Market Trends

🌸 Sakura season celebrated in Japan signifies renewal, peace, and friendship, typically occurring between March and April. Tokyo's Ueno Park is a prime viewing location. The Hotel New Otani Tokyo offers proximity to cherry blossoms with a 400-year-old Japanese Garden. Amanemu resort in Ago Bay provides an exclusive onsen experience alongside cultural activities. Gora Kadan in Hakone offers traditional Japanese hospitality with hot springs and kaiseki meals. Sushi Shin by Miyakawa in the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo allows guests to interact with chefs and features ancient woodwork techniques. Wellness trends like head spas, exemplified by Hitotoki Head Spa, offer relaxation and treatments for head and soul. Hospitality careers in Japan require skills such as interpersonal communication, multicultural understanding, organizational proficiency, customer service excellence, and leadership abilities. Hospitality degrees from institutions like Glion can pave the way for success in the industry.

🏢 Luxury industry customers pay $15,000 for an Hermès bag for the feeling, not practicality. The luxury sector faces challenges with generational shifts, such as less brand loyalty among GenZ. To engage new consumers, luxury brands build communities and use storytelling. Hermès' HermèsFit gym toured internationally, including the US, Japan, Singapore, France, and China, blending fitness with fashion. Luxury brands also aim to enhance in-store and online customer experience to turn customers into brand ambassadors. Miriam Palà, with a decade of Customer Experience expertise, emphasizes empathy, shared corporate responsibility, and employee autonomy to succeed in Customer Experience strategies.

🌳 Oliver Heath collaborated with Forest Holidays, applying biophilic design at Glentress Forest to enhance the guest experience through a connection to nature. The Unfurl Collection features natural materials and layouts to promote well-being. Biophilic design, reflecting a location's ecological identity, aligns with the wellness trend in hospitality, a $651 billion market. This project, unique for its reflection of local ecology and B-Corp alignment, offers luxury hospitality insights on creating immersive nature-connected experiences.

📌 Leigh Silkunas, Founder and CEO of 1AX Consulting, was featured on the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Feb. 6, 2025. In the episode, she recounted her hospitality journey, from her early passion to her shift from revenue management to digital marketing. Silkunas highlighted the importance of mentorship, career development, and adapting to change. Her firm has supported over 500 hotels in enhancing their digital presence. The podcast episode offers insights for hospitality professionals looking to improve their skills and business approaches.

🏡 Mademoiselle Conciergerie doubled its portfolio value in 2024 by leveraging the eviivo property management system. Annual revenues soared from €470,000 in 2023 to over €1.2 million in 2024, with nearly 2,000 reservations. Direct bookings hit 40%, thanks to eviivo's financial insights. The company, founded in 2022, manages 25 luxury villas across a 250 km region in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. Co-founders Laetitia Denux and Erwann Deverdun offer bespoke stays, including services like private chefs and activities.

🏦 Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced the franchise agreement with Loughview Leisure Group for DoubleTree by Hilton Belfast City Ten Square. The hotel will undergo a multimillion refurbishment before opening later this year. Situated in Belfast's Linen Quarter, it's 11 minutes from George Best Belfast City Airport and 30 from Belfast International Airport. The property features 131 rooms and suites, several dining options including The Linen Bar, The Doffer, Jospers Steakhouse, and The Loft Lounge rooftop bar. Belfast houses over 1,000 international companies and saw £672 million from overseas tourism in 2023. This expansion follows other Hilton signings in Northern Ireland. Hilton Honors members get direct booking benefits.

🍴 Goodfellow & Goodfellow and TRUEfoods launched the Plated competition for UK chefs aged 30 or under, featuring a £10K prize and Michelin-starred judges like Jason Atherton. Submissions are due by March 10th, with a live final on April 26th at TRUEfoods Development Kitchen in Ripon, North Yorkshire. The winner receives £7,500, a trip to Costa Nova in Portugal, a Michelin-starred dining experience, a feature in Portfolio, and a Trophy Plate. Chefs can enter up to three times, with three images or videos each.

🏡 TPG Hotels & Resorts is set to reopen the Veranda House in Nantucket on April 1, 2025, after a full-scale restoration due to a 2022 fire. The historic building, originally established in 1684, offers 19 rooms and has been updated with amenities, ADA-compliant facilities, and new IT systems while preserving its historic character. The project was a collaboration with the Town of Nantucket and the Historic District Commission.