Market Trends

🍽 In hospitality, frontline roles typically have higher turnover rates than management due to the career ladder structure. Successful strategies to reduce turnover include competitive wages, performance bonuses, self-scheduling, improved PTO policies, mental health support, career development, internal promotions, and a strong company culture. Economic uncertainty and efficiency improvements like self-service kiosks result in cautious hiring in the food service industry.

📌 Radisson Hotel Group plans expansion across Europe with over 37,000 new rooms globally. In 2024, the group had a historic year with numerous hotel signings and openings. It leads in the upper-upscale segment in Europe with brands like Radisson Blu, Radisson Collection, and Radisson RED. New collaborations include the Porsche Design Tower in Stuttgart and Manchester City Football Club in the UK. In 2025, Radisson reopened the Radisson Collection Hotel in Berlin and will launch HARBR Hotel Heilbronn (127 rooms) and HARBR Hotel Konstanz (76 rooms) in Germany, adding to its existing 64 hotels in the country. Four new properties in Norway and an entry into the Spanish and Portuguese markets mark the company's growth. In Paris, two flagship hotels are under development, and the Medlock Hotel at the Manchester City Football Club's Etihad Campus will open in 2026 with over 400 rooms. Radisson is also expanding in the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, with significant growth in India to reach over 200 hotels in operation or under development.

📍 Mabrian's analysis for 2025 shows the top nine Middle East destinations for growth: Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, with a collective 12% share of global inbound air seats for the year. The UAE (+6.1%) and Türkiye (+6.3%) closely follow the global average growth of international air seats (+6.5%) over the next six months but fall slightly behind for the full year (+3.4% for UAE, +4.2% for Türkiye, compared to the +6% global average). Saudi Arabia stands out with a year-end projection of 43.1 million inbound seats, marking an +8% growth over six months, and +5.2% in 2025. Since 2019, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have seen substantial increases in international air connectivity, with +38% and +51% respectively. Jordan expects a +13% increase in inbound seats, reaching 6.5 million, while Egypt anticipates reaching 28 million inbound seats, an increase of +11.4% over six months, and +8.1% throughout 2025.

📱 Vinny Patel, CEO of VMV Capital, specializes in extended-stay hotels in the Southeastern U.S. He opened the 88-room Extended Stay America Premier Suites Greenville – Spartanburg – I-85 in December 2023, emphasizing strong Gross Operating Profit (GOP) and Return on Investment (ROI) margins. The Premier Suites brand, launched by Extended Stay America in 2021, features upgraded amenities. Patel's management strategies focus on guest experience, financial management, property maintenance, and talent development. The Greenville – Spartanburg location benefits from the local manufacturing industry and the Sun Belt growth trend, expecting to end 2025 with a double-digit percentage increase in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR). Patel underscores the importance of franchisor support, brand consistency, and understanding extended-stay nuances for success.

📈 MIPIM 2025, with over 20,000 participants from 90 countries, expanded its exhibition space by 5% to 20,600 m². Despite the rainy weather in Cannes, the 34th edition saw a RevPAR growth of +4% due to a +5.8% increase in average daily rates. Occupancy in Cannes' midscale and upscale hotels dropped slightly (-1.2 points) compared to 2023 (70.7% vs. 71.5%). The broader Cannes and Antibes hotel market experienced a -1.5 point drop in occupancy but an +8.4% rise in average daily rates, leading to a +6% increase in RevPAR.

📍 In 2025, Cloudbeds, based in San Diego, CA, achieved Elite Connectivity Partner Status by Expedia Group, placing it in the top 2% of Expedia's partners. CEO Adam Harris emphasized the partnership's role in fostering customer growth. Cloudbeds excelled with a 99.7% API integration rate, a 100% booking success rate, and a 36% growth in property adoption year-over-year. This status allows Cloudbeds to work on product development with Expedia, benefiting property distribution and guest acquisition.

🏨 Marriott International targets doubling the Four Points Flex by Sheraton portfolio in Europe by 2026, from 25 to over 50 properties. Launched in the EMEA region in September 2023, the brand offers midscale accommodations with over 2,700 rooms in countries like Denmark, Turkey, the UK, Italy, and Germany. Planned growth includes new hotels in Austria (2), France (Four Points Flex by Sheraton Lourdes Sanctuaire), Germany (7), Italy (Parma, Bologna, Rimini), the UK (4, including Edinburgh and Brighton), Turkey (3), and Denmark (Four Points Flex by Sheraton Copenhagen Glostrup). The expansion reflects demand for affordable lodging and benefits from the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. The brand also entered Japan with 14 hotel conversions.

🏨 YOTEL is expanding globally with openings and renovations in Europe, Middle East, and Asia, targeting urban centers for business and leisure travelers. Belfast will see a new YOTEL with 165 rooms by late 2026, while YOTEL London City's renovation completes by April 2025. YOTEL Tokyo Ginza opened in December 2024, offering 244 rooms. YOTEL's Kuala Lumpur 290-key hotel opens in 2026, and YOTEL Bangkok will launch in late 2025 with 250 rooms, part of the Cloud 11 development. The brand emphasizes technology, like SmartBeds™ and YOBOT luggage storage, and sustainability in projects like Kuala Lumpur and NEOM's Oxagon.

💸 In fall 2024, 70 hospitality workers participated in a study about earned wage access (EWA) program Fuego's impact on their financial well-being. 60% cited bill payments as a primary stressor, 76% used EWA for food, and 53% constantly worried about daily expenses. EWA helped 57% avoid borrowing from friends/family and 40% evade late fees. 75% accessed wages weekly, with 41% withdrawing $100 or more. The study, supported by Fourth, highlights EWA's potential to improve financial stability among employees. Read the full report at www.ebri.org.