Market Trends

🌏 Lori Mukoyama, Global Hospitality Leader at Gensler, forecasts 2025 hospitality design trends on Jan. 24, 2025. Gensler's "2025 Design Forecast" provides insights for the future of the industry. The episode highlights technology's role in hospitality, with Shiji Group sponsoring, renowned for streamlining hotel operations and guest experience enhancements. Music for the show is by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound.

🏨 Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024, posting a record total revenue of $2.7 billion, a 16% increase from 2023. Repeat stay revenue rose to $1.6 billion, up 15%, and cross-brand stays jumped nearly 30% to $370 million. Membership in GHA's Discovery loyalty program grew by 18% to over 30 million. GHA network expanded to 45 brands, 850 hotels, with seven new brands added in 2024, including Cheval Collection, Sunway Hotels & Resorts, and Paramount Hotels, translating to 68 new properties in locations like Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Norway. A partnership with Plum Guide offered access to 40,000 high-end homes globally. International travel made up 67% of GHA's 2024 revenue, with the U.S. and U.K. being the largest markets. Direct bookings surged 42%, with room revenue up 37% year-over-year, and member spending per booking through direct channels increased by 88%.

🏡 Interior design in 2025 leans towards art deco, celebrating statement objects designed to last, shifting from previous minimalism. Dorothée Meilichzon, Dezeen's 2024 interior designer of the year, advocates for dreamy, grand interiors with a twist of old-school design. Designers predict a move beyond monotone and single-material spaces, calling for authenticity and connection. Art deco's 100-year anniversary highlights a focus on quality and sustainability, countering rapid consumption. Localisation of resources is suggested to preserve culture and minimize transport. Designers envision multi-functional spaces and a trend towards personal expression, with an emphasis on craftsmanship and rich textures. Critics suggest the concept of trends is becoming obsolete, as the value of design is in uniqueness and cultural storytelling.

💬 Michael Levie, on Jan. 24, 2025, shared insights on leadership in a Hospitality Daily Podcast episode, highlighting communication and openness as key to citizenM's success. The episode is supported by Shiji Group, a global hospitality technology company. The podcast also features music by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound. Resources and additional episodes with Levie are mentioned for further engagement.

🏖️ SLS Hotels & Residences, under Ennismore, to open SLS Punta del Este Residences in Uruguay with an 80-room hotel. The project, developed by GNV Group and designed by Gómez Platero, includes 314 luxury apartments and penthouses with amenities like rooftop pool, spa, and on-demand services. Sizes range from 67 to 223 square meters. Accor One Living supports the sector's growth, with Ennismore operating over 35 properties worldwide.

🏖 Rosewood Hotels & Resorts to open Rosewood Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic by 2029 in partnership with Grupo Puntacana. The ultra-luxury resort will feature 78 suites, including overwater villas, eight dining venues, an Asaya-branded wellness center, and a range of facilities on 50 acres of beachfront within a 15,000-acre resort community. The resort is 10 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport, adding to Rosewood's Caribbean portfolio alongside Rosewood Baha Mar and Rosewood Little Dix Bay, among others.

🏨 Whitbread has opened seven new Premier Inn hotels since March 2024, adding 1,000+ rooms. Key locations include London Waterloo (137 rooms), Torquay Harbour (120 rooms), York Layerthorpe (188 rooms), Bristol Parkway (103 rooms), Paddington Station, Cambridge City Centre (120 rooms), and Lambeth North, London (137 rooms). With over 85,500 rooms across 855 properties in the UK and Ireland, and a network of over 10,000 rooms in Germany, Whitbread aims for 125,000 rooms in the future, targeting 40 new locations around the M25 and 13 sites in Ireland. Whitbread's growth strategy involves leasehold developments and converting vacant office buildings to reduce CO2 emissions.

🏨 Global hotel brands are utilizing key money—a payment not exceeding 5% of total deal cost—to secure hotel management or franchise agreements. Marriott uses key money in about 33% of deals, while Hilton does so for roughly 9%. Sonesta International Hotels, managing 1,100 hotels, employs key money to stimulate growth and compete for conversions. The trend has surged in the past 24 months due to higher construction costs, supply-chain issues, and inflation. Choice Hotels spent 21% of gross fees on key money in 2023, and Wyndham's spending represented 9% of their gross fees. Key money can also be a defensive strategy to maintain marquee assets. Despite its benefits, some owners and operators, like Stonebridge Companies, view key money critically, preferring performance-based relationships without the strings attached.