TOP NEWS

❄ Occupancy rate for mountain resorts during the February holidays is 77% from December 18, 2024, to February 3, 2025. Data by the National Observatory of Mountain Resorts (ANMSM) in 2025 indicates sustained interest. Alpine destinations lead while other regions show growth. MKG Consulting, based in Paris, provides press, research, studies, events, and training services.

📈 The Guest Experience Benchmark Report for 2025 reviews 39 million+ hotel reviews from 11,200 properties across 61 websites and 68 languages. It sets a new benchmark for the hotel industry review performance of 2024, providing insights and strategic benchmarks for guest sentiment.

🏈 Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans is expected to generate over $500 million in tourism revenue. Last year, Americans bet $16 billion on the game. Hotels and casinos optimize revenue by pricing and booking seats dynamically, using technology such as controlled deposits and dynamic seating maps. Circa Sportsbook and Mohegan Sun, in partnership with FanDuel, exemplify this strategy. The Super Bowl experience aims to create recurring revenue by attracting guests for other major sporting events throughout the year.

🏢 Global Revenue Forum (GRF), a major hospitality industry event, featured presentations in London, Milan, Luzern, and Stockholm. Klaus Kohlmayr, chief evangelist & development officer at IDeaS, highlighted AI's impact on hospitality, emphasizing the need for human oversight. Leadership roles are transforming towards strategic commercial management, with a focus on gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) instead of revenue per available room (RevPAR). Francesco Ficanterri from ICON Collection and others shared success stories on transitioning to modern revenue management systems. Peter Gal and Tom Blomquist discussed meeting travelers' needs, ancillary revenues, and AI. The event showcased a collaborative spirit and drive to integrate innovative technologies into hospitality revenue strategies.

🏨 In hospitality, delivering exceptional guest experiences involves preparation, such as anticipating needs, offering loyalty opportunities, empowering creativity, maintaining property knowledge, and showing pride in work. High staff-to-room ratios in luxury hotels enable personalization. Key strategies include greeting in the guest's language, using names, and offering unique, exclusive services. These practices can improve metrics like “Guest Love” and overall satisfaction. Story by Julien Berrut, director of guest relations at InterContinental Boston.

🏡 Cushman & Wakefield's forecast indicates a bullish European hotel investment market for 2025. Hotel investment transactions in Europe rose by 49% year-on-year in H1 2024, with total volumes for 2024 expected to reach €22 billion (a 35% increase). The 2025 forecast anticipates surpassing €25 billion, compared to the record €30.4 billion in 2019. Portfolio sales to private equity investors highlighted in 2024 signal hotels' appeal to capital-rich investors. Despite constrained supply growth due to factors like construction cost inflation and reduced leverage levels, the luxury hotel segment is expected to grow by 4.3% in 2025. Significant openings such as Chancery Rosewood London and Fairmont Golden Prague are on the horizon. Europe's top 15 urban markets will see moderate supply growth at 2.6% in 2025. Last year, the luxury sector's RevPAR growth hit 7.9%, against an average of 5.8%. Corporate and group demand is forecasted to grow almost 15% in 2025, potentially surpassing 2019 levels, reflecting evolving business travel trends and the rise of 'super commuters'.

🎭 Glion graduate Parv Aggarwal returned to India to launch The Forbidden Journeys, an ultra-luxury travel and experience management business. The market is booming with a CAGR of nearly 10%, reaching $124 billion by 2030. India's UHNWI population is expected to grow by 50% by 2028, surpassing the global average. The venture offers bespoke experiences and exclusive access, tapping into spirituality, wellness, gastronomy, festivals, safaris, and culture. Government initiatives like 'Travel for Life' support sustainable tourism growth.