Market Trends

🗺 Waldorf Astoria reopens in 2025. Ultra-luxury hotels are distancing from others. Loyalty programs face a crisis over guest priorities. Trade show fatigue is noted, and brands are swiftly acquiring independents. AI anxiety is compared to overconfidence, and AI is impacting the hospitality workforce indirectly. Route 66 celebrates 100 years, boosting road trips. In 2026, the hospitality economy is expected to be K-shaped, with ultra-wealthy spending rising as mainstream consumers feel the strain.

📈 In 2025, North American hotel searches for one-night stays rose to over 40%. By August, 57% of bookings were made within 28 days. Asia and the Middle East expect a 9% hotel price increase in H1 2026, while Oceania faces an 11% drop. In 2025, Japan's inbound tourism surged due to a weak yen, boosting stays and spending. European tourists are shifting travel to shoulder seasons to avoid high prices. Short-term rental growth slowed globally to 6.5% due to regulations.

🏨 In 2025, despite a 5.9% wage increase, hotel labor costs rose 2% to 11.2%. From January to September, hours per occupied room dropped 13.5% in guest services. Room attendants became 5.5% faster, and guest service reps 12.7% faster. Hotels projected a 14.1% revenue growth but faced increased labor costs. Staffing grew 9% by summer, staying 4% above January levels. Labor efficiency, not cuts, maintained profitability, emphasizing dynamic staffing tied to demand for 2026.

🍳 Earlier this week at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, noncommercial chefs participated in FoodService Director's FSD Chefs Immersion. They engaged in a culinary exchange using sponsor products, including those from Botrista, Hormel, and Kraft Heinz. The Orange Team crafted cinnamon rolls with Hawaiian rolls, while the Yellow Team made dessert sushi with mango sticky rice and gochujang berry sauce, highlighting innovative culinary trends. Jamix documented recipes, and La Colombe provided coffee.

📈 Black professionals hold just 9.5% of hospitality leadership roles in 2024, down from 11.3% in 2022, despite a 16% growth in leadership roles since 2020. In Penn State's 2025 data, Black leaders account for 2.1% of director-to-CEO positions, equating to one Black C-suite leader per 68 executives. The hospitality industry's diversity isn't mirrored in leadership, highlighting ongoing inequities that hinder talent advancement. OysterLink, a job platform for hospitality professionals, reports over 400,000 monthly visitors.

🛌 US hotel industry 2025: occupancy drops since Q2, impacting TRevPAR growth. Labor costs outpace revenue, with PayPAR increasing 4-5% annually, compressing GOPPAR. Union hotels face higher labor costs (43% vs. 33.5%), affecting profitability (30.3% GOP margin vs. 36.5% for non-union). Non-union hotels retain 25% of incremental revenue; union hotels lose 1%. Flexibility is crucial as volume weakens, requiring productivity innovations. Hotel profitability hinges on adapting staffing to demand efficiently.

🏨 By 2028, the Bobillot project will convert a 1960s office building in Paris' 13th arrondissement into a 91-room hotel. As hotel land in major cities becomes scarce, transforming offices into hotels offers new opportunities for developers. This trend, highlighted at SIMI, prompts industry reflection on whether repurposing outdated office spaces is the solution for establishing new hotels in densely populated urban areas.

🏨 U.S. hotel labor model shifts in 2025: wages up 5.9%, labor cost per room up 2-11.2%, headcount increased 4-9%. Hours per room reduced: guest services 13.5%, housekeeping 7.1%, management 14.6%. Room attendants 5.5% faster, guest service reps 12.7% faster, AGMs/GMs 14% faster. Extended Stay hotels most efficient (1.30 hours/room), Resorts highest (4.48). For 2026, focus on demand-linked staffing, efficiency over cuts, and evolving service models.

📅 Revinate CMO Karen Stephens and Marketing Coordinator Brenna Turpin discuss five key forces shaping hospitality in 2026. Emphasizing real-time data use, they predict a reset in hotel operations, focusing on personalized service and guest engagement. Hotels must adapt to evolving tech and privacy standards to meet rising expectations. Karen Stephens, with 25 years in hospitality tech, leads Revinate's marketing, achieving record bookings in Q4 2023.

📝 In 2025, 1,500 hotel post-stay surveys were analyzed. Surveys with embedded questions had a 22.7% response rate, versus 19.6% without. Subject lines under five words achieved a 23% response rate, while those with 11+ words dropped to 17%. Surveys styled with custom CSS averaged 22.3% participation, compared to 19.4% for unbranded ones. Surveys 1-3 pages, with 5-7 questions per page, performed best. One to three open-ended questions maintained response rates between 20-22%.