Global Hotel Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, including Kempinski Hotels, Corinthia Group and Pan Pacific Hotels Group, provided an optimistic outlook on the future of the hospitality industry at its annual CEO meeting in Brussels.
Over thirty CEOs and senior representatives of over 45 hotel brands met at the Corinthia Hotel Brussels to discuss the global industry’s biggest challenges and their perspectives on the hospitality industry’s near future.
The panelists, including Chris Hartley, GHA’s CEO, were optimistic despite the current geopolitical and economic headwinds of the year, citing data that promotes tourism’s strength in the face of these challenges.
UN Tourism data shows that over 300 million people traveled during the first quarter of the year, an increase of 5 percent from 2024 and over 3 percent from 2019. From January to March, Europe welcomed 125 million international arrivals, a 2 percent year-over-year increase.
GHA boasts 363 hotels and resorts across 17 brands in Europe; last year, they generated $1.1 billion in revenue from GHA DISCOVERY members.
“We are operating in a volatile global environment, but as an industry, we have learned to adapt and stay agile in response to these fluctuations, and therefore remain optimistic,” said Chris Hartley, CEO of Global Hotel Alliance. “Travel demand is rising, particularly in the luxury and upscale segments where we specialise, and the strength of our alliance – driven by our loyalty platform, GHA DISCOVERY – positions our brands to capitalise on this momentum, particularly as many emerging growth markets are yet to reach their full potential.”
Travelers from the US are often the top international source market for all GHA brands.
Additionally, the 12 percent growth in international arrivals in the Asia-Pacific region has made the region the fastest-growing tourism region in the world.
“Whenever there’s uncertainty, there are opportunities,” said Barbara Muckermann, CEO of Kempinski Hotels. “We are not seeing a slowdown in travel; in fact, we believe the next five years will be exceptionally strong for our industry. China is a sleeping giant, and it’s waking up.”
GHA chose not to change its projected growth in international travel at 3 to 5 percent, despite economic uncertainty. First quarter revenue was up 15 percent, at $746 million.
Additionally, the brands continue to grow across the world. Corinthia Group recently opened hotels in New York City, Brussels and Bucharest, with another in Rome opening this year. Minor Hotels is adding thirty hotels across Europe.
Cinnamon Hotels from Sri Lanka, Sunway from Malaysia and Rotana are all new members of Global Hotel Alliance this year, adding new properties to GHA’s nearly 1,000-property milestone.
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