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Opinion Articles

Opinion Article

Hotel Market Beat 2025 H1 - Italy

The Italian hotel investment market delivered a strong H1 2025, with transactions reaching nearly €1.7 billion, up 102% YoY. Rome and Venice led the activity, generating over €780 million (47% of the national volume), confirming their strategic appeal. Deals were mostly single-asset, focused on the Upper Upscale and Luxury segments. Notable transactions included the €170 million acquisition of the Mandarin Oriental in Rome (Villini Sallustiani). International investors drove 51% of total volume, with capital from Europe and the Americas. Despite cautious optimism, the market remains resilient, with a solid deal pipeline and sustained foreign interest expected to drive continued momentum in H2 2025.

Davide BarbaroFrancesco Calia
By Davide Barbaro and Francesco Calia
Italy
Opinion Article

It is time to develop new reflexes

France has a natural tendency towards romanticism, which is often a strength but can sometimes become a weakness. It is the world's leading tourist destination, with a hotel and tourism ecosystem that has never been as structured, inventive or powerful as it is today... and yet. And yet we like to make things more difficult, procedures more complex and decisions more opaque.

Vanguélis Panayotis
By Vanguélis Panayotis, CEO MKG Consulting & Hospitality ON / MRICS, Hospitality ON
France
Opinion Article

UEFA Women’s Euro 2025: Switzerland’s Summer of Football

When Switzerland welcomed the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, it was more than just another major football tournament; it was a nationwide festival that brought together sport, culture and tourism in a way few countries could replicate. Over 650,000 fans filled stadiums across eight host cities, with an additional 500 million viewers watching on television and online. All but two of the 31 matches were sold out with fans coming from over 100 countries, reflecting the global pull of the women’s game.

Lionel SaulAmélie KellerGuy Llewellyn
By Lionel Saul, Amélie Keller, and Guy Llewellyn
Switzerland
Opinion Article

Hotel Market Beat 2025 H1 - UK

The UK hotel investment market witnessed a marked decline in transaction volumes during H1 2025, largely attributable to a subdued level of portfolio transactions compared to 2024. Although most UK markets saw a contraction in transaction activity, standouts such as Edinburgh and Glasgow demonstrated resilience, with Edinburgh recording a 136% increase in volume—primarily driven by high-value, single-asset transactions, including the sale of the W Edinburgh to Schroders. London, while representing 64% of the overall transaction volume, experienced a sharper year-on-year decline compared to regional markets. The overall reduction in volumes for H1 may reflect extended deal timelines, with many transactions being deferred to the second half of the year. Looking ahead, transaction activity is expected to recover as pricing expectations between buyers and sellers converge and financing conditions continue to stabilise.

Anastasia CooperFrancesca Madden
By Anastasia Cooper and Francesca Madden
United Kingdom
Opinion Article

Is Trump Torpedoing His Own Hospitality Sector?

That the persona of Donald Trump stirs strong emotions is clear. The same can be said about his policies. In particular his trade policy is seen by many non-Americans as an attack on long-standing friendships. The way Trump forces countries into (trade) concessions rubs so many the wrong way that they no longer view the U.S. as a reliable ally. In that light, economic shifts are taking place with major consequences, including for the number of visitors to the United States—and therefore for the U.S. hospitality sector.

Alexander Sassen
By Alexander Sassen, Lecturer Finance & ESG, Hotelschool The Hague
United States
Opinion Article

Modernizing the Philippines' hotel industry: How cloud is driving the change

As the hospitality landscape in the Philippines continues to evolve, an increasing number of hotels, particularly domestic groups, are recognizing the imperative to modernize their operations. The shift towards enterprise-grade and stable cloud-based solutions is enabling them to enhance operational efficiency, streamline processes, make data-driven decisions, and raise service standards. The market is projected to grow from USD 7.65 billion in 2025 to USD 10.95 billion by 2030, advancing at a CAGR of 7.43% and that's why, digital transformation of the hospitality sector is both timely and necessary.

Sudip Nair
By Sudip Nair, Assistant Vice President - Enterprise Sales (Asia Pacific), Hotelogix
Indirangar, Bangalore, Philippines
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Opinion Article

Europe's underappreciated superpower

While Europe’s policymakers and opinion leaders obsess over semiconductors and clean tech, another economic engine is humming along with far less fanfare – and far greater local impact. In its forecast for the five-year period from 2024 to 2029, Oxford Economics named travel and tourism the world’s fastest-growing established industry – outpacing financial services, manufacturing, and even information and communication. It’s time Europe treated it as a serious pillar of economic strength – not a sideshow.

Peter Lochbihler
By Peter Lochbihler, Global Director Public Affairs, Booking.com
Opinion Article

Vienna Hotel Market Spotlight YE June 2025

The sample of branded full-service hotels in Vienna recorded a notable increase in profit during the 12 months ending in June 2025. The GOP per available room (GOP PAR) increased by 13.8% (YoY), driven by a 6.1% revenue rise that outpaced the 2.5% increase in expenses. While revenue growth slowed to 5.4% in H1 2025, it still surpassed expenses (+4.0%), leading to an 8.8% GOP PAR increase.

Nicolas HorkyAlina Cazachevici
By Nicolas Horky and Alina Cazachevici
Austria
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Radical Innovation
Opinion Article

The Cost of Franchising – Core and Soft

U.S. lodging demand increased at an average annual rate of just 0.7% in 2023 and 2024, after two years of double-digit growth coming out of the pandemic in 2020. In the May 2025 edition of Hotel Horizons®, CBRE reduced its forecast for lodging demand growth in 2025 to 0.9%. With lodging demand growing at less than 1.0%, hotel owners and operators are scrutinizing the value of their franchise relationships since it is the primary stimulus of demand for most U.S. hotels.

Robert MandelbaumAndrew Hartley
By Robert Mandelbaum and Andrew Hartley
Opinion Article

Galveston’s Lodging Sector Evolves with Cruise Growth, Supply Changes, and Regulatory Shifts

Galveston’s lodging market is being reshaped by capital investments and regulatory changes. Since 2019, more than $400 million has been spent on new cruise terminals, resort redevelopments, and boutique hotel conversions, while cruise passenger counts reached a record 1.7 million in 2024. With new projects underway and new short-term-rental oversights, growth will be affected by shifting supply and demand dynamics.

Bunmi Oyinloye
By Bunmi Oyinloye, Senior Vice President, Leader - Houston Office, Houston, HVS
Galveston, Texas, United States
Opinion Article

Hotel pricing in 2025: Key takeaways for hoteliers from H1 to H2

The first half of 2025 brought the sharpest global hotel rate slowdown since the early post-pandemic years. After two years of steady growth, momentum stalled, and in many markets, prices fell back significantly. But the story isn’t uniform. While most regions struggled, Europe remained resilient, and Japan surged ahead as a clear outlier.

Joe Hanly
By Joe Hanly, Writer and Content Creator, Lighthouse
Opinion Article

Texas Goes All In For Convention Centers

Convention Centers have emerged as a hub of industry, commerce, culture, and architecture. Since they first marked the maps in the mid-20th-century U.S., they have become a symbol of economic progress. As the global events industry rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption, convention centers across the U.S. are rapidly transforming to meet the evolving expectations of today’s planners and attendees. Events are no longer just about networking and sharing information; they are full-fledged experiences, powered by smart infrastructure, flexible layouts, immersive technology, and access to vibrant urban surroundings.

Tarika Jain
By Tarika Jain, Senior Associate, Chicago, HVS
Texas, United States