For a first truly 'normal' year after the disruption caused by the pandemic, and then the effect of the Olympic Games in 2025, the test has been a success overall for the French hotel industry. The results for 2025 were encouraging, with growth in RevPAR (i.e. accommodation sales) of 2%, according to figures presented by In Extenso Tourisme Culture et Hôtellerie. " After hovering around zero for part of the year, 2025 continued with a surge in visitor numbers and average prices, ending the year on a positive note. "says Samuel Couteleau, the consultancy's associate director for the hotel industry.
In the end, the French hotel industry as a whole recorded a 1 point increase in occupancy rates, to 63%, and an +1% rise in the average price, to 133 euros in 2025. However, this performance is obviously not linear, with territories and markets geared towards leisure and international customers doing much better than establishments geared more towards business customers," explains Jean-Claude D'Amours. whether individual or group "says Olivier PetitManaging Director of In Extenso Tourism, Culture & Hospitality. " The gloomy economic climate and the political element mean that companies are fairly vigilant about travel expenses and events. "he explains.
Paris is extending the results of an atypical year in 2024 with further growth of +5% in 2025, driven by record occupancy, with an average occupancy rate of 82 %. Although the average price is down slightly - by -1%, to €239 - this result is part of an increase of 40% since 2019. While Paris's luxury hotels are leading the way overall, the average hotel price in the capital remains one of the highest in Europe.
In contrast to Paris itself, the Île-de-France region recorded a 9% drop in RevPAR, penalised among other things by weaker business demand. However, this decline is also due, above all, to a sharp increase in supply in the run-up to the 2024 Olympics. Indeed, of the 160 hotels and residences to be created in the Paris Region between 2022 and 2025, almost 10,000 of the 13,500 rooms added in recent years will be on the other side of the ring road. " The Île-de-France region outside Paris will need more time to absorb the new offer "says Samuel Couteleau.
However, strong growth in supply is not always synonymous with poor results. Nice, which has seen a number of hotels open recently, is forecasting +7 % growth in RevPAR by 2025. And all this against a positive backdrop for the Côte d'Azur hotel industry, which has outperformed Parisian establishments with a +6 % rise in accommodation sales, driven by average prices (+5 %) as well as visitor numbers (+1 pt, to 60 %).
At the same time, while the rest of the French regions reported RevPAR growth of 21TP3Q, this performance by the hotel industry in the provinces masks contrasting regional realities. Like the Côte d'Azur, the entire French coastal hotel industry is benefiting from a positive trend. Buoyed by the renovation and upgrading of some of the hotels on offer, as well as by growing demand for pleasure and well-being holidays, the leisure hotel sector recorded a 6% increase in RevPAR, driven by a 4% rise in average prices.
As for the metropolises, an analysis of the major urban centres highlights three key success factors: the presence of major events such as the Transat Jacques Vabre, which boosted hotel results in Le Havre (+11%), and the Fondation Pinault exhibition in Rennes, coupled with the development of a lifestyle hotel sector in the city, leading to growth of +3 % in the Breton capital. On the other hand, Lille and Nantes, which had benefited from the Olympic Games in 2024, will logically experience a decline in 2025, of -4% and -6% respectively.
In addition, Lille and Nantes, like other cities such as Bordeaux and Marseille, may suffer from a change in the behaviour of Parisian business travellers, with trains often fully booked and hotels often "overbooked". a little less full than usual "says Samuel Couteleau. " It is likely that business tourism in the Paris region favours day trips rather than one- or two-night stays. "he believes.
What can the French hotel industry expect in 2026? One thing is certain: biennial events such as the Airshow at Le Bourget and SIRHA in Lyon, which are not on the calendar, will not drive growth. In addition, budget restrictions on the seminar market and the moderation in business travel spending are also likely to have an impact on results. However, on a positive note for hotels in business cities, the number of long stays is lower this year. All in all, In Extenso forecasts growth of +2 % in Paris and 1 % in Ile-de-France, +3% on the Côte d'Azur and 1 % in the provinces.
