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🏡 Meliá Hotels International, at FITUR 2025, targets a major expansion with 25 new openings in 2025 and aims for an EBITDA over €525M by the end of 2024. The company, with 64% of its portfolio in premium and luxury hotels, plans growth in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Latin America, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, with over €400M invested in repositioning efforts, including the transformation of Meliá Bali into Paradisus Bali.

🏠 Aman opens its 36th property, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, their 3rd urban property after Aman Tokyo and Aman New York. It embodies the brand's philosophy of peace, privacy, and unparalleled service. The hotel has 52 suites located from the 11th to the 18th floor, starting from 94 sqm. The Aman Suite is one of Bangkok's largest presidential suites, measuring 713 sqm and featuring three bedrooms, balconies, a terrace, dining and living areas, private spa, entertainment room, and dedicated office.

🏦 Club Med is hiring 100 local talents for spring-summer 2025 at La Palmyre Atlantique Resort. Recruitment event on February 13, 2025, at 9:30 am at the Mathes Resort. Job openings include 40 in restaurant service, 35 in housekeeping, 18 in the kitchen, 4 in child care, and 3 in sales & events support. Details available on ClubMedJobs.com. Positions for enthusiasts with/without experience.

🏖️ Poseidon Playa hotel in Spain employs AI to optimize energy consumption. Amadeus uses the "Software Carbon Intensity" protocol to create eco-friendlier digital tools. Startups Orbisk and FullSoon reduce food waste in kitchens via AI. Google Maps suggests fuel-efficient routes, while Safety Line aids Transavia in fuel optimization. In Wolverhampton, UK, traffic light duration is adjusted by AI to reduce pollution. Affluences helps manage tourist flow at Cirque du Fer à Cheval's parking. However, AI's energy usage is a concern, with a ChatGPT query consuming ten times more electricity than a Google search, and data centers like Google's using 12.7 billion liters of fresh water in 2021. The AI Act in Europe aims to regulate AI but lacks clarity on environmental limitations. The upcoming AI summit in Paris may address these regulatory gaps.

💸 Hoteliers can increase profits by optimizing Average Daily Rate (ADR), impacting profitability more than filling more rooms or lowering rates. By 2025, market-leading hotels will have mastered smart pricing strategies, demand adaptation, and direct bookings to increase ADR without engaging in damaging price wars. A Madrid hotel with 100 rooms, 80% occupancy, and €600 ADR generates €60,000 daily—€12,000 more than a competitor with €480 ADR, totaling an extra €4.3 million annually. A boutique hotel in Edinburgh increased its website conversion rate by 18% using a price matching and exclusive incentive strategy. Dynamic pricing adjusts rates based on demand, and during Barcelona's Mobile World Congress, a 4-star hotel raised its ADR from €180 to €260. Hotels using HiJiffy's conversational AI for direct bookings generated over €14 million, with 87% of inquiries automated and 80% customer satisfaction. Direct booking strategies like best rate guarantees and exclusive benefits can reduce OTA reliance and acquisition costs by 18%.

🏖️ In 2024, the Grand Paris metropolis welcomed 11.2 million visitors during the Olympics, and Expedia saw a 40% booking increase due to Taylor Swift concerts, with 1 in 4 attendees being American. TNMT predicts four scenarios for the travel industry in 2025, including the rise of virtual travel agents, with 50% of travelers planning to use AI for trip planning, despite its current negligible impact on bookings. On January 22, 2025, Jesse Pollak witnessed two virtual agents collaborate on a pizza delivery, hinting at future travel booking applications. Expedia finds over two-thirds of travelers start planning on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with a 10-fold increase in TikTok purchases in the U.S. since 2020. TNMT foresees transformative travel for health and wellness, while geopolitical tensions, environmental constraints, and anti-tourism measures pose industry challenges, like the 80% drop in Israel visits in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels and potential visa restrictions under Donald Trump's presidency. Opportunities lie in promoting off-the-beaten-path destinations and leveraging real-time data analysis and AI-powered visa tools.

🏨 Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority approves development deal with Omni Hotels & Resorts for a $575 million, 1,000-room headquarters hotel, featuring 9300 m2 of meeting space, multiple restaurants and bars, and a rooftop pool. Aimed at strengthening New Orleans' position as a meeting and event destination, the project expects to create thousands of jobs and generate a significant economic impact. Hotel design continues through 2025, with construction starting in 2026 and opening anticipated in 2029, leading to around 1,400 permanent jobs.

🏨 In Brittany, François DI ROSA, Operations Director of Pole Hotels - KERDONIS, shares insights on the region's entrepreneurial spirit in hospitality. These hotel groups, founded as family businesses, are committed to innovation while upholding Breton values. Stay tuned for more interviews with pioneering Breton hospitality entrepreneurs.

💻 Join the tech and platform discussion, focusing on cybersecurity, DMA, and GDPR, on Thursday, February 13, from 4 pm to 5 pm via video conference. To participate, register by emailing Amélie Logre at [email protected]. Follow the CHAT GHR on Instagram for more tech insights.

🏨 Barry Sternlicht, founder of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is set to relaunch the Starwood brand in spring 2025, nearly a decade after selling it to Marriott International for $13.6 billion. The revival will start with 14 hotels under three brands: Baccarat, 1 Hotels, and Treehouse Hotels. SH Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary managing these brands, aims to expand their luxury and lifestyle hotel market. In January 2024, SH Hotels & Resorts announced growth plans across four continents and 13 countries with over 30 hotels and residential projects in development.