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1. India slashes interest rates by 50 basis points
India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, has cut interest rates from 6% to 5.50%, a move that has surprised analysts, who had predicted a subtler cut of rates in the nation with the world’s largest population. The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee made the decision on June 6, at which time it also announced the standing deposit facility rate and marginal standing facility rate stand adjusted to 5.25% and 5.75%, respectively.
Newspaper The Indian Express said of the cut, “the main factor that led to the 50 [basis-points] rate cut is the fall in retail inflation. Headline inflation, as measured by year-on-year changes in the all-India consumer price index, moderated to 3.2% in April, the lowest since July 2019, from 3.3% in March. The easing … has been driven by the sustained fall in food prices.”
2. EasyHotel CEO Malak talks Tristan Capital takeover
On the day EasyHotel was acquired by Tristan Capital Partners for an estimated €242 million ($277 million) from real-estate investment firm ICAMAP and Ivanhoé Cambridge, its CEO Karim Malak spoke to CoStar News Hotels’ Terence Baker and said the new owners want further expansion into Europe’s gateway cities.
“This is a good step on our hotel journey. … [Tristan’s] job is to deploy capital intelligently, and it is good proposition. They are not just buying hotels but a platform to grow and an excellent brand, underpinned with a management team. That is what they’ve bought,” Malak said.
He also said the deal underlined the vision of the firm and brand’s founder, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who had held on to 17.38% of the hotel firm.
“Knowing what Stelios does, it is a win, with such a reputable, institutional investor acquiring one of the Easy family brands. It proves that the business model has excellent value, that it has been, as he says, ‘taking on the big guys,’” Malak said.
3. Starwood Capital’s Sternlicht discusses hotel industry success
Starwood Capital Group’s Chairman and CEO Barry Sternlicht accepted the Jonathan Tisch Active Citizenship Award at the recent 2025 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum in New York City. According to CoStar News Hotels’ Sean McCracken, Sternlicht underlined the one attribute he said was essential for a career in the hotel industry — passion.
“It’s not that hard of a business. Clean [the property] up. Pay attention. Do everything a little better. Focus. … If you like people, be in this industry. If you don’t, go code in a garage in Mongolia,” he said. “This is a fun business, and it should be fun. If you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be in the business.”
4. US hotel stocks rebound
U.S. hotel stocks rebounded “sharply” in May, according to business advisory Baird, which added that hotel stocks outperformed their respective benchmarks as macroeconomic and trade policy headwinds moderated. According to the Baird-STR Hotel Stock Index, U.S. hotel share values rose in May in year-on-year terms by 9.3% after losing value in April by 2.1% and March by 13.8%. The index was last in positive territory in January, when it showed a year-on-year increase of 3%.
Michael Bellisario, senior hotel research analyst and managing director at Baird, said, “demand trends have remained stable in recent weeks — ‘stable’ has been the word of choice among industry participants; however, uncertainties still exist, particularly for the summer outlook, given the shorter booking window, more price-sensitive leisure customer and reduced level of inbound international travel.”
5. Electronic key-cards market to hit $12.8 billion by 2032
The RFID, or radio-frequency ID, key-cards market is predicted to increase in value from $5.66 billion in full-year 2024 to $12.8 billion by the end of 2032, according to Industry Today, which added the spurt derives from businesses, including hotels, shifting “toward safer, faster and more efficient access control systems.”
Increased popularity comes from “RFID systems [allowing] for advanced access control and energy management, supporting the growth of intelligent ecosystems. … Enhanced chip performance, encryption capabilities and miniaturization of RFID tags are making key cards more reliable and multifunctional.”