Market Trends

🏨 On October 4, 2024, Jennifer Clay, Vice President of Hotel Operations at Appellation, discussed the importance of hotel design in guest immersion and operational leadership. Key points included hotels embodying local culture [01:58], evolving designs using local materials and artisans [02:34], the selection process of design elements [04:12], the importance of balancing aesthetics and functionality [07:03], and ensuring the hotel's physical product matches its advertised experience [08:11].

🍸 The 2024 hospitality trends report by af&co and Carbonate highlights the revival of "Clarified Classics" cocktails, using milk clarification and alternative methods like agar agar or a centrifuge. This technique, which originated in the Victorian Era, enhances flavor and texture in cocktails and is gaining popularity among bartenders nationwide. Carbonate, a creative agency, produces this annual report with af&co, which is recognized by major publications like The New York Times and Forbes.

🏨 Jennifer Clay, Vice President of Hotel Operations at Appellation, is recognized for her creative thinking and results-oriented leadership in the hospitality industry. Clay has an international background with experience in brand compliance for luxury hotel groups such as Mandarin Oriental, The Peninsula, and Six Senses, and leadership roles in Napa Valley resorts. She focuses on guest experience, service, loyalty, and maintains Appellation’s industry leadership through defining experience standards, brand partnerships, and directing an experiential learning program.

🏖 In Hilton's annual Trends Report, 2025 is dubbed the 'Year of the Travel Maximizer,' with travelers seeking to balance relaxation with high-impact adventures. Key findings include: 70% of travelers are active on vacations; 58% revisit childhood destinations with their children; 63% value digital room keys; 25% of solo travelers bring pets; 30% travel with 'frolleagues'; 70% of parents consider children's preferences in vacation planning; 50% book restaurants before flights; 25% are sober-curious; revenue from Hilton Worldwide Sport Sales tripled from 2019 to 2024, with youth sports driving 80% of the growth.

🍸 On October 2, 2024, the Edinburgh Marriott Hotel Holyrood released the 'Tales of the Old Town' cocktail menu, in partnership with Bacardi, featuring eight signature cocktails inspired by Edinburgh landmarks. Each cocktail reflects its namesake story, such as the Mercat Cross and Greyfriars Bobby. The hotel collaborated with Invisible Cities to offer a self-guided tour of landmarks connected to the cocktails, starting from Canongate Kirk. Lead Bartender Yubaraj Tiwari highlighted the menu's connection to Edinburgh's history. For more, visit marriott.com/edimh and invisible-cities.org.

🍹 The Paloma, a mixed drink from Mexico, combines tequila, grapefruit soda, and lime juice, and is gaining popularity in the U.S. with a 57% increase on restaurant menus over four years, now found on 7.7% of menus. Market research by Datassential shows 27% of the U.S. population recognizes the Paloma, especially among Hispanic consumers. Restaurants are customizing the cocktail by adding spices or syrups. Click to explore the Paloma's presence in a New York City restaurant menu.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, oversees food and beverage trends reporting. Host of "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast, he wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), reported in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times (1992-1997), and covered the 1989 Tiananmen Square events for ABC News. His column won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award, he's a Phi Beta Kappa Tufts graduate (1990), studied at Le Cordon Bleu (1986), and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier (2014). Contact: [email protected]

🌺 St Michaels Resort in Falmouth sponsors the Oyster Festival for 20+ years. 2024's festival is canceled due to costs, but St Michaels will host an autumn event, celebrating oysters and community. Features include live music, chef demonstrations by Jude Kereama and others, gourmet street-food, oyster shucking competition, and local crafts. Free entry until 6pm, then £2 for charity. Acts include Will Keating, Soul Sensations, Culdrose Military Wives Choir, and Oggymen. Nigel Carpenter confirms festival's return on 9-12 October 2025. St Michaels also sponsors Falmouth International Arts and Book Festivals in October.

🏦 India, October 1st, 2024: RateGain Travel Technologies Ltd., featured in a case study at NYU School of Professional Studies, showcases its evolution as a global technology leader, influencing travel and hospitality industries with AI and machine learning. Authored by Dr. Vanja Bogicevic, the study highlights RateGain’s innovative solutions for customer acquisition, retention, and market expansion. Founder Bhanu Chopra acknowledges the honor, emphasizing the importance of global brand synergy and addressing industry challenges. RateGain, established in 2004 in India, now serves 3,200+ customers across 100+ countries.

🛏 Futons and daybeds enhance relaxation in various residential interiors, doubling as space-savers and design elements. The Longhouse in Victoria, Australia features a cypress pine daybed by Partners Hill, while North Bank UK's barn-like house includes a sheepskin-draped futon by Elliot Architects. In Montauk, New York, Home Studios redesigned Daunt's Albatross with a linen-curtained daybed. London's Florin Court houses a multifunctional daybed by Intervention Architecture, and Atelier Dialect's Apartment A in Antwerp, Belgium boasts a black leather De Sede DS-80. The Catskill's Mount Tobias holiday home by ISDR Architecture and the Nova Residence in North Carolina, with its iconic Mies van der Rohe Barcelona daybed by Harding Huebner, showcase custom designs. Lastly, Waldo Works' Television Centre Penthouse in London offers retro-corridor daybeds amidst plant-filled shelving.