Confident operators, cautious market

Earlier this summer, SAN ran a global sentiment survey to understand how owners, operators, lenders, investors, suppliers and service providers feel about the current market. We distributed the survey to 14,000 readers globally, and of those that responded, around two-thirds said they feel positive about company performance, even though a neutral to slightly cautious stance was given on the global economy.

Geopolitical tensions around tariffs and inflation were cited as the biggest challenges – viewed as the biggest barrier to future growth of corporate travel. Other challenges include regulatory and legislative policies, which were raised as concerns among lenders, investors and operators.

Generative AI was mentioned as having the most impact on businesses in the last 12 months. While education, cost, and implementation ranked as the biggest risks to adopting new tech, automation and integrated operational systems are viewed as the greatest potential in hospitality.

The survey suggests that while operators are confident in their own performance, the broader market remains cautious. This environment will prompt companies to rethink growth strategies and adapt to market dynamics – whether this be through tech innovation to gain a competitive edge, or pivoting to capture new travel demand sources.

Subscribe to Serviced Apartment News for weekly insights.