Opinion Articles

2024 Q1 Trends in Hotel Guest Experience: Surge in Satisfaction and Responsiveness

2024 kicked off with exceptional growth in the hospitality sector, particularly in Q1, where we observed a notable surge in hotel guest satisfaction and responsiveness. This trend, especially pronounced in the 3 and 4-star hotel categories, not only mirrors but also exceeds the upward trajectory seen in the previous year’s first quarter. The latest Guest Experience Benchmark Report reveals key trends shaping the sector in early 2024.

Venice Market Pulse

The resurgence of travel activity in Venice following the years afflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic has not only been a sign of recovery but also an indicator of evolving trends within the city's tourism sector. In line with what was observed in other Italian cities, Venice's hotel market experienced an unprecedented surge in the post-pandemic era. While overall occupancy rates remain below pre-pandemic levels, the upper upscale and luxury market segments appear to have fully rebounded. This recovery, along with a significant increase in average rates, has resulted in a notably positive impact on Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR).

Paris Market Pulse 2024 – Going for Gold

The City of Light enjoys a well-balanced blend of business and leisure demand resulting in both a broad seasonality and strong average rates. Since 2015, Paris has faced multiple challenges which highly disrupted hotel performances. As the city was recovering from the 2015-16 terrorist attacks, the ‘yellow vests’ movement and pension reform strikes of 2018-19 and the transportation strike of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. The market has since shown remarkable resilience and has gradually recovered, reaching record levels of RevPAR in 2023. Despite and throughout this tumultuous period, Paris has maintained its status as one of the most sought-after destinations for hotel investment, owing to its robust underlying fundamentals.

Sun, Sand, Sea, and Luxury: The Rebound of Barbados Following COVID-19

Barbados is an independent English-speaking Commonwealth country and the easternmost island of the Caribbean. It is one of the most mature tourist destinations in the Caribbean. The island is known for offering some of the most serene beaches in the world, as well as an abundance of dining options, local shopping experiences, outstanding golf courses, and numerous other attractions. According to Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), approximately 80% of visitors to the island come for vacation or tourism purposes. The following graph shows the historical stopover visitation data for Barbados.

A Deep Dive Into Japan’s Hotel ADR Growth Trends

Japan’s growth in hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) has remained extremely impressive over the past 15 months – a function of a later opening post-pandemic, above-average inflation, and an influx of international demand. That’s largely reflected in average-daily-rate (ADR) growth, although through much of 2023, the first and third points helped drive double-digit occupancy increases as well.

Amsterdam Market Pulse – Full Recovery in Sight

With a population of more than 930,000 , the capital city of Amsterdam lies on the coast of the province of North Holland. The city – known for its historic canals, the famous Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the coffee shops of the Red Light District – is also a significant financial and business centre in Europe. There were more than 3,500 international companies in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (AMA) in 2023, representing more than 30% of the private-sector jobs. The city is highly accessible via local, national and international transport links. Amsterdam has excellent domestic and international connections via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, the European high-speed rail network and the North Sea Canal.

Cornell Hotel Indices First Quarter 2024: Large Hotels Reach a New Statistical Low

Only the Midwest, South Atlantic, and West South-Central regions posted moderate single-digit hotel-price gains in the first quarter 2024 (Midwest, 3.2%; South Atlantic, 3.8%; and West South-Central, 1.6%). Hotels in gateway cities experienced a reversal, exhibiting better performance than hotels in non-gateway cities this quarter. Transaction volume fell year over year and quarter over quarter for both large and small hotels in gateway and non-gateway cities. Standardized prices of large hotels continue to soften while those of smaller hotels remain relatively stationary. The cost of hotel debt financing and the delinquency rate for hotels rose in the recent quarter, even though credit spreads continued to tighten and relative risk narrowed. As in prior periods, borrowing costs still exceed the return on hotels. Expect to see a rise in the price of large hotels and a decline in prices for small hotels next quarter based on our leading indicators of hotel price performance.

HVS Las Vegas Casino and Hotel Market Outlook 2024

Las Vegas continues to evolve, with billions of dollars being spent on the development of new world-class venues in recent years. In 2023, occupied room nights, as well as total occupancy (83.5%), continued to lag 2019 performance; however, like gaming revenue, the market’s ADR ($191.29) and RevPAR ($159.73) for 2023 reached record levels for the second year in a row. This article examines the latest trends and developments that are relevant to the Las Vegas casino and hotel markets.

Waterparks Maintain Momentum in 2024 Amid Growth and New Opportunities

In 2023, waterpark owners and operators saw a more competitive market as attendance levels remained similar to 2022 while ticket pricing growth was more subdued. This occurred due to increased competition from a variety of additional attractions and entertainment venues in the post-pandemic economy. In 2023, 16 indoor waterpark openings and expansions added 480,000 square feet of indoor waterpark space while twelve new outdoor waterparks opened. New growth is forecasted for indoor and outdoor waterparks in 2024 as several large-scale projects will open that will alter the waterpark landscape. These projects will continue to encourage existing properties to innovate and update to keep market share. The planned merger of Cedar Fair and Six Flags will create the largest owner-operator of outdoor waterparks in North America.