Travel & Data Trends

A lot has been said about communication breakdowns in hospitality. But the truth is, it’s rarely just about miscommunication. It’s about disconnection—from purpose, from process, from each other. And it shows up in the details: missed handoffs, shifts left uncovered, a new hire struggling alone on their first weekend shift.

It’s been a buoyant cycle for hotels in Ireland: long, sustained periods of rising demand, and either constrained supply, or new supply that has been easily absorbed. Transactions have also been strong on the back of these favorable dynamics.

The Manhattan market has been experiencing a prolonged post-pandemic occupancy recovery, despite strong ADR gains. Although legislative and supply changes should bolster this recovery, recent geopolitical factors and the tariffs and policy changes enacted by the new federal administration are expected to affect short-term hotel market trends. Our current demand forecast shows a full recovery beyond 2019 levels by 2027/28.

Compared to other countries, Switzerland has steadily become less and less popular as a vacation destination, which raises important questions about the factors shaping international tourism flows. This article examines the role of demographic change, particularly ageing populations, in influencing destination rankings and looks at what these trends may imply for the future of Swiss tourism.

In a recent podcast on dojo.live, I spoke about the game-changing role of a unified data layer in staying competitive, especially in an era driven by AI and other emerging technologies.

At the EHL Open Innovation Summit, we spoke with Will Guillaume Foussier, CEO of AceUp, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping revenue strategies in hospitality and why coaching remains one of the most powerful drivers of lasting change. Will introduced his IDEAL framework, a structured model that connects individual growth with team alignment and organizational transformation.

At the EHL Open Innovation Summit, we had the opportunity to speak with Ásta Kristín Sigurjónsdóttir, CEO of the Iceland Tourism Cluster, and Milena S. Nikolova, Ph.D., Chief Behavior Officer and Co-founder of BehaviorSMART. Our conversation explored how artificial intelligence might transform the way we plan and experience travel, how technology must be used with behavioral insight to enhance rather than diminish hospitality, and why the industry must rethink success in terms of community well-being—not just business outcomes.

Imagine a hotel company that doesn’t rely on a Frankenstein-esque business model cobbled together from a franchise, a management company, and a brand – each with their own agenda, their own KPIs, and absolutely zero alignment. Imagine instead a sleek, modern, hospitality-first, customer-centric organization that actually makes sense.

Hotel Investment Holds Steady in Q1 2025, with a Promising Hotel Investment Outlook in Europe European hotel transaction volumes reached €5.5 billion in Q1 2025, flat year on year with 2024 but still 24% above the 2020–2024 five-year average. With several deals in the making, we expect 2025 volumes to surpass last year and reach about €25Bn. This is assuming a continued gradual recovery of the lending landscape. With an increased maturity in the hotel sector and growing interest in the Hotels Sector from core institutional capital, market volumes are forecast to grow further in coming years. Hotels are typically more resilient than most other asset classes in a high inflation environment, due to their ability to quickly react and adjust to increase prices, whilst at the same time having opportunities to manage their costs. As such, the typical investment model offers investors value-add opportunities in a high interest rates environment. In addition, some assets, such as ultra luxury/iconic hotels, might suffer less from these impacts. European Hotel Deals Soar Above 5-Year Average in 2024 European hotel transaction volumes reached €22.3Bn in 2024, a +36% increase vs 2023, and also 19% above the 5 years’ average (2019-23). This market volume was underpinned by the closing of several large portfolio deals (accounting for over one third of the total in 2024), as well as a number of major single asset transactions. The catalyst for this growth was a strong trading recovery and positive trading outlook, backed up by increased debt availability, at margins which were accretive to investment returns. Investors focused principally on urban markets with a solid leisure component (such as London, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Rome & Barcelona), as well as leisure-driven destinations (Iberian Peninsula, France and Italy). Alongside these core markets, there was notable increases in investment volumes (within the top-10 markets) in Greece (+290% vs 2024), Norway (+248%) and Ireland (+209%). Despite a cautious approach due to the current geopolitical uncertainties, the market sentiment remains very positive. Hotels are a “hot” asset class at the moment, given their value-add opportunities (beneficial in a high lending cost environment), strong recent performance, hedge against inflation and offering an excellent opportunity for investors to diversify their investment holdings. Several landmark transactions and large portfolios drove 2024 results Key portfolio transactions included the acquisition of 33 Marriott hotels by KKR, Amante Capital and Baupost from ADIA in Q4, Blackstone’s purchase of Village Hotels (33 hotels) from KSL Capital Partners in Q2, the sale of 10 Radisson Edwardian hotels to Starwood Capital Group in Q1 and the acquisition of 21 hotels from Land Securities by Ares Management and EQ Group in Q2. The most significant single-asset transactions were Amundi’s sale of the Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel to Morgan Stanley and QuinSpark Investment Partners, Signa’s sale of the Bauer Hotel in Venice to Mohari Hospitality and Omnam Investment Group, Kennedy Wilson’s sale of the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin to Archer Hotel Capital, Blackstone’s sale of the Hilton Paris Opera to City Development Limited and Hines and Henderson Park’s sale of the Grand Hyatt Athens to Hotel Investment Partners. A growing trend in Europe involves converting commercial buildings into hotels, exemplified by the sale of London’s iconic BT Tower to MCR Hotels for transformation into a luxury hotel. What’s Driving the High Transaction Volumes in Europe? European hotels are liquid: in 2024, it represented about ¼ of the global room supply (27%) but more than 1/3 of the transaction volumes (37%). This is driven by: A good mix well-established urban markets and of established resort destinations with limited supply growth. Strong operating performance: 2024 RevPAR up 34% vs. pre-pandemic, surpassing Americas (+32%) and APAC (+6%), trailing MEA (+58%). High operational margins: our samples of branded full-service hotels in 15 major European markets show healthy Gross Operating Profit margins (ranging between 27%-47%). 13 out of the 15 markets recorded a growth of GOP PAR in 2024 versus 2023, with an average increase of 10%. This is positive news given the ongoing inflationary pressures and lack of labour. High levels of transparency of markets providing confidence for investors In the context of all asset classes (office, retail, industrial & logistics), the hospitality sector increased in attractiveness among investors, due to its positive growth metrics and strong value-add potential. In addition, investment was supported by favorable currency dynamics. In 2024, the USD strengthened notably against the Euro, enhancing the appeal of European assets for dollar-based investors. Sources: STR, HotStats Recent Changes in the Transactional Landscape A key change since the pandemic has been the shift towards investments in resort assets (as opposed to urban destinations), driven by positive consumer trends (more spending on experiences rather than goods, and the ability to combine work and leisure), as well as a recognition by many institutional investors of the resilience of leisure demand. We are witnessing a continued rising trend of conversions of existing commercial assets into hotels, especially in established mature markets, driven by constrained pipeline, hotels’ growing appeal over other asset classes, and ability to deliver alignment with ESG goals. There has also been a trend from some significant investors (such as Brookfield AM and Archer Hotel Capital) to take direct operational control by integrating or establishing management and investment platforms into their structures, rather than accepting a traditional HMA or lease model, which may limit control and reduce returns. Top Investor Picks for 2025: Southern Europe Leads, Prague Sees the Sharpest Rise According to our latest Investor Survey (Investor Compass 2025), the most attractive cities for investors in 2025 are Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, London, Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, and Berlin. However, the largest increase in attractiveness relative to 2024 is in Prague (+14%), Munich (+8%), Milan (+4%) and Edinburgh (+4%). In 2024, the most attractive markets (by investment volume) in Europe where: Markets to Watch for Future Hotel Investment The most significant opportunity perhaps lies in Germany which has seen a significant drop in hotel volumes in recent years. Notwithstanding the weak short term economic outlook for Germany, as the largest economy in Europe, we expect a recovery of German investment volumes, which has historically been number 2 by investment volumes (behind the UK) in Europe. Emerging markets also include the South Eastern European region (incorporating countries such as Croatia and Greece) which has historically had lower liquidity, but experienced strong investment activity in Q1 2025, +553% vs 2019-23 5YRS average, as did the Nordics (Q1 2025 volumes +232%), as well as the Baltics (currently low due to impact of the War in Ukraine), and the Central & Eastern Europe region (especially Prague, with several landmark properties recently sold – including the Four Seasons and Hilton Prague, both acquired by PPF in 2025). ESG’s Rising Role in Hotel Investment Decisions According to our latest investor survey, 31% of investors faced ESG-related issues with a major monetary impact (>€500K) during hotel acquisitions or dispositions in the last two years. Overall, about 67% of investors have encountered ESG-related issues (incl. non-monetary), but this is a decline compared to the preceding year (74%). The declining number of issues might be due to increased preparedness of assets ahead of dispositions as sellers seek to avoid ESG related negative impacts. According to our survey, investors are willing to pay a green premium for sustainable hotels (4.8% on average), but this may shift toward brown discounts as sustainability becomes a baseline expectation. Unlocking Potential: Challenges and Opportunities in European Hospitality Investment As ever, some of the challenges will present opportunities for hotel-savvy investors. The key challenges will likely include effective cost control (rising labour and inflation-driven supplier pricing), navigating the geopolitical environment (impact of border tightening on staffing and taxes on procurement), meeting regulatory and ESG compliance, and staying ahead of technological advancements. On the other hand, opportunities will arise for those who embrace technology (cost cutting opportunities, clearer vision with data-driven analysis). Demand growth is expected for transient accommodation driven by global demographics and lifestyle trends. European travelers are expected to live longer and are now allocating more time and money to leisure activities/holidays (shift from spending on good to experiences). Simultaneously, international travelers are seeing their populations and income growing. The growing trend of “working from home” and combining work and leisure will benefit extended stay and hybrid formats of hospitality. As a result, we expect more capital to be deployed in the European hotel sector in 2025 than in 2024. 56% of respondents to our investor survey intend to deploy more or at least the same capital than in 2024, with an increasing pool of buyers (more institutional, willing to shift from traditional asset classes towards alternative/living sectors). When approaching European markets, investors should assess demand diversity (balanced mix of domestic/international, leisure/business travelers), understand the supply/pipeline dynamics (European markets are very polarized: i.e., Brussels and Dublin have a greater pipeline (>=4% 2023-2025 CAGR) than markets such as Paris and Barcelona, which are expecting very limited pipeline additions (<=2%)), and recent tourism taxes/VAT changes (e.g., increasing tourism tax in Amsterdam). Furthermore, investors should integrate sustainability into their hotel strategy and ensure effective cost management.This article is based on an interview conducted by ChosunBiz: http://biz.chosun.com/international/international_general/2025/06/05/D3P7YO7RCFGF7ANB35WM6R2LMQ/?utm_source=naver&utm_medium=original&utm_campaign=biz

Across the hospitality industry, technology budgets continue to grow — and hotel sales is no exception. But there’s a troubling pattern I keep seeing: decisions are being made based on long feature lists instead of a simple question — “Will this actually help us sell better?”