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As eco-conscious travel becomes a standard expectation, hotels must navigate a labyrinth of sustainability certifications. With varying standards, costs, and regional regulations, choosing the right certification is challenging. This article provides five strategies: select certifications that fit your priorities, align with evolving regulations like the EU's Green Claims Directive, decide whether to standardize across properties, leverage certifications for revenue impact, and future-proof your strategy with data management tools. By prioritizing credible certifications and using sustainability data platforms, hotels can enhance their sustainability leadership, build guest trust, and gain a competitive edge.
As the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement, employers must be vigilant about compliance risks from improper handling of electronic I-9 forms, in addition to workplace raids. Industry experts point out that some I-9 vendor software has issues such as pre-filled information and non-compliant electronic signatures, which could expose employers to substantial fines.
In 2025, the hospitality industry ushers in a year of change amid shifting consumer preferences and adjustments in federal government policies. In development, high construction costs are driving a surge in renovation projects, while demand for apartment-style accommodations soars; in dining, multi-sensory experiences and social media-driven menus become mainstream; meanwhile, workforce management faces challenges due to restrictions from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Hotel Dive synthesizes insights from industry experts to outline the annual outlook.
C-PACE financing is moving from a niche product to the mainstream, but state legislation and project rules vary significantly. This article uses the Black Desert Resort in Utah as an example, combined with insights from industry experts and financing institutions, to sort out the operating mechanism, latest policy changes, and cross-state application difficulties of C-PACE.
As 2025 begins, hotel industry leaders are assessing how to adapt to a changing world. Based on Hotel Dive's interviews with industry executives, this article outlines six key trends: record-high investment activity, group travel becoming a core opportunity, medical science driving high-tech wellness facilities, an increase in multi-generational family trips, hotels offering cultural immersion experiences, and renovation projects dominating the construction pipeline.
Robots showcased at CES 2024 attracted attention, but the culinary union delegation was more concerned about technology's impact on jobs. Current hotel strikes focus on wages, but experts predict technology will become a key issue in future union contract talks. The Las Vegas union has included technology protection clauses in contracts but has not restricted companies from deploying new technologies.
University town hotels are seeking growth amid enrollment fluctuations and changing guest preferences through immersive campus experiences, community partnerships, sustainable facilities, and flexible strategies.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has launched the Accelerator Circle, a new program for its BOLD (Black Owners and Lodging Developers) and Women Own the Room (WOTR) franchisees. The program provides quarterly small-group virtual meetings where participants engage in expert-led roundtable discussions on topics such as securing financing, hotel renovations, development, and operations. The initiative, stemming from owner feedback, aims to connect franchisees with a network of existing owners and industry experts. With 90 combined hotel contracts signed by BOLD and WOTR members, the program seeks to offer peer-to-peer connections and mentorship. The first meeting, led by WaterWalk CEO Mimi Oliver, will focus on leveraging franchisor or brand support. Future topics will be selected based on franchisee polling. The program ultimately aims to expand diversity in hotel ownership, addressing the underrepresentation of Black and women entrepreneurs in the industry.
Hyatt announced plans on Tuesday after market close to acquire lifestyle hotel operator Standard International, with a transaction price of up to $335 million, bringing Standard's brands and 21 hotels under its umbrella, and adding about 30 pipeline projects. This is one of several lifestyle brand acquisitions by Hyatt in the past two years, aimed at competing with rivals such as Hilton and IHG in this market segment. Industry experts point out that with brand saturation and high interest rates, hotel groups are addressing challenges through asset-light strategies and brand mergers, while talent and creativity will be key to success.
The Phoenix metropolitan area is becoming a popular destination for sports spectatorship and luxury getaways, with corporate relocations and large-scale infrastructure projects further driving visitor traffic. In 2023, visitor volume reached 46.7 million, and hotel RevPAR and ADR grew significantly compared to 2019. Strong fundamentals are attracting investor attention, with developers focusing on high-end resorts and economy extended-stay hotels.