What will the hotel industry look like in 20 years' time?
France is the European country with the highest proportion of chains: 30 % to 40 % in 2009. On a global scale, the majority of rooms are concentrated in the two major chains that dominate the top 10 hotel groups. It is likely that the chains will increase their presence in certain countries, particularly those we now call emerging. But there will always be a relatively large proportion of independents and small, highly specialised chains.
Will environmental standards become unavoidable?
What a few chains or independents are doing will become the norm. With a barrel of oil at 200 dollars, the cost of HQR buildings will no longer be an issue. Sustainable development will make the hotel industry less energy-intensive. The choice of colours used in rooms will be limited and generalised according to their function. We can also imagine that there will be no more baths. Ecolabels will be sufficiently advanced and will evolve rapidly, guaranteeing the quality of the accommodation.
This will have a cost. How will it be passed on?
One response could be to make better use of technology, in particular by replacing reception desks with check-in kiosks. The gap in the number of employees per room will widen between budget and top-of-the-range hotels. For some functions, the human touch will no longer provide any added value; they will disappear. First in two-star hotels, then in three-star hotels. And every space will have to be profitable, including basements.
