Market Trends

📖 May 12, 2025 - Ben Wolff, co-founder of Onera and CEO of Oasi, discusses his view of hotel development as an artistic endeavor rather than just a business venture. The episode encourages listeners to harness creativity to benefit their business and team. For further inspiration, the music for the show is crafted by Clay Bassford from Bespoke Sound, a company specializing in music identity design for hospitality brands.

🎂 Easter 2025 in France: Paris, Nice, and Marseille lead with highest hotel occupancy. Paris tops RevPAR with €181.8, followed by Nice (€131.1) and Marseille (€74.6). Eastern Mediterranean zone RevPAR stands at €109.3, while the Channel coast hits €90.9. Other cities like Strasbourg (€72.3) and Lyon (€71.4) also show strong performance. Lyon leads in RevPAR growth at +12.2%, with Nice (+10.2%) and Paris (+9.3%) following. Paris sees the highest occupancy increase (+7.1 points) post-Olympic and Paralympic Games dip.

🏨 Robert Mandelbaum, Research Director at CBRE Hotels, leverages over 80 years of hotel performance data to analyze changes in guest behaviors and service expectations. He emphasizes the need to comprehend the essential factors behind hotel success. Further insights can be found in the series including "Meet Robert Mandelbaum: The Man Who Turns P&Ls into Playbooks".

🚢 Nearly 10 million holidaymakers used ATOL protection for trips in January-March 2025, a 4.4% increase from the previous year. ATOL saw a rise in bookings, with 12.8 million people booked for April-October 2025, half of these in the last three months. The UK Civil Aviation Authority encourages using the 'Check an ATOL' tool for financial protection assurance. Michael Budge, Head of ATOL, emphasizes the importance of booking with an ATOL-licensed travel provider.

🏠 Hilton's "2025 Trends Report" signals an increase in travelers seeking wellness on vacation. Jessica Shea, VP of wellness at Hilton, emphasizes the economic opportunity and responsibility to cater to health-conscious guests. Hilton works with sleep expert Dr. Rebecca Robbins to optimize guest sleep experiences and introduces stress-reducing hotel features. Fitness centers are standard across all Hilton brands, with luxury properties offering advanced amenities. Wellness offerings at Hilton are revenue drivers, impacting rates and driving demand, especially in lifestyle and luxury segments. Hilton has retail partnerships with wellness brands like Lululemon and Alo, and collaborations with Peloton and Calm. Wellness initiatives are being integrated with the Hilton Honors program.

💰 Choice Hotels International, Inc. reported a net income increase of 44% to $44.5 million in Q1 2025, with diluted EPS up 52% to $0.94. Adjusted EBITDA reached a record $129.6 million, up 4%. Adjusted diluted EPS also set a record at $1.34, a 5% increase. Net global rooms grew 2.8%, while domestic extended stay rooms surged 10.8%. Domestic RevPAR increased by 2.3%, with extended stay and midscale/economy outperforming their respective chain scales. Total Q1 2025 revenues hit $333 million, with partnership services and fees up 28% to $25.4 million. A liquidity of $593.8 million was reported, and $64.6 million spent on share repurchases. The 2025 outlook has been adjusted to anticipate more moderate domestic RevPAR growth.

🏨 Robert Mandelbaum, Research Director at CBRE Hotels, discusses hotel industry profitability strategies amidst slowing revenue growth. He emphasizes the distinct performance of luxury versus economy hotels, the influence of location, and the effects of various operating models. More resources can be found at Hospitality Daily.

🎭 Launched in May 2025, 'The Power of Hospitality Podcast' by Jupiter Humphrey-Bishop features interviews with influential luxury hospitality professionals. Guests include a luxury event planner, award-winning mixologist, five-star hotel butler, head concierge, luxury champagne brand manager, and hospitality business owner. The podcast explores career journeys, success, and the emotional intelligence required in luxury hospitality. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Jupiterluxuryhospitality.com, following Jupiter's 2024 Discovering Hospitality Blog on London's luxury venues.