Market Trends

🏦 Los Angeles welcomed over 48 million visitors in 2023, drawn by luxury hotels, landmarks, arts, and beaches. Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills offers spacious suites, rooftop bars, and fine dining. The Beverly Hills Hotel features 'The Pink Palace', La Prairie Spa, and the Polo Lounge. Pendry West Hollywood, with views, Spa Pendry, and chef Wolfgang Puck's Merois. Conrad Los Angeles boasts contemporary design, Conrad Spa, and chef José Andrés' Agua Viva. The London West Hollywood provides British-Californian style luxury, rooftop dining at The Rooftop, and Boxwood restaurant.

🏨 U.S. hotel industry experienced declines in occupancy (66.6%, down 1.7%) and RevPAR ($107.86, down 1.4%), with a slight increase in ADR ($162.05, up 0.2%) from September 8-14, 2024, compared to 2023. San Diego had the highest occupancy increase (up 10.5% to 79.9%), while Chicago saw the largest ADR increase (up 15.5% to $216.57). San Francisco faced the biggest RevPAR drop (down 37.2% to $171.26), influenced by the previous year's Dreamforce event.

🏨 Paradise Resort Gold Coast achieved an average upsell per reservation of A$139 using Mews. Hostellerie Cèdre & Spa increased revenue by €14k+ in less than a month. Old Stocks Inn saw an 8% ADR increase within two months. Green Hotels attained an 18% direct booking conversion rate. The Julius, Prague, generated over €55k from parking in the first half of 2023. GuestHouse Hotels earns €9,000/month through upselling. All benefited from Mews Hospitality Cloud's automated solutions for rate management, upselling, secure payments, and direct bookings.

🏆 In the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics, mid-tier hotels overestimated demand, causing prices to drop from 530 euros to 274 euros. Short-term rentals doubled to nearly 170,000 units in Paris, impacting hotel pricing and increasing review volume by 90% from August 2023 to 2024. Despite high guest satisfaction, value for money was criticized in three- and four-star hotels due to inflated rates, and luxury hotels were admonished for hidden fees. Key takeaways for hoteliers include adopting a flexible, transparent pricing strategy and utilizing data-driven insights.

🔔 U.S. Leisure & Hospitality sector added 8 million jobs since April 2020, reaching 16.9 million employed by April 2024, yet travel industry unemployment remains at 6%. Over 1 million job openings were reported in Accommodation in May 2024, despite a 7% decline in accommodation employees since March 2019, contrasting a 16% increase in room revenue. Between 2019 and 2024, hotel industry employees decreased by 7%, hourly salary rose by 32% (from $17.98 to $23.76), and room revenue grew by 16% (from $167.9B to $195.5B).

🏦 The EU's Action Plan on Skills and Labour shortages, adopted on 20 March 2024, addresses labour and skills gaps in Member States, especially post-pandemic in sectors like hospitality. It includes five policy areas: activating underrepresented groups, supporting skills and education alignment, improving work conditions, promoting intra-EU mobility, and attracting non-EU talent. European Year of Skills saw over 2000 events, the Pact for Skills reaching 2500 members, and campaigns touching 69 million via social media. The tourism sector can utilize funds like the €99 billion European Social Fund Plus (2021-2027), the Recovery and Resilience Facility with 13% budget for education/training until 2026, and the €26.2 billion Erasmus+ program.

🏠 Australian studio YSG redesigned the Superfreak cafe in Sydney's Marrickville, transforming an old ice cream factory into a vibrant space with a 1970s aesthetic, featuring carpet-lined seating, cork flooring, and high-gloss green paint. Vintage furniture pieces add to the retro ambiance, including a maple timber banquette with inbuilt storage and a record player. A statement lamp by artist Autumn Casey and rice paper lanterns illuminate the cafe, while a mural by Creative Finish adorns the bar area. The exterior facade echoes the interior's green color scheme, complete with a coffee hatch for takeaway orders.

📅 On September 18, 2024, an article titled "What's Changed in Hospitality Since The Ritz-Carlton Was Founded - Horst Schulze" was published, exploring the transformations in the hospitality industry since the establishment of The Ritz-Carlton. The article includes links to listen to the podcast on platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as featured and recent episodes about hospitality leadership and innovation. The footer features a logo linking to the Hospitality Daily podcast.

🏖️ In Adelboden, Switzerland, Amsterdam-based Nicemakers revamped The Brecon, a century-old chalet with 18 rooms and four suites into a boutique hotel designed to feel like a "high-end version of your own home". Aimed at creating a non-traditional Swiss hotel experience, the retreat features a domestic aesthetic with an open lounge, dining and living areas, a spa with sauna and steam rooms, and an infinity pool. Vintage items were sourced from Europe, and ceramic crockery was handmade in Wales. The project showcases Nicemakers' mid-century modern approach and includes a "collected" feel with various items instead of uniform minibar fridges and furniture.

📅 On September 15, 2024, an article featuring a meeting with Horst Schulze, the creator of The Ritz-Carlton and Capella, was highlighted. The story, shared by Josiah Mackenzie, can be found on a podcast platform offering various episodes from experts in the hospitality industry. Listeners can tune in through platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The article also provides a sidebar featuring categories like "Featured Episodes" and "Recent Episodes," with titles ranging from leadership lessons to innovative technology in hospitality.