Market Trends

🏠 Josh Wyatt, CEO of Avant Gardner and former Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Generator Hostels, discussed the impact of creativity in hospitality on April 17, 2025. Highlighting the transformation of Generator Hostels into a top global brand, the episode explores balancing creative vision with financial performance and crafting unique experiences for guests and investors. Wyatt emphasizes creativity as a key competitive advantage, even during economic downturns. 🎵 Music by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound.

🏨 Hotel industry experts warn against the rush to adopt new KPIs like "RevPAG" (Revenue Per Available Guest), emphasizing the flaws in metrics that lack clear definitions. The focus on averages, such as Average Guest Spend, may mask real variations in guest behavior, as averages smooth out data nuances. The drive for occupancy can result in a "lowest common denominator" approach, with Revenue Management Systems (RMS) potentially lowering rates to achieve bookings, leading to a revenue loss from higher-paying guests. Alternative strategies include using histograms to visualize data distribution and moving beyond averages to tailor services, identify VIPs, and optimize pricing. Modern Hotel Business Intelligence (BI) systems, like Demand Calendar, are vital for consolidating and visualizing complex data, providing actionable insights, and breaking down departmental silos for better, more profitable decision-making. The article suggests measuring smarter, leveraging existing data insights, and focusing on targeted strategies over acquiring more KPIs.

📍 Gen Z and millennials consider takeout essential, with over 60% ordering off-premises more frequently than the previous year. Urban consumers heavily rely on takeout, while 67% of rural consumers desire more options. Mobile ordering is popular among 57% of adults, especially millennials (74%) and Gen Z (65%). Limited-service restaurants offering delivery stand at 65%, with many planning curbside and dedicated takeout areas by 2025. Full-service restaurants also see off-premises services growth, with 43% expecting an increase in curbside pickup. Customers prioritize speed (94%) and customer service, with 75% valuing tech-enabled ordering. Over 80% engage with deals and 65% say loyalty programs influence their choice. Packaging quality is important for 90% of customers, and many are interested in real-time deals (nearly 9 in 10), bundled meals (67%), meal kits (70%), and subscriptions (62%). Half of Gen Z and millennials are open to AI-generated video assistant ordering. Off-premises dining is seen as a crucial growth avenue for restaurant operators.

📊 STAAH's Reports module provides actionable insights for property management, with weekly or monthly reviews suggested for strategizing based on market demand. The module categorizes reports into five areas: Insights (business and channel performance), General (operational metrics), Booking Engine (direct booking performance), Opportunities (Booking.com-specific insights), and Logs (internal use for operational transparency). These tools aid in identifying trends, adjusting strategies, and enhancing guest experiences, positioning properties for growth in a dynamic market.

🏡 Miiro launched Templeton Garden in London's Earl's Court, marking its UK debut and fourth European location after Paris, Barcelona, and Gstaad. The five-storey hotel offers 156 rooms and suites, three F&B outlets—Sprout bar, 62-cover Pippin's restaurant, and Pip's café/deli—and boasts amenities like a 24-hour gym and a guest-only library. CEO Neena Gupta and General Manager Nicola James highlighted the new hotel's potential to integrate with the local community. Miiro plans further European expansion in 2025.

🏠 Wellness tourism expected to hit $1.3 trillion by 2025, with wellness travelers spending 53% more than average tourists. Top destinations include Bali, Costa Rica, Japan, India, and Thailand. Hotels can capitalize on this trend by creating a wellness identity, partnering with local practitioners, becoming mediators for health tourism, hosting micro wellness events, and showcasing guest wellness stories. Packages like Weekend Wellness Escapes and Sleep Tourism are trending.

SAN FRANCISCO, 15 APRIL 2025 – New research from vacation rental management platform Hospitable reveals that independent short-term rental (STR) hosts are increasingly rejecting large, traditional property management companies (PMCs) in favor of…

🏨 - Tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico have recently been partially reversed. - US hotel industry impacted by both the tariffs and the surrounding rhetoric. - Construction and renovation costs could increase, potentially elongating projects. - US rooms in construction have ranged between 150,000 and 160,000 for over three years. - Last year's supply percent change was 0.6%, below the long-term average of 1.7%. - Property Improvement Plans (PIPs) may be delayed or scaled back due to higher costs. - Canadian air inbound to the US dropped by 6-7% in March. - The World Cup will be in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco in 2030. - Hotel owners and operators are advised to focus on differentiation and service quality rather than lowering rates. - The conversation between hotel brands and owners is key to navigating brand standards and financial pressures. - Some investment funds are coming to an end and may put properties on the market. - San Francisco's hotel market is showing signs of recovery. - Data from CoStar and STR is used to inform operational strategies. - The Hotel Data Conference in Nashville is an annual event for hotel data enthusiasts. - The i92-APIS dataset from the Department of Commerce provides international travel counts. In the US hotel industry, fluctuating tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods impact construction and renovation costs, while rhetoric affects service delivery. With 150,000-160,000 rooms in construction consistently

📈 Realytics, specializing in customer experience (CX) and operational metrics, identifies top-performing brands' key traits: staff training, menu consistency, and quality service. These factors drive growth, enabling store expansion and increased foot traffic. Realytics offers benchmarking against competitors, highlighting crucial CX elements for success. A semifinalist at MURTEC 2025, Realytics provides data-driven strategies to improve guest loyalty and profitability. Their report, "CX Leaders and Laggards 2020–2024," details these findings for the restaurant industry.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor, reports on food & beverage trends for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, also hosting a podcast. He wrote for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008 and worked in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times from 1992 to 1997. Thorn, a magna cum laude Tufts University graduate and Phi Beta Kappa member, studied French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu and Chinese language and culture at Nanjing and Beijing Universities. He won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and joined the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.