TOP NEWS

🌍 Europe surpasses North America and Asia-Pacific in digital travel planning, with 66% of bookings made online. At ITB Berlin 2025, Phocuswright revealed trends like AI-driven travel planning and a 9% increase in global travel spending from 2023 to 2024. Predicted travel expenditure is to exceed $2 trillion by 2026. Social media's influence on travel, particularly among the youth, was noted, alongside a rising demand for sustainable tourism despite prevailing challenges in understanding eco-friendly travel.

🏆 On Mar 10, 2025, the air travel industry, having bounced back post-pandemic, is transforming the traveler experience with AI, Digital IDs, and automation. Biometric authentication and digital travel credentials (DTCs) are making travel document-free. The EU Digital Identity Wallet is influential, anticipating 625 million air travelers to adopt digital identities by 2029. While increasing security, the industry addresses privacy and bias issues, with AI advancements reducing algorithmic bias. Business travel sees efficiency gains through AI with agentic AI improving management and real-time adjustments. The adoption of biometrics and AI by airlines and travel agencies is streamlining customer experiences, cutting down queues, and enhancing operations. Digital boarding passes and biometric requirements are setting the new global standard.

🚼 ADA Cosmetics International GmbH, under chief marketing officer Gerd von Podewils, emphasizes sustainability in hotel bathroom amenities, with their first sustainable shampoo and bodywash launched in 2008. Their products exclude harmful ingredients and are Cradle to Cradle Certified. The company adheres to external audits to combat greenwashing and has earned certifications like FSC. ADA introduced Refillution, a refilling machine, last year, reducing plastic waste and improving hygiene. Their green practices align with EU and U.S. legislation banning small cosmetic portions and contribute toward hotel Green Key certifications, enhancing the guest experience and meeting increasing traveler expectations for sustainability.

👩 Maud Bailly heads Sofitel, MGallery Hotel Collection, and Emblems Collection, promoting French hotel elegance and eco-responsibility (46% Sofitel certified). Solenne Ojea-Devys, OKKO HOTELS director, focuses on CSR, with all teams trained and initiatives like ‘A hotel for my parents’. María Zarraluqui, Meliá Hotels VP Development, drives expansion with sustainability, co-founds Women in Hospitality. Sara Ramis, Barceló’s Chief Client, Marketing & Sustainability Officer, pursues innovation and customer experience. Cécile Rosset, Korner Hotels co-founder, combines technology and human relations. Alix Boulnois, Accor’s Chief Business, Digital & Tech Officer, fosters digital and cultural transformation. Valérie Hoffenberg’s SHE Travel Club promotes safe travel and gender equality in hospitality. Vanessa Heydorff, Booking.com France MD, champions AI and innovation for customer satisfaction. International Women's Rights Day recognizes these influential women in hospitality.

🛠 Hotel kitchens have evolved over the past decade with technology and sustainability at the forefront. Electric cooking equipment, particularly induction cooktops, digital monitoring systems, and energy-efficient practices are shaping modern operations. Key tools include multifunction blast chillers, smart dishwashers, and precision induction cooktops. The dishwasher, highlighted by Winterhalter's marketing manager, Verena Rist, is essential to prevent service disruption. Angelo Po’s kitchen design manager, Chiara Fedozzi, emphasizes the importance of combi ovens and cooking ranges for diverse menu offerings while maintaining quality. Sustainability efforts involve eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient appliances, and reduction of chemical and water waste. Digital connectivity, like Winterhalter’s Connected Wash, aids in remote monitoring, thus improving efficiency and reducing service costs. Preventative maintenance is crucial, with recommended low-season scheduling, to avoid equipment failure. The future points to smarter, more sustainable, and efficient kitchen solutions.

🌍 BeCause, a Danish sustainability data management start-up, introduced its Certification Co-Pilot at ITB Berlin this week. The tool automates the eco-certification process for hotels, currently piloting in several markets, and set to fully launch by Q2 2025. It connects hotels to certifiers via the BeCause sustainability hub, aiming to streamline certification, improve efficiency, and enhance consumer trust in sustainability claims. Initial rollout includes partnerships with GreenSign, Green Globe, and Green Key in select countries.

💰 Hotel general managers should focus on three core questions: the most profitable guest segments and customers, a forecast for the next 12–18 months, and actual profit levels. Revenue doesn’t fully indicate profitability without considering Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC), ancillary revenue, and long-term value. Profitable segments should be targeted for marketing and personalized experiences. It's crucial to use data for segment profitability analysis, incorporate all revenue streams in forecasting, and regularly update forecasts to adapt to market changes. Profitability is measured in net revenue, gross profit, GOP, and EBITDA. Failure to understand these aspects can lead to misaligned strategies, reduced profitability, and lost market opportunities. Regular P&L reviews and benchmarking against industry standards are essential practices. Continuous improvement requires updated segment profitability, fine-tuning forecasts, and monitoring profit levels.

🏨 SH Hotels & Resorts rebrands as Starwood Hotels on its 10th anniversary. Starwood, created nearly 30 years ago by Barry Sternlicht, targets significant growth with over 40 properties open or in development across four continents by 2025. Key launches include flagship properties in Tokyo, Melbourne, and Copenhagen. 1 Hotels brand, since 2015, expanded to major destinations and plans new properties in Seattle, Melbourne, Copenhagen, and Tokyo by 2025. The brand partners with Arbor Day Foundation to donate 100,000 trees in LA. Treehouse Hotels will open in Manchester (UK) and Silicon Valley in Spring 2025. Baccarat Hotels expanding to Rome, Florence, Riyadh, Dubai, and the Maldives. Starwood's sustainability milestones include LEED, BREEAM certifications, 46,612 tons CO2 offset, 75% waste diversion, 3.4 million pounds recycled annually, and 417,265 pounds materials reused/donated in 2024. The team will grow to over 5,000 members in 2025.