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July 9, 2025
US hotel brands late to capitalize on Spain’s booming extended-stay market
The extended-stay segment in Europe is undergoing a transformation, none more so than in Spain, where a perfect storm of market opportunity and regulatory pressure is reshaping urban hospitality.
July 9, 2025
4 signs your hotel’s procurement system needs a refresh
The hotel industry is anything but stagnant.
July 8, 2025
Proper training helps frontline associates meet luxury standards without sounding robotic
Not only do hotel leaders in the luxury and ultra-luxury segments of the lodging industry need to deliver the hospitality and service style that their real-world guests expect, but they also have to worry about standards mandated by third-party hotel rating services.
July 7, 2025
Tourism must work however slowly toward achieving greater equality
South Africa’s Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille kicked off the Future Hospitality Summit Africa held in Cape Town last month.
July 3, 2025
Has 'luxury' lost its meaning?
We throw the word "luxury" around a lot in the travel industry. But what does "luxury" really mean? Sometimes the more you load a word with meaning, the less definition it ends up having. Case in point: "boutique hotel," right?
July 2, 2025
Hotel market studies: AI vs. 'boots on the ground'
Hotel real estate professionals, such as developers and lenders, often depend on independent market studies to evaluate the feasibility of hotel assets. Traditionally, these studies are prepared by third-party consultants or in-house analysts who assess supply and demand dynamics, project operating performance, and provide financial forecasts. As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, the industry is asking an important question: Can AI replace traditional consulting methods in conducting hotel market studies?
July 1, 2025
Hotel guests have never been more (dis)loyal, but some brands get it
Attending 2025 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) in early June in New York, one common remark among keynotes and panelists was to point to the huge growth of loyalty program membership numbers for the big chains as being synonymous with the growth of "actual" loyalty (we’ll get to what actual means later).
June 30, 2025
Cape Town urban retreat leads to tales of 16 war zones
On my visit to Cape Town to attend the recent Future Hospitality Summit Africa 2025 a couple of weeks ago, I first chose a hotel a few kilometers away from where the conference was to be held in the city’s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront district.
June 27, 2025
There are now concrete ways hoteliers should be reacting to AI
I spent the bulk of last week in Indianapolis attending the dual-headed conferences that are HSMAI Commercial Strategy Conference and HITEC, and I'll get to the point and say there are two things I'm thankful for.
June 25, 2025
Personalized proposals promote more hotel sales
When you ask sales leaders what’s most important about replying to inbound requests for proposal and inquiries, the majority will mention some version of “responding promptly.”
June 24, 2025
Integrating fitness, wellness and longevity into hotel investments
Fitness and wellness have long been part of the hospitality conversation, but in recent years, that conversation has evolved into action.
June 23, 2025
Hotel anniversaries and banned, flightless birds
This month, IHG Hotels & Resorts is celebrating its 50th anniversary of operating in China.
June 20, 2025
The joy of doing nothing
There's a lot to be said about doing nothing.
June 18, 2025
Reasons to oppose minimum wage increases for tourism workers
Cities like Los Angeles and San Diego are considering massive increases in the minimum wage and they are targeting hotel workers in particular. In Los Angeles, it is 48% — in San Diego it is 45%. Additionally, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is urging the state legislature to allow local governments to set their own minimum wage, which could impact hotel workers.
June 16, 2025
UK plan to end hotel contracts for asylum seekers presents many questions
If there is any subject that in the United Kingdom would set of a heated discussion in a freezer, that subject is probably immigration.
June 13, 2025
Hoteliers are feeling pessimistic, but they don't want to admit it
I wouldn't blame you for not noticing, but it's been three and a half months since my last blog about the hotel industry. And when I sat down to write that piece at the end of February, I asked what the tone of the industry would be when I came back for the 2025 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum.
June 12, 2025
The experience of time and conversation
In this week approaching Father's Day in the U.S., I see my social media feeds crowded with a lot of really fun-looking "dad trips." I call them dad trips because they're dads and kids, grandfathers and grandkids — that kind of trip with a dad-like figure. And no, they're not all fishing trips or baseball-stadium tours or golf trips. What I'm seeing more this year are old-fashioned road trips.
June 11, 2025
From pipeline to reality: Hotel, resort openings in Africa from the past year
Every year since 2009 I have listened to and analyzed what the international and regional hotel chains say about the deals they are signing for new hotels and resorts in Africa. In March I publish the annual Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa report. And during the year, I track what actually opened — converting the pipeline deals into the cherished goal of net unit growth (NUG). Throughout the year my colleagues and I are checking what’s opening, with a final check on Dec. 31 (our idea of a good time on New Year’s Eve!).
June 11, 2025
A beacon of hope for hoteliers with three key takeaways from the NYU investment conference
The pall in the air surrounding the near-term future of the hotel industry for the first half of 2025 has unsurprisingly centered around the disruption caused by one word: tariffs. It’s led to erratic travel behavior making forecasts less predictable, the reshuffling of international flight routes (mostly into and out of the United States) and lots of investment dollars in a wait-and-see pattern that we so often call "dry powder."
June 10, 2025
Why hotel managers need to work hand in hand with sales teams
Hotel general managers excel at handling various aspects of a property's operations, from guest services to front-desk management, housekeeping logistics, and food-and-beverage procurement. Many GMs have gained experience across these departments, shaping their operational expertise.