Market Trends

🚀 Accenture's Consumer Pulse survey of 18,214 consumers from 14 countries, conducted between January 6-17, 2025, reveals that 80% of travelers use generative AI (gen AI) tools. 93% of active gen AI users apply these tools for purchasing decisions. 78% are open to AI shopping assistants. 57% prefer an AI assistant working across multiple brands. Gen AI is now the primary channel for travel discovery. 73% previously faced information overload, but AI now resolves this, enhancing consumer-brand relationships.

🏨 Barry Sternlicht warns at NYU IHIF that independent brands are challenging big hotel chains, using a DTC strategy. Traditional brands, like Marriott, offered a standardized, broad appeal, but DTC success comes from niche focus. Allbirds, Glossier, and Brooklinen thrived by targeting specific demographics with zero physical footprint. Future hotel success lies in specificity, focusing on unique customer needs, community building, and precise branding, rather than broad offerings across multiple locations.

🏨 Choice Hotels International accelerates global growth with 31 new hotels and 3,300+ rooms outside the U.S. by 2025. A 95% increase in global pipeline includes 11,000 rooms. In Europe, partnerships with Strawberry and Zenitude add 34 properties in France and five in Scandinavia. Six hotels added in Spain in 2024 through Faranda, with five more planned. North American expansion includes the first Cambria Hotel in Thunder Bay by 2026. Latin America sees new Radisson properties, and China adds 9,500+ rooms.

📈 June 2025, SiteMinder's webinar series, “Risk, Resilience & Revenue,” revealed a 1.31% global decline in hotel bookings for summer 2025. UK bookings fell 0.37%, with a 0.83% decrease in London and a 4.24% ADR drop (£262.00). German bookings rose 9.42%, while French and US decreased 2.56% and 8.66%. Domestic travel made up 70% of arrivals. Major events like the Manchester Marathon boosted ADR by 41%. The UK session occurred June 4, featuring industry leaders.

🏨 limehome is revitalizing hotel spaces in Germany, Italy, and Spain, focusing on city-center locations. By fall 2025, they will open in Berlin, adding 42 units after a successful 93% occupancy rate at Gold Hotel. In Bari, two hotels will reopen by mid-2026. Benidorm's new site opens by October 2025, and Jena's launch is in summer 2025. Rising costs pressure 7-8 million outdated European hotel rooms, with operational costs up 40%, pushing modernization. Limehome plans nearly 400 new units in Spain.

🏨 Hotel owners remain optimistic about the future five years out, with 80% planning to expand despite economic volatility. Surveys conducted in February and May by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts revealed that 98% are open to new branding, and 96% see growth potential in extended-stay hotels. Technology is pivotal, with 61% investing in streaming and digital keys, and 90% harnessing AI. Wyndham's focus on tech and loyalty programs has boosted franchisee retention to nearly 96%.

🏠 May 31, 2025, Walter Isenberg, co-founder and CEO of Sage Hospitality Group, discusses urban renewal and revitalization in the "Hospitality as a Catalyst" podcast episode. Isenberg highlights the role of hospitality in transforming cities, emphasizing how strategic investments and community engagement can rejuvenate urban areas. This episode is part of the Hospitality Daily Podcast, accessible on platforms such as Buzzsprout.

🚄 The U.K. travel market remains robust in 2025, driven by a stable economy and increased digital adoption. The new Essentials report highlights key trends and market sizing data, offering insights into the U.K.'s mature and mobile-forward landscape. Phocal Point’s platform provides customized charts and data analysis for over 35 markets, projecting trends through 2026, with historical data from 2009. It includes market size, share, annual changes, and segment details for air, car, hotel, and rail.

📅 U.S. hotel industry data for May 18–24, 2025, reveals changes from 2024. Occupancy dropped by 0.4% to 67.5%, ADR rose 1.5% to $164.57, and RevPAR increased 1.1% to $111.02. St. Louis led in occupancy growth with a 19.3% rise to 76.7%. New York City topped ADR at $358.57 (up 12.6%), and San Francisco/San Mateo saw RevPAR increase by 24.3% to $169.87. Houston and New Orleans experienced significant declines in occupancy and ADR, respectively.