After the travel revenge boom in the leisure market, business travel and events take over to support the performance of hotel groups. This observation is shared by Accor, IHG, Hilton and Marriott, following the announcement of their third-quarter results and the question-and-answer session with financial analysts. " We have seen greater growth in the number of groups and business travellers, while leisure demand remains positive, but is growing at a slower rate of between 1% and 2%." says Martine Gerow, Accor Group CFO.
Leisure travel, of course, remains at high levels. According to IHG Group CEO Elie Maalouf, sales in this segment in the third quarter of 2024 were in the same ballpark as those recorded in the same period last year, i.e. " 34 % above 2019 levels" . But, unlike the MICE segment in particular, they do not play the same training role as before. " In terms of performance by demand driver, the groups continued to record strong growth, with sales up 6 % in the third quarter worldwide" says Elie Maalouf.
For Anthony Capuano, his counterpart at the head of the Marriott group, group customers are also the "most important" segment. the most remarkable" 8 % for the full year 2024. This increase should also continue next year This is particularly true in the United States, where demand is close to outstripping supply. Christopher Nassetta, CEO of Hilton, sees a resurgence in major conventions, which have been slower to get off the ground on the other side of the Atlantic. because they book several years in advance. And for two or three years, they were unwilling and/or unable to do so." .
In the United States, as elsewhere, the need to get together in the face of changing working habits will continue to fuel strong demand at the end of the year and beyond. " Cumulative group and meeting bookings for all future periods are as follows ahead by around 25 % compared with the same period last year" says Elie Maalouf.
But while MICE is holding its own, the individual business travel segment is also picking up. strength and vigour. In the last quarter, its sales increased by 2% at both IHG and Marriott. And the outlook for business travel is just as positive. According to Christopher Nassetta, "business travel will be second in terms of growth "The aim is to exceed the peak reached in 2019.
" All the evidence we receive from most of our key accounts and SMEs suggests that this is the case." says Hilton's CEO. " For several years now, small and medium-sized businesses have been travelling at a higher rate than during the pandemic.says Anthony Capuano. For me, one of the most encouraging aspects concerns large companies. Their return is an encouraging sign" .
How will this increase in demand be reflected in pricing? Asked about the negotiations for next year's corpo fares, Tony Capuano explained: " we are relatively early in the process. But what we have learned from these initial discussions is that we are aiming for 2025 a mid-range single-digit increase" . It's the same story at Accor, with Martine Gerow also explaining that ". it's a bit early to say, but the guidelines given to our sales team is to have a fare increase in the region of that of 2024." . In other words, " mid-single digit" .
