Market Trends

😍 Marcel Proust, a novelist known for exploring "involuntary memory," believed simple cues like food or smell can trigger complex memories. Scent marketing, aligning a brand with a signature fragrance, is used by companies to strengthen consumer relationships. For example, Langham Hotels & Resorts' Ginger Flower fragrance embodies its luxury motif. Integra Fragrances CEO Lorenzo Cotti emphasizes staying current with perfumery trends for relevancy. HD Fragrances, partnering with luxury French hotels, created four unique scents for Anantara Plaza Nice over six months. Maison 21G, collaborating with hotels, believes in scent variety for different spaces and local ingredient use. Integra's seasonal scents at Rome Cavalieri and a Christmas fragrance enhance guest experiences. Scent marketing can increase on-site spending and create additional revenue through retail offerings of branded products like candles or perfumes. Integra also designs diffusion systems with air quality sensors, offering guests take-home fragrance collections to extend their experience. Scent marketing allows hotels to establish memorable connections with guests.

;🎵 Abdul Baaghil, co-founder of Harvest Cotton Tail, discusses hiring strategies in a podcast episode supported by Sojern, a marketing platform for hotels. Listeners can engage with Hospitality Daily via YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, or subscribe for daily episode insights. Music for the show is by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound.

🧀 Whipped feta, a creamy variation of feta cheese blended with Greek yogurt and olive oil, has seen a 106% increase in restaurant menu appearances over the past four years. With its Greek origins, this cheese is suitable for Mediterranean cuisines. Though not specified, whipped feta's popularity is most significant among millennials, with 47% of the population aware of it and 20% having tried it. It can be topped with honey, roasted vegetables, and spicy oils, often shared on social media.

🛠 Abdul Baaghil, co-founder of Harvest Cotton Tail, reveals his evolution from hotel lobby enthusiast to hospitality industry innovator on March 3, 2025. His ideas aim to benefit businesses and their clientele within the hospitality sector. Baaghil shared his insights and experiences on the "Hospitality Daily Podcast.

💰 Amadeus, a Spain-based travel tech company, reported a 13% revenue increase to €6.1 billion in 2024, with EBITDA also rising 13% to €2.3 billion and profit up 20% to €1.3 billion. Air Distribution sales climbed 11% to €2.9 billion, while Air IT Solutions grew 16% to €2.2 billion. Hospitality Solutions revenue saw a 12% growth reaching €991 million. Strategic moves included partnerships with Air France-KLM and Accor, and acquisitions of Vision-Box and Voxel. For 2025, Amadeus forecasts revenue growth between 9-13% (€6.69-€6.94 billion) and EBITDA increasing up to 12% (€2.49-€2.61 billion).

🏖 Booking.com led the online travel booking market in January 2025, boasting 560.23 million visits. Competitors trailed, with Tripadvisor garnering 129.47 million visits, Airbnb with 104.03 million, Trip.com closely following at 104 million, and American Express capturing 102.44 million visits, emphasizing its niche in travel financial services. The data underscores the significance of comprehensive accommodation offerings, trusted reviews, and user-friendly booking systems in attracting travelers.

📰 The March/April 2025 digital edition of HOTELS magazine features Corinthia Hotels’ CEO Simon Casson discussing new openings, deals and expectations. Highlights include ALIS 2025 insights, significance of key money in hotel deals, Waldorf Astoria New York’s reopening under managing director Luigi Romaniello, and the impact of scent marketing on revenue.

🏨 ARLINGTON, Virginia—U.S. hotel industry's mixed performance in the week of February 16-22, 2025: Occupancy at 60.3% (↓2.7%), ADR at $159.90 (↑2.5%), RevPAR at $96.49 (↓0.3%). Los Angeles led with occupancy ↑10.4% to 74.8% and RevPAR ↑16.7% to $147.34. New Orleans ADR jumped ↑10.9% to $197.41. Las Vegas faced the steepest declines with occupancy ↓14.3% to 69.6%, ADR ↓8.4% to $170.83, and RevPAR ↓21.4% to $118.86.

🍴 Located in Chelsea, London, Kahani, a Michelin-starred restaurant founded by Chef Patron Peter Joseph, offers a contemporary Indian dining experience. Key dishes include Berry Papdi Chaat, Kolkata Beetroot Chop, and Tandoori Peshawari Lamb Chops, paired with select wines like the 2020 Tapanappa Chardonnay and 2017 Domaine Chanson Pinot Noir. The restaurant features modern minimalism and an open kitchen, showcasing India's diverse culinary heritage through a modern lens with bold flavors and traditional spices.