Year-End Quotes: Industry Experts Share Insights for 2025

"While the first half of the financial year may reflect a 'muted' growth period in the hotel sector, the Ind-Ra report reaffirms our confidence in the sector's underlying strength. We believe the projected 5% to 8% RevPAR growth for the full FY26 is highly achievable, driven by a strong rebound in demand and firm pricing power in the latter half of the year. This trajectory solidifies the Indian hotel industry's position as a robust growth story, which can be attributed to the rising middle-class spending and improved connectivity for both domestic leisure and business travel. Additionally, Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) are showing recovery, though uneven, post-pandemic. MICE tourism (Conferences and exhibitions) is also fast becoming a major growth engine, particularly in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities and hotels are actively driving upscaling and renovating, investing in premium experiences, which is expected to push Average Room Rates (ARRs) even higher."

"At Brigade Hotel Ventures Limited (BHVL) however, we have significantly outperformed the market in the first half of the fiscal year (H1FY26), registering a 13% Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) growth on a same-store basis, compared to the overall market's 8%. This strong performance is supported by the strategic location of our properties in key business centers, where the lack of immediate new room supply provides us with a distinct advantage in maximizing Average Daily Rate (ADR) yield. Furthermore, our newly opened properties the Ibis Styles in Mysore and the Grand Mercure in GIFT City are rapidly expanding both in occupancy and ADR. Given that the second half of the year (H2) historically delivers better performance due to the kickoff of large MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) events, we are confident in sustaining our current RevPAR growth momentum throughout the year."

Rama Mahendru

“This year’s World Environment Day theme, “Ending Plastic Pollution,” deeply resonates with our long-standing values at Intrepid Travel. As a certified B Corporation, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint through practical, on-the-ground actions.

In India, we’ve been saying no to plastic for over 18 years by providing every arriving customer with a reusable tote bag, encouraging them to avoid single-use plastic during their journey. More recently, we launched a pilot initiative with 10 hotel partners, distributing glass water bottles to replace plastic bottles for our groups—an important step toward eliminating plastic waste in our supply chain.

Across our global operations, we actively discourage the use of plastic items such as bottles and bags, and we educate our travelers on the environmental impact of plastic pollution. In regions where plastic use remains prevalent, like India, we place special emphasis on awareness and behavior change—working closely with our teams, suppliers, and even travelers to inspire more responsible choices.

At Intrepid, we believe that small, consistent actions lead to big change. We’re proud to be part of the solution and remain committed to playing our role in ending plastic pollution.”

Amit Raman

"For India's hospitality industry, 2025 has been a pivotalyear, a time of renewed effort, resilience and innovation. With the reduction in GST rates and the rise in domestic travel, growing infrastructure and the emergence of Tier 2 and Tier 3 destinations, these factors have contributed to the industry's record rate of occupancy and consistent revenue growth. In addition, there is a significant shift towards workforce development, digital transformation and sustainable practices, all of which point to a more responsible  and future-ready stage of growth.

As we enter 2026, adapting to the changing desires of modern India will be the main focus, such as purposeful innovation, utilising technology, enhancing service quality and developing experience-led hospitality. Commitment to our customers is the key and meeting service excellence which meets international standards is theendgoal. The hospitality sector should provide the same amount of dedication and comfort to a customer which is provided by a homestay, as there has been a growing trend in preferences for homestay experiences. This is a challenge which we as an industry need to overcome together and provide the best of both worlds to our customers."