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🏨 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.

🏡 In December 2013, Jaume and co-founder Liza Masías established Aina Hospitality, an investment fund targeting boutique hotels. Initially raising more funds than expected, they expanded to larger properties, acquiring a portfolio of nine hotels within approximately 3.5 years. Aina Hospitality transformed into a hotel management company, while BOSCALT was created to handle investments. They attracted backers like Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity, focusing on luxury and ultra-luxury properties, such as Hyde London City and Baccarat Hotel Roma. They prioritize sustainability, with each property having a sustainability champion, and aim for the Silver sustainability standard for historic renovations. Despite the challenges of financing and competitive markets, their unique investment philosophy draws investors, offering a personal connection to the assets.

🎵 Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" generated $98.2 million in U.S. hotel revenue in three months. JW Marriott Miami Turnberry earned an extra $25,000 over two days with themed cabanas. Hotels in Sydney and Singapore saw occupancy rate increases up to 65% and 70%, respectively. Personalized experiences and targeting tools, like those offered by Marriott Bonvoy and THN's Personalization platform, enhanced guest engagement. Repeat bookings in Nashville rose over 30% post-tour, proving the effectiveness of targeted loyalty programs and personalized hotel experiences.

💰 Bleisure travel, blending business and leisure, was spotted by Future Laboratory in the early 2000s, with technology reshaping work and travel behaviors. The hospitality industry lacks solid data due to no specific "bleisure" code in reservation systems, relying on indirect metrics like extended stays and ancillary spending. Post-pandemic, "work from anywhere" policies surged, prompting companies to adapt travel guidelines, allowing trip extensions for leisure, with cost-sharing models for business and personal expenses. Estimates suggest the bleisure market could reach tens to hundreds of billions globally, with a projected CAGR of 8%-12%. Hospitality can leverage this trend by tailoring services and partnering with corporations for cost-effective travel solutions. Despite the lack of hard data and return-to-office trends, bleisure's potential impact remains significant.

🏡 Mademoiselle Conciergerie, a luxury villa rental brand, doubled its portfolio value by leveraging eviivo's property management system. In 2024, the company's annual revenues soared from €470,000 to over €1.2 million with nearly 2,000 reservations and 40% direct bookings. Operating 25 luxury villas over 250 km in Languedoc-Roussillon, France, the co-founders Laetitia Denux and Erwann Deverdun started the business in 2022. They offer unique properties with tailored services, assisted by the efficiencies of eviivo's platform.

📈 An experiment with 118 finance professionals trading with tomorrow's Wall Street Journal showed only a 51.5% success rate and a 3.2% average gain. Among 1,500 online players, the median loss was 30%, with 36% going bankrupt. Boom Supersonic's XB-1 aircraft broke the Mach 1 barrier on January 28, aiming to carry 65-80 passengers at Mach 1.7 with 130 orders from airlines like American and United. OpenAI's Operator, available to US ChatGPT Pro users for $200/month, can book flights and accommodations through browsers. The Travel Tech Essentialist Job Board lists 1,169 open roles.