Market Trends

📌 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' CEO Geoff Ballotti referenced past crises to illustrate the company's resilience during their Q1 earnings call. Despite a 2% to 1% downward RevPAR guidance for 2025, Wyndham's global RevPAR grew 2% in Q1, though it fell 8% in China. The company is less affected by international travel, with less than 3% of U.S. bookings from abroad. Wyndham's domestic focus is on driving markets, with 90% of their footprint and consistent booking patterns. Adjusted EBITDA rose 9%, the global system expanded by 4%, and the hotel pipeline increased by 5% to 2,143 hotels. New construction is normalizing, now representing nearly a third of openings. Ballotti highlighted domestic sourcing to mitigate tariff impacts and the relevance of infrastructure projects to their business.

💡 Marcus Steffen, Founder and Creative Director of Akarui, a London-based lighting design studio, is recognized for his experience in the industry and contributions to award-winning projects, including the Falcon Bar and No1 Lounge. With a Mechatronics degree from King's College London, Marcus has authored "Residential Lighting Design" and lectures at the Inchbald School of Design. Akarui Studio specializes in integrating lighting with architecture, focusing on the emotional and functional role of lighting. Marcus emphasizes a holistic approach to lighting, considering human experience, and has worked on challenges like low ceilings and heritage structures, employing discreet lighting solutions. His work in hospitality, particularly for spaces like the Falcon Restaurant and No1 Lounge, balances technical requirements with a sophisticated atmosphere, using light to define different areas and create inviting environments that adapt to times of day and seasons with automated lighting scenes.

🏡 The Nickel Hotel, owned by Method Co., will soft open on 1 May 2025 in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, with an official launch in late spring. This luxury property features 50 rooms and suites, a rooftop bar, lounge, and interior courtyard. Each room is equipped with a full kitchen, smart TV, washer and dryer, and a mini bar; some offer a balcony. Method Co. partnered with Capital Square for the hotel's development, designed by Method Studios and Morris Adjmi Architects. Method Co. also operates The Pinch in Charleston.

🏨 Paris-based hotel group Touriste, partnering with Cendyn's Digital Marketing Platform, achieved a 133% increase in impressions and a 51% surge in clicks in the second half of 2024. By integrating Google's Performance Max for travel goals (PMTG), Touriste targeted Belgium and the Netherlands, exceeding their ROI goal of x12 with a remarkable 23.4x annual ROAS. The group reported a 19% revenue growth, a 364% increase in clicks, and a 43% reduction in cost per conversion across metasearch, paid search, and PMTG campaigns. Touriste operates 15 hotels and several campings, having expanded since its inception in 2008.

🏨 In April 2025, the U.S. experienced robust hotel openings, while Europe concentrated on renovations to maintain competitiveness. South Asia, particularly India, witnessed a surge in hotel signings due to a 5.47% increase in international tourist arrivals since 2019, reaching 18.89 million. This growth is fueled by a burgeoning middle class and rising business travel, positioning the region as a key player in global tourism. However, U.S. hotel industry faces uncertainty with potential political shifts affecting inbound tourism and foreign investment.

🏡 Sonesta International Hotels Corporation extended its Master Franchise Agreement with GHL Hoteles until 2034, strengthening its expansion in Latin America covering Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina. Sonesta's growth in the region began with the Sonesta Hotel El Olivar in Lima in 1998. GHL Hoteles manages 63 hotels across nine countries and currently has 14 Sonesta hotels. Sonesta Hotel Miraflores is set to open in Lima in summer 2025. GHL, supported by Advent International, operates over 7,600 hotel rooms.

🏠 Preferred Hotels & Resorts added 19 new properties in Q1 2025 from Jan. 1 to March 31 in 12 countries, including urban, resort, and countryside locations in Europe, Asia, North and South America. I Prefer Hotel Rewards members can earn 2,500 bonus points on qualifying stays. Highlights include Andronis Luxury Suites in Santorini, Greece, with 39 suites and villas, reopening in May 2025; Boar's Head Resort in Charlottesville, Va., with a 600-acre estate, and Hotel Convent de la Missio in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, with 27 rooms. Other notable additions cover various collections and locations such as Brazil, Taiwan, Hungary, and Italy.

💰 Motel One Group's turnover in 2024 hit a record EUR 980 million, up 15% from EUR 851.5 million in 2023. EBITDAR rose 14% to EUR 532 million with a 54.3% margin, and Management EBITDA increased 13% to EUR 265 million. Five new hotels added 1,458 rooms, with The Cloud One Hotels opening in Düsseldorf and Gdańsk, and a Motel One in Antwerp. Average occupancy was 71%, reaching 74% in Q4 2024 with a TRevPAR of EUR 102. For 2025, five more hotels will open in Munich, London, Lisbon, Paris, and Vienna, adding 1,140 rooms. PAI Partners' acquisition of an 80% stake will be completed in Q2 2025, supporting further international expansion.

🏖️ May 1st bank holiday bookings surged by 8.5%, with Paris up 17.5%, eastern Mediterranean coast 14.5%, and western Mediterranean coast 11.8%. France Météo forecasts near-summer temperatures, making it the best-weathered May bank holiday of 2025. However, Brittany coast fell by -11.5%, and North Atlantic coast by -7.4%, with only the Channel coast rising (+3.4%). For the May 8th bank holiday, a calendar shift caused a national booking decline of -8.1%, with Paris as the exception at +4.1%.

🍍 Gusto Snacks, valued at £1.2m and available in major UK outlets like Selfridges and WHSmith, now sells in Germany via Amazon. The company, founded in 2018 and launched in 2020 by Guiseppe Baidoo and Claudio Owusu, turns imperfect fruit into vegan, gluten-free, high-fiber, low-calorie snacks with no added sugar. Their 20g bags contain less than 80 calories. With 5 flavors, they plan new products by 2025. Guerrilla marketing and a Selfridges collaboration in 2021 enhanced their visibility.