Market Trends

🏨 Josiah Mackenzie interviews Craig Poole, a three-time Hilton Connie Award winner and AHLA’s General Manager of the Year, about revitalizing struggling hotels and communities. Craig emphasizes changing perceptions to restore dignity and hope before financial gains. He highlights investing in people and community engagement to transform environments. 🏨✨

🗺️ Phocuswright's 2025 research, comprising 32 reports, uncovers global travel trends. In 2026, the projected $1.67 trillion market spans APAC, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. Consumer expectations are shifting in value and loyalty, while AI, fintech, and digital identity are reshaping travel commerce. The "Travel Forward" report, sponsored by Travel Guard, highlights industry segments and consumer behavior, supplying stakeholders with critical insights to navigate the evolving travel landscape.

🏨 In 2019, The Standard London transformed Camden Town Hall into a hotel. Madame Rêve followed in 2021 in the La Poste du Louvre. By 2025, over 20% of the workforce adopted remote work, prompting hotel conversions of abandoned office spaces. Savills highlights the economic benefits: hotels bolster local economies, sustain employment, and generate tax revenue. Hotel conversions align with ZAN and ESG goals, offering investors resilient, eco-friendly opportunities with lower environmental impacts than new builds.

🖼 U.S. hotel occupancy fell in November 2025, marking a ninth consecutive month of decline. Occupancy was 57.9%, a 2.8% drop from November 2024. ADR increased by 0.6% to $153.77, while RevPAR decreased by 2.3% to $88.97. Tampa, Florida, saw the steepest declines, with occupancy down to 63.3% and RevPAR down to $97.57, largely due to Hurricane Milton's aftermath. Minneapolis and Detroit reported the lowest occupancy rates at 51.9% and 55.9%, respectively.

🗺️ Exclusive Resorts Investments will acquire luxury travel company Inspirato and launch The Exclusive Collective, a multi-brand luxury travel platform. The deal, pending approvals, will unite Inspirato, Exclusive Resorts, and onefinestay. Targeting over 25,000 high-net-worth travelers annually, the platform expects revenues of $500 million and $70 million in EBITDA by 2026. Steve Case, AOL co-founder, backs the initiative to provide curated travel experiences for affluent clients.

📈 Paris saw a notable increase in RevPAR (+6.3%) in November 2025, with occupancy up by 1.1 points and ADRs rising by 4.8%. The luxury segment led growth with a +4.9% RevPAR increase. Meanwhile, provinces declined by -1.3% RevPAR due to a -1.6 points drop in occupancy. Île-de-France outside Paris improved slightly (+1.3%) but remained below 2023 levels. Regions like Île-de-France (+4.6%), Provence-Alpes Côte d'Azur (+5.8%), and Occitanie (+5.7%) drove growth, contrasting with declines in Pays de la Loire (-10%), Brittany (-7.3%), and Normandy (-6.3%).

🏨 Spain and Italy show strong hotel performance in November 2025, with RevPAR increases of 5.3% and 4.4%, respectively. Madrid (+8.6%) and Bilbao (+15.3%) boost Spain's figures, while Rome (+15.3%) benefits from events like the Lipedema World Congress. Meanwhile, Venice suffers a 13.8% drop without the Art Biennale. The UK sees a 2.0% RevPAR rise, driven by London (+7.0%). France's RevPAR grows 1.7%, led by Paris (+6.3%) and Marseille (+13.7%).

📅 November 12-13 at Javits Center, BDNY attracted nearly 15,000 professionals, marking a 16% rise in attendance from 2022. Featuring over 650 exhibitors, the show expanded international presence with new pavilions from Portugal and Ukraine. The event included 30+ sessions on industry trends and recorded a 17% uptick in matchmaking tool usage. Best Exhibit winners included Mittman Hospitality and more. The next BDNY is slated for November 10-11, 2024, at Javits Center.

🏨 Luxury hospitality is diverging into two categories: external luxury, catering to Status Seekers and Service Loyalists with prestige and predictability, and internal luxury, focusing on Experience Hunters and Transformation Seekers with mood and depth. The shift is due to AI-driven travel planning, emphasizing internal requests like "lively" or "grounding." DNA Hotels aligns with internal clarity, curating vibes and emotions. The future hinges on clearly defining the guest experience.

🤖 By 2033, the U.S. anticipates 1 in 8 jobs will be in hospitality, up from 1 in 25, equating to a 15% annual growth. Salaries will average around $40,000 by 2026. AI will enhance recruitment, improve work environments, and create tech-enhanced roles, boosting employee attraction and retention. AI tools offer instant recruitment feedback and predictive analytics, emphasizing tech integration. Hospitality roles will shift to human-AI partnerships, focusing on meaningful guest experiences.