TOP NEWS

🏨 The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) calls for legislation on hotel fee transparency before the 118th Congress ends on January 3, 2025. The No Hidden FEES Act (H.R. 6543) and the Hotel Fees Transparency Act (S. 2498) aim for clear, nationwide fee displays. The HOTEL Act (H.R. 9681) promotes anti-human trafficking programs in hotels. The hotel industry is projected to pay $123 billion in wages in the current year and generate $83.4 billion in tax revenue. The Closing the Workforce Gap Act (H.R. 7574) addresses the labor shortage by adjusting visa caps. The Red Tape Reduction Act (S. 1725) seeks to balance the field between hotels and short-term rentals.

🛅 The Hotels Network's analysis of the 2024 Black Friday season for over 4,300 hotels globally showed a 63.8% increase in direct bookings for hotels with dedicated Black Friday campaigns, compared to a 1.2% decrease for those without. Website traffic rose by 9.2% and engagement within booking engines surged by 36.7% for participating hotels. Website conversion rates improved by 36.0% for these hotels, driving a 97.5% increase in direct revenue and a 23.6% increase in average booking value.

📰 In a recent article, Martin discusses the significance of 2025 trends and shares insights from over 100 trend reports. An analyst compiled these reports into a Google Drive directory and created a 25-minute podcast summarizing them. Zendesk's survey across 22 countries indicates a rise in consumer expectations for AI-powered customer service. The evolution from on-premise to SaaS and now AI-based enterprise systems is highlighted, along with the potential for metaphor-driven design in hotel guest technology. Amazon's immersive Black Friday pop-up store in Milan exemplifies the future of experiential retail. Marketing strategies for 2025 emphasize educational content, review management, press releases, trade show presence, adapting to reduced website clicks, and rethinking lead magnets.

💰 In Part 2, hotels harness Business Intelligence (BI) tools across four guest journey stages: Arrival, Stay, Departure, and Post-Stay, to optimize operations, personalize experiences, and boost loyalty. BI tools provide real-time data on room availability, guest preferences, and operational efficiency, enabling personalized check-ins and identifying upsell opportunities. By analyzing guest spending patterns and service profitability, hotels can target cross-selling and enhance service offerings during the Stay phase. Efficient check-out processes and feedback collection during the Departure phase leave lasting positive impressions and facilitate future engagement. Leveraging BI throughout these stages maximizes profitability and guest satisfaction.

🏖 Half of consumers plan to gift travel and experiences this holiday season. A survey found 60% of consumers aim to purchase travel gifts, yet 33% are deterred by the specific date requirement, 29% by the need for precise traveler details, and 21% by itinerary change difficulties. A significant 82% might abandon shopping carts due to frustration or indecision, with 29% shopping elsewhere. Travel companies are urged to streamline booking, offer flexible options, and use Generative AI to facilitate the gifting process.

🏡 The hospitality industry could slash food-related emissions by 30% by 2030. The "Decarbonizing hotel food systems" White Paper, by the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Iberostar, and others, presents a reduction of up to 70 million tons of CO2 annually. The industry, responsible for 1% of food production emissions and 3% of global food waste, discussed these findings at the Alliance’s Annual Summit in the US in October. Innovative measures like waste-tracking could cut waste by 50%. Iberostar aims for net zero by 2030, already implementing AI waste management and transitioning to less polluting kitchen equipment. The Sustainable Markets Initiative's Hospitality and Tourism Task Force, co-chaired by Alliance's CEO Glenn Mandziuk, supports these efforts. Leaders convened at New York Climate Week in September to strategize reaching the 2030 target. The Alliance introduced Universal Sustainability KPIs at COP29 and will host a related webinar on 12th December 13:00 GMT.

🍳 The global Hospitality industry can reduce food-related emissions by 30% by 2030, aiming to cut 70 million tons of CO2 annually, according to a White Paper by the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Iberostar, Sustainable Markets Initiative, and Systemiq. Discussed at the Alliance’s Annual Summit in October with members representing over 55,000 hotels and 300 brands, innovative solutions like waste-tracking technologies could halve food waste. Iberostar targets net zero by 2030, implementing AI waste management and reducing single-use plastics. The White Paper, supported by King Charles III-founded Sustainable Markets Initiative, was reviewed during New York Climate Week in September. A webinar on December 12th, 13:00 GMT, will discuss the report and future actions.

📦 The 2025 honorees in restaurant technology will be recognized in three categories: Rising Star (less than 5 years of experience), Innovator Award (women with over 5 years of experience), and Lifetime Achievement Award (over 20 years of service). Winners, selected by Hospitality Technology and its Research Advisory Board, will be celebrated at the 30th annual MURTEC on March 10-12, 2025, at Caesars Forum. Nominations close on January 6. Milagro, an all-in-one restaurant platform based in Dallas, Texas, provides enterprise-grade apps to enhance guest experiences through personalized interactions.

🏖 Wellness tourism was valued at $651 billion in 2024, with a projected annual growth of 16.6% by 2027. Hotel spas can boost profitability by integrating spa software with hotel technology, enhancing guest experience, and tapping into the growing demand for wellness. Key benefits include seamless bookings, operational efficiency, marketing, and revenue optimization. Features of spa management software include online reservations, client profiles, inventory management, staff management, and integration with existing hotel tech stacks. Leading platforms include Book4Time, MINDBODY, Pxier Spa, and SpaSoft. Integrating spa software can transform a hotel's spa into a core driver of guest satisfaction and revenue.

🏨 Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced a pipeline of over 50 luxury and lifestyle hotels to open globally by 2026, with a focus on luxury travel which is forecasted to increase by 52.8% in Europe by 2028. 70% of Hyatt's global rooms are luxury and upper upscale; the company expanded by 28 luxury hotels in three years and doubled luxury room count since 2017. Hyatt quintupled its lifestyle rooms since 2017, adding 28 lifestyle hotels in 2024, and acquired Standard International. The Lifestyle group is led by Amar Lalvani and will be based in New York City, Austin, and Bangkok. Upcoming openings include Miraval the Red Sea (2025), Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, and Andaz Miami Beach among others.