TOP NEWS

🏠 Taylor Swift's Eras Tour significantly boosted local economies and hotel RevPAR gains globally. The JLL Global Hotel Investment Outlook 2025 forecasts 3% to 5% global RevPAR growth in 2025, with a shift from leisure to group, corporate, and international travel. Asia-Pacific is expected to see strong growth. Global hotel investment volume reached $57.4 billion in 2024, up 7% from 2023, but 17% behind historical averages. A 15% to 25% increase is anticipated in 2025. Luxury, select-service, and extended-stay hotels are investor favorites, with Middle Eastern and U.S. private equity targeting Europe and Asia. Hotel brands expand into new sectors, and conversions are used for growth, with a 2% global hotel supply increase expected. AI is projected to add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, optimizing hotel back-office operations.

🏨 Partnering with revenue management experts can optimize hotel pricing strategies, increase direct bookings, and reduce OTA dependency, providing high-impact results and immediate ROI. Outsourcing is cost-effective, offering flexibility and reduced overhead costs, while avoiding mistakes like underpricing during peak periods or slow response to market changes. Experts use advanced tools for forecasting and strategy adjustment. RevOptimum, with 30 years of experience, offers dedicated teams and innovative solutions for sustainable revenue growth in hospitality.

🏨 In hospitality, guest and employee feedback is crucial. Surveys aim for actionable insights, balancing quantitative metrics with qualitative stories. Net Promoter Score (NPS) benefits from an open-ended follow-up question. AI tools now analyze qualitative data, enhancing decision-making. Best practices for surveys include brevity, strategic timing, and prompt analysis. George Polyard, VP of Customer Experience at ComOps, underscores the value of qualitative feedback for continuous improvement in hospitality.

🏨 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, under CEO Geoff Ballotti, marked 2024 with significant milestones, including the introduction of the 25th brand, ECHO Suites Extended Stay, which achieved up to 80% occupancy shortly after opening and now accounts for 14% of development pipeline. The company also launched WaterWalk Extended Stay and Wyndham Residences in the U.S., and expanded Microtel in India, targeting 40 hotels by 2031. Globally, 12 brands entered 22 new markets. Wyndham Connect, an AI tool, is in use at 2,000 North American hotels, increasing revenue and enhancing guest experience. Additionally, the refreshed Wyndham Business platform and Wyndham Rewards program expansion offer new benefits. BOLD and Women Own the Room programs facilitated over 100 deals with nearly 40 hotels now open. The 50th anniversary of Super 8 was celebrated with Innov8te 2.0 room design and a sweepstakes.

📈 Marriott International in 2024 achieved record global growth with 123,000 gross room openings and a 6.8% net rooms growth. The development pipeline ended with over 577,000 rooms. The luxury portfolio reached 658 properties across 74 countries, with 61 new luxury deals and 266 upcoming openings. Deal signings with owners and developers surpassed 1,200, an average of over three deals per day, totaling nearly 162,000 rooms. 34% of 2024 room signings came from conversions. Marriott's affordable midscale segment plans expansion in the Americas and internationally with 153 open properties and 53 in the pipeline. The branded residential segment marked its 25th year with 142 open locations, 138 in development, and $2.1 billion in 2024 residential sales revenue. Outdoor lodging and apartment-style accommodations expanded, including the acquisition of Postcard Cabins brand and a licensing agreement with Sonder Holdings. Marriott closed 2024 with over 9,300 properties in 144 countries, breaking records in signings and pipeline growth across regions including the United States, Canada, Asia Pacific, Greater China, Caribbean, Latin America, and the EMEA region.

🏨 Hyatt Hotels Corporation announces a record pipeline of 138,000 rooms by the end of 2024, with a restructured brand architecture into Luxury, Lifestyle, Inclusive, Classics, and Essentials. The Lifestyle Group, led by Amar Lalvani, increased its pipeline properties by nearly 50% and open hotels by over 20% year-over-year, with notable acquisitions like The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels. New deals include TOOR Hotel (Q1 2025), Andaz Miami Beach (Q1 2025), and The Standard, Brussels (Q2 2025). Hyatt Studios, a new upper-midscale extended-stay brand, has over 50 executed deals, entering 22 new markets with its first location opening in Q1 2025. Growth continues across all portfolios with numerous expected openings through 2027, including the Luxury, Inclusive, and Classics Portfolios, with the Fairmount Hotel already opened on January 16, 2025.

🏨 Paul Russel, General Manager at the Norton Park Hotel, emphasizes sustainability and modernization in his leadership. The hotel, located between Winchester and Basingstoke, features a refurbished 300-year-old Manor House with 13 bedrooms, a full-service hotel, spa, leisure facilities, large conference rooms, and a Tithe Barn. Facing rising costs, Norton Park implemented energy-efficient systems and smarter BMS solutions. Shorter lead times for event bookings have prompted more agility in service. Refurbishments have increased operational capacity and guest accommodation, especially during peak times. Diversification in offerings ensures resilience against market fluctuations. In 2025, Norton Park aims to focus on team well-being, recruitment, and facility upgrades to enhance guest experiences. The hotel caters to a variety of needs, including weddings, corporate events, park-and-sail packages, and regional attractions.

🏨 A webinar by HOTELS Magazine discussed optimizing hotel profitability with industry leaders Dana Cariss (CoralTree Hospitality), Sudharshan Chary (Otelier), and Yohannes Semere (Peregrine Hospitality). Key themes included data consolidation for informed decisions, embracing data-driven culture, labor optimization aiming for less than 3% forecast variance, boosting Total Revenue Per Available Room (TrevPAR), personalized guest experiences, and channel management to increase direct bookings by 5% year-over-year. Investing in technology and employee training for data usage is essential for efficiency and personalization.

🏗️ Choice Hotels International announced a strong year of development in 2024 across various segments. In the extended-stay segment, they opened 61 hotels, including their 500th property in October. The upscale segment saw 27 new hotels, with an 80% year-over-year increase for the Ascend Hotel Collection and a 7.5% RevPAR increase for Radisson brands. The midscale segment included 41 Quality Inn openings during its 85th anniversary, and a 19-point RevPAR Index increase for Country Inn & Suites. Additionally, 20 properties opened under the SOAR program, which supports underrepresented entrepreneurs in hotel ownership.

🏠 Sparcstudio, a spa and wellness design studio with over 15 years of experience, forecasts 2025 trends, focusing on sustainability, longevity, privacy, social wellness, gym floor wellness experiences, and the use of color. Beverley Bayes, Creative Director, emphasizes the importance of durable, local materials, future-proofing facilities, and designing spaces for both social interaction and privacy, such as the spa garden Cabanas at Pennyhill Park and private lodges at South Lodge. The integration of fitness and spa is highlighted through stretch pods, like the Proverb pod at The Grain Store. Pantone's Color of the Year 2025, 'Mocha Mousse,' aligns with the natural and comforting spa environments Sparcstudio creates.