Market Trends

💰 Last week, a post on the Sonder x Marriott split went viral, reaching 230,000 views. The hospitality industry faces a trust crisis, with guests often unsure who is accountable—brands, operators, or third parties. A Titanium Elite member experienced being transferred seven times over a canceled reservation. Loyalty programs appear insufficient, and control of guest experiences is outsourced. Hospitality is compared to companies like Apple and Amazon, which fully own customer experiences. A reset around responsibility is urgently needed.

📅 14:00 – 15:00 BST, online, free to attend. Hosted by BHN editor Eloise Hanson, this webinar offers insights on valuing independent hotels, focusing on operational performance, location, and brand positioning. Learn about investment trends, financing, exit strategies, and practical tips for maximizing market value. Targeted at hotel owners, investors, developers, C-suite executives, and service providers, this event invites over 7,000 professionals to participate in interactive sessions with live Q&A opportunities.

🌏 UN Tourism hosted a Regional Workshop on Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam from November 18-20, 2025. Over 100 participants from 11 member states attended. The event focused on tourism data, sustainability, and integrated information systems. The workshop emphasized improving tourism data governance and policy-making through the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism, Tourism Satellite Account, and System of Environmental-Economic Accounting. UN Tourism includes 166 countries and over 500 Affiliate Members.

🏨 In 2024, France's hospitality sector comprised 18% of total real estate investments, with over 100 transactions, mainly single-asset. Paris and Île-de-France dominated two-thirds of the market. Key acquisitions included Saint-James & Albany and Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel. France ranked third in Europe, with hotel transaction volumes reaching €17 billion, a 62% increase. Average price per key was €215,300. U.S. and Asian investors returned, boosting portfolio transactions by 40%, driven by private equity funds.

📍 Hotelschool The Hague successfully hosted EuroCHRIE 2025 from November 10-13, welcoming over 220 participants from 25 countries, including 90 universities, at its campus in The Hague. Key discussions included AI's role in hospitality and sustainable innovation. Zhiwei Wang won the Best Poster Award for research on ageism. Notable speakers included Hans Meyer and Prof. Mark van Vugt. The event emphasized global collaboration between academia and industry, reinforcing hospitality education's future.

🏨 Greenville's lodging demand has evolved since 2020, with a shift towards leisure travel. The Grand Bohemian Lodge, opened in 2022, benefits from its prime location. Hurricane Helene hit in late 2024, causing fatalities and boosting hotel demand temporarily. By 2025, occupancy and ADR normalized. In 2024, tourism marketing highlighted local attractions, while filming for Top Chef occurred in summer 2025. 700+ rooms opened during the pandemic, but growth slowed post-2023 due to economic conditions.

💰 India’s business travel market: $37.2 billion USD in 2024, growing 15.5% in 2025. The GBTA and Visa unveiled a study titled "2025 India Business Travel and Payments Study". 69% reported increased domestic travel, 68% international. 77% rated travel program maturity 7/10+, but only 38% rated it 9/10. Payment methods: 51% use corporate cards; 30% CTAs; 7% virtual cards. Technology adoption: 76% use OBEs; 91% use expense management systems. Survey conducted September 22 to October 17, 2025.

💬 In 2025, hotels face a silent crisis with guests defecting quietly due to unmet AI-driven expectations. Guests now demand instant responses, proactive service, and personalization, leading to a dangerous trend of silent dissatisfaction. Metrics like repeat booking rates and direct channel retention reveal the impact. AI is pivotal for reducing friction, empowering staff, and enhancing guest experiences. Hotels that eliminate friction before guests feel it will thrive, prioritizing emotional ease over traditional luxury.