Market Trends

🏨 YOTEL Tokyo Ginza, the tech-forward hotel brand, opens December 16 in Ginza, Tokyo. The hotel offers double, twin, bunk triple, family connected rooms with SmartBeds, Wi-Fi, wireless charging, rain showers, and views of Tokyo Tower and Shinkansen lines. Facilities include a bar, restaurant, gym, and robot crew. YOTEL Tokyo Ginza is the third Asian property after YOTEL Singapore (2017) and YOTELAIR Singapore Changi Airport (2019). YOTEL plans to expand with upcoming hotels in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and NEOM. The company has 23 properties globally.

🎨 Miami Art Week 2024, from 2 to 8 December, will feature a 3D-printed concrete installation by Carlos Betancourt and giant jewellery by Nicole Nomsa Moyo. Art Basel and Design Miami, among other exhibitions, will be distributed across Miami Beach and the Design District. Alcova Miami returns for its second US edition, with over 40 exhibitors at the Miami River Inn. Installations will include immersive experiences, handcrafted lighting, ice baths by Kohler and Remedy Place, and Lexus' multi-sensory installations at ICA Miami. Pearl Jam by Moyo celebrates indigenous Ndebele women's jewellery, and The Standard hotel showcases disco's impact on design for its 25th anniversary. Capsule's Memphis Miami exhibition partners with Basic.Space for a pop-surrealist experience featuring iconic Memphis Group furniture.

🍕 Boka Restaurant Group, founded in 2002, is launching Valley Goat in Sunnyvale, California, at the Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley, marking its first Northern California venture. The new 250-seat restaurant, headed by famed chefs Stephanie Izard—a "Top Chef" and "Iron Chef" winner—will open early 2025, offering lunch, dinner, and later brunch. The menu will feature shareable dishes highlighting local produce and globally-inspired flavors, alongside a bar with seasonal cocktails, local brewery and winery selections, and an extensive wine list.

🏨 Stefano Battaglia, a lecturer at Glion, discusses the importance of diversity in hospitality, noting that around 40% of employees in the UK and Switzerland's hospitality industries, and 30% in the US, have a non-native background. He emphasizes the benefits of a diverse workforce for customer service, adaptability, and reduced staff turnover. Challenges include translating diversity to leadership roles, with women, making up 70% of the workforce, underrepresented in top positions. Less than 30% of hospitality companies undertake unconscious bias training. Hospitality and F&B industries recognize diversity as essential for employee satisfaction and improved guest experiences, with Glion offering elective language courses to enhance student employability. Major hotel brands like Hilton are praised for their diversity programs, with Hilton having been inducted into DiversityInc’s Hall of Fame for Top Companies for Diversity.

🏦 voco Winchester Hotel & Spa celebrated its rebrand and refurbishment on Thursday, 14 November with 100 attendees. The 8-month transformation from Holiday Inn to voco cost £2 million. The hotel, built in 2010, is near South Downs National Park and Winchester City Centre. It underwent a £2.5 million refurbishment in 2019. The 131-room hotel features new premium and grand rooms with enhanced amenities and 9 event spaces. Kitchen 21 offers unique 21-inch pizzas, and the Ana Spa was added in 2019.

🏕 TourReview conducted a keyword analysis on online reviews to compare traveller priorities in Europe and North America. Europeans focus on detailed aspects such as the booking process, equipment, driver's skills, building conditions, tour guide language proficiency, and value for money. They prefer authentic and smooth experiences. North Americans prioritize style, storytelling, safety, fun, and passion, with reviews often using words like "magical" and "once in a lifetime". This data aids businesses in improving targeted areas to increase bookings. Juana Muro, COO of TourReview, highlights the benefits of understanding these preferences for enhancing services.

📈 Accor's study with 9,000 professionals worldwide reveals 85% expect a 36% revenue increase by prioritizing in-person meetings. Professionals believe they could close 37% more deals face-to-face, with 81% agreeing better outcomes would result. In-person meetings are considered worth the investment by 35% of respondents, with 92% finding them important for external and 85% for internal interactions, and are preferred threefold over virtual meetings. Key reasons for business travel include closing deals (34%), client/contract negotiations (31%/30%), and attending events/trade shows (30%). Despite digital tools' convenience, a hybrid model of digital and in-person meetings is now standard, with human interaction remaining crucial for successful business endeavors.