market scale.

📚 NEWH, Inc. will award $57,500 in scholarships at BDNY in New York City from November 6-9, 2026. Scholarships include $15,000 to Margaret McMillan, $10,000 to Yaman Kartay, and $5,000 to Sejal Senorita Dsouza, among others. Key events: Platinum Circle Awards Gala, booth #373, Power Players Breakfast, and Gold Key Awards. Stacy Garcia will receive the ICON of Industry honor. Founded in 1984, NEWH fosters student involvement in hospitality design.

📈 In January 2026, MOA Berlin, hosting over 1,000 events annually, left Accor after a decade. Located in Berlin, it offers 336 rooms and 40 modular meeting rooms across 7,500 square meters. Initially a shopping mall, it transformed into the second-largest conference hotel under Alexander Wendeln, Laurence Mehl, and Johannes Rohde. MOA now invests franchise cost savings in quality and marketing, questioning the added value versus cost of major hotel chains.

🍴 Saladplate, part of Informa Markets, serves the Hospitality, Food, and Beverage industry. It offers weekly news, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-monthly e-magazine. The platform connects users with over 10,000 brands and products. It also keeps users updated on more than 35 international trade events, providing insights into industry trends and innovations.

🏠 Oct 12, 2026 – Booking.com's apartment listings increased 8% this year, reaching 9.1 million, but nights booked grew only 4%. In Q2 2026, apartment nights rose 4% versus 5% for the entire group. Eurostat recorded a 5.3% growth in European rental bookings in Q2 2026, down from 17.8% a year earlier. Booking Holdings attributes the slower growth to regional and domestic trips, as well as market shifts towards Agoda, Priceline, and US hotels.

💰 Emburse's data shows that hotel nights in ten US cities grew 16.6% in H1 2026, with corporate lodging spend rising from $14.5M to $16.72M, while per-night expenses decreased from $292 to $289. Growth slowed to under 2% by August, with first quarter at 21.4% and second at 11.9%. The data, from 586 companies, is used for negotiating budgets and supplier rates. Emburse's figures are not US market-representative and may be revised.

🌎 Dubai welcomed approximately 869,000 international visitors in August 2026, marking its best month since February. From January to August, visitor numbers totaled 6.97 million, down 44% from 12.54 million in 2025. August’s dip narrowed to 37%, with 1.37 million visitors in August 2025. Hotel occupancy hit 66%, 89% of 2025 levels. Western Europe (20%) led visitor origins, followed by South Asia (17%) and the Gulf countries (16%). Emirates restored 97% of its network, while Air France resumed Dubai flights on August 26.

🏨 The U.S.-Iran war impacts the Gulf hotel market, dividing it into two segments. In August and September, UAE city hotels cut room rates by 15%-20% to maintain occupancy within 5% of targets, while Gulf resorts benefit from a surge in leisure travelers. Accor CEO Duncan O’Rourke notes city hotels in the UAE struggle, echoing a similar trend in Saudi Arabia, with Jeddah and Riyadh hotels slightly trailing last year's performance due to weakened corporate travel.