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Opinion Articles

Opinion Article

Smart Tourism Policy for India's Digital-First Traveler

India’s travel market is no longer nascent; it is here. Boosted by rapidly rising incomes, a young population, and fast digital adoption, India is on track to become one of the most influential tourism markets of the next decade. The latest insights from Booking.com’s Global Travel Trends 2025 illustrate just how different India’s traveller profile is from global averages, and what this means for policymakers shaping the future of tourism at home and abroad.

Yang Li
By Yang Li, Head of Public Affairs, Asia Pacific, Booking.com
India
Opinion Article

San Francisco’s Hotel Investment Outlook Brightens

The San Francisco lodging market has been experiencing a major rebound in performance, with RevPAR up 8.9% as of year-to-date August. This improvement has been driven by a strong convention calendar, major employers implementing return-to-office mandates, and modest growth in tourism levels. San Francisco Travel Association anticipates Moscone Center will generate over 650,000 room nights in 2025, which equates to roughly 106.0% of 2023 levels but only 68.0% of peak 2019 performance. Salesforce, the city’s largest private employer, implemented a full return-to-office policy in January 2025. Gap, Inc. has been phasing in a return to office, increasing from two days a week in January to five days a week by the end of September 2025. The City of San Francisco has also implemented a four-day in-person mandate beginning August 2025.

John Berean
By John Berean, Managing Director, HVS
San Francisco, California, United States
Opinion Article

Hotel Food and Beverage – A Bright Spot in 2025

U.S. hoteliers are struggling to increase revenues in 2025, as rooms revenue (the largest source of revenue for hotels) increased by just 0.8% during the first half of the year, according to CBRE’s August 2025 edition of Hotel Horizons®. Given the expected slowdown in U.S. lodging performance during the second half of 2025, CBRE’s forecast for the annual growth in RevPAR is just 0.1%.

Robert MandelbaumAndrea Grigg
By Robert Mandelbaum and Andrea Grigg
Opinion Article

Correctional Crisis Spurs Hotel Boom in Upstate New York

On February 17, 2025, thousands of corrections officers at more than 25 prisons across Upstate New York went on strike over staffing shortages, poor working conditions, and the implementation of the HALT Act, which limits the use of solitary confinement in New York State prisons and jails. In an address to the public, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul reported that these strikes were considered illegal, as the state’s Taylor Law prohibits public employees from striking. The strike lasted 22 days before the State and the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) reached an agreement that brought many of the striking employees back to work.

Cole Masler
By Cole Masler, Senior Manager, New York, HVS
New York, New York, United States
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Opinion Article

HVS ANAROCK Northeast India: A Hidden Gem for Tourism Potential

Northeast India represents one of the country’s most compelling frontiers for tourism development. Despite its exceptional natural beauty, cultural diversity, and strategic location, the region remains underrepresented in India’s tourism narrative. In 2024, it accounted for just 0.43% of domestic and 1.17% of foreign tourist visits, underscoring its vast untapped potential.

Dipti MohanAkash DattaDhwani Gupta
By Dipti Mohan, Akash Datta, and Dhwani Gupta
India
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Opinion Article

Hotel Market Beat 2025 H1 - Ireland

The Irish hotel investment market remained strong in the first half of 2025, with transactions totalling around €375 million. Major Dublin deals dominated activity, including the €86 million sale of the Ruby Molly Hotel by ESR Group to German investor Deka Immobilien, leased to Ruby Hotels Group. The Fleet Hotel was also acquired by the Lanthorn Group for TMR Hotel Collection. Beyond the city centre, the Grand Hotel in Malahide, the Marine Hotel in Sutton, and the Radisson Blu at Dublin Airport all changed hands. Activity outside Dublin was limited, with the standout being the €21 million sale of Clayton Whites Hotel in Wexford to the Neville Hotel Group.

Tom McCabeEd Fitch
By Tom McCabe and Ed Fitch
Ireland
Opinion Article

Hotel Market Beat 2025 H1 - Greater Paris

In the first half of 2025, hotel transaction volume in Greater Paris exceeded €600 million, with a total of 28 hotels and 2,120 rooms sold. Although transaction volume has declined by 46%, there was a significant increase in the total number of properties and rooms sold. This decline in transaction volume is mainly due to fewer large-scale deals compared to H1 2024, when four hotels accounted for nearly 80% of the total volume. Despite this, the hotel market remains in good momentum supported by a strong demand.

Jean-Christophe CharolleJerome Salomon
By Jean-Christophe Charolle and Jerome Salomon
Opinion Article

Market Snapshot: Asia Pacific 2025

In 2024, hotel transaction volume in the Asia Pacific recorded approximately USD11.5 billion, a modest 3% decrease from USD11.9 billion in 2023. While activity has softened, the pace of decline has significantly improved compared with the sharper 14% decline recorded between 2022 and 2023. The slowdown can be attributed not only to elevated borrowing costs but also to factors such as prolonged transaction timelines due to cautious due diligence and lingering macroeconomic uncertainties across major markets. On a trailing 12-month basis, transaction volume decreased 9% from USD12.4 billion to USD11.2 billion, with deal count easing from 492 to 456. Despite this, the narrowing pace of decline, together with resilient travel demand and selective regional growth, suggests that investors are likely to remain cautiously optimistic and selective.

Hok Yean Chee
By Hok Yean Chee, Regional President of HVS Asia Pacific, HVS
Opinion Article

Island of Opportunity: Curaçao’s Tourism Transformation

Once economically reliant on petroleum refining, with additional support from financial services and tourism, Curaçao has seen tourism emerge as the cornerstone of its economy since the refinery’s closure in 2018. This shift has become even more apparent in the post-pandemic era. The island boasts dozens of white-sand beaches, vibrant reefs, and world-class snorkeling, as well as the historic capital of Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Dutch Colonial architecture. Willemstad’s growing art, shopping, and dining scene and the island’s natural assets, rising visitation, and sustained investment are positioning the country for continued growth as a premier Caribbean destination.

Patrick B. Nau
By Patrick B. Nau, Senior Associate at HVS, Tampa - St. Pete, HVS
Curacao, The Netherlands