Market Trends

🏢 In September 2024, U.S. hotel rooms under construction rose for the seventh month in a row. Construction saw 157,253 rooms (up 7.0%), final planning included 268,190 rooms (up 10.4%), and planning had 336,205 rooms (up 38.4%). Upscale and upper midscale segments represented 50% of rooms in the final pipeline phase. The luxury and midscale categories had the highest construction growth, at 48.5% and 34.5% respectively, with luxury accounting for 8,508 rooms (5.6%) and midscale 14,902 rooms (2.9%).

👨‍💻 Today's hotel guests seek emotional connections during their stays, beyond just accommodation. Implementing brand standards ensures consistent quality across properties, without stifling staff creativity. Well-designed standards enable staff to respond authentically within a brand's structured framework. Training, including technical aspects and role-play scenarios, empowers employees to handle various situations confidently, maintaining the brand promise while adding personal touches. Effective standards become invisible to guests, highlighting genuine care and emotional authenticity in service, which is the essence of exceptional hospitality.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor, has worked with Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and with Restaurant Hospitality since 2016. He wrote The New York Sun’s "Kitchen Dish" column (2005-2008), reported from Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times, and was an ABC News runner during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Thorn, a Tufts University graduate and Le Cordon Bleu-trained, won the 2006 Neal Award and was inducted into the Disciples d'Escoffier in 2014. His food expertise spans French cuisine and Asian culinary trends.

🏝 Mama Shelter is set to open in Amsterdam, Netherlands in Q1 2027, featuring 150 rooms and 80 square meters of event space. The project, initiated by Ennismore, Chagall B.V., and White House Development B.V., commenced construction in September. The Auberge Resorts Collection will manage The Birdsall in Houston, scheduled for 2027, with 105 rooms and 44 residences. St. Regis celebrates its 60th hotel with The St. Regis on the Bund, Shanghai, offering 192 rooms and 1,100 square meters of event space. The Westin London City adds four new residences, sized 1,770 to 2,893 square feet, near St. Paul’s Cathedral and Tate Modern.

🏠 Brookfield Asset Management's The Leela unveils ultra-luxurious villas, Arq by The Leela, at The Leela Palace Udaipur along Lake Pichola, Rajasthan. Designed for high-net-worth individuals, the villas feature brass inlaid floors, Thikri artwork, and lapis stones, with personalized services like culinary journeys and artistic immersions. The Leela recently filed for a Rs. 5,000 crore ($594 million) IPO, the largest in the Indian hotel sector. The Leela aims to expand its 3,382-room portfolio to include 8 new hotels by 2028, with properties in Agra, Srinagar, Sikkim, Ranthambore, and Bandhavgarh. India's luxury hotel market is expected to reach $2.72 billion by the end of the year and $4.39 billion by 2029.

🏖 RateHawk, a premium supplier, now provides over 2.6 million accommodation options to all travel agents and tour operators. In eight months up to August 2024, RateHawk's bookings rose by 231% in Japan, 173% in Thailand, and 121% in Indonesia, year over year. This partnership enables smaller travel firms to compete globally. The UK's travel industry is thriving, bolstered by a higher Travel Confidence Index among Brits. Travelgenix CEO Andy Speight highlights the value of such partnerships for expanding travel business portfolios.

🏨 U.S. hotel industry performance in September 2024: Occupancy at 64.6% (↓2.5%), ADR (Average Daily Rate) at $162.63 (↑1.2%), RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) at $105.04 (↓1.3%). New York City led Top 25 Markets with 87.0% occupancy due to events like the United Nations General Assembly, Fashion Week, and the U.S. Open. Lowest occupancy seen in New Orleans (53.6%) and Tampa (61.4%). Top 25 Markets outperformed others in occupancy and ADR.

🛀 Showcasing transparent bathrooms, Dezeen's lookbook includes a variety of designs. In Kyoto, 07Beach designed a house where the bathroom opens to a courtyard for "open-air bathing." Husos architects replaced partitions with transparent walls in Madrid, creating a communal bathroom space. Taiwan's Cats' Pink House by KC Design Studio features a bathroom with dimmable pink glass. House in Nagoya, Japan by Suppose Design Office, has a bathroom viewable through glass walls. Tokyo's The Life apartment by I IN uses reeded glass to allow light into a windowless bathroom. Blueberry Nights hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia, designed by Sandro Takaishvili, offers slightly separated bathrooms for a cinematic feel. Vibo Tværveh cabin in Denmark, by Valbæk Brørup Architects, includes a wet room that opens to the outdoors. These examples redefine privacy and space usage in residential and commercial properties.