Report: Hospitality health hits high in Q1

Hospitality Industry Thrives in Q1 2025 with 109.1% Rating

U.S. HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES reported a 109.1 percent year-over-year health rating for the first quarter of 2025, the highest in four quarters, according to the Hospitality Group and Business Performance Index by Cendyn and Amadeus. St. Louis, Philadelphia and New Orleans topped the ranking of the top 10 cities.

The index combines event data from Cendyn’s Sales Intelligence platform, formerly Knowland, with hotel booking data from Amadeus’ Demand360, covering group, corporate negotiated, global distribution system and event performance, the companies said in a joint statement.

Top 10 cities by index:

• St. Louis 121 percent
• Philadelphia 117.1 percent
• New Orleans 115.9 percent
• New York City 115.6 percent
• Tampa 114.6 percent
• Austin 113 percent
• Phoenix 112 percent
• Chicago 111.3 percent
• Houston 110.8 percent
• Miami 110.8 percent

Top growth markets for group performance were New Orleans at 156.4 percent, Philadelphia at 124.3 percent, Washington, D.C. at 118.5 percent, San Francisco at 112.9 percent and Chicago at 112.5 percent.

Key insights from the Index:

• The aggregated index reached 109.1 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
• The group index hit 107.4 percent, driven by a 2.6 percent increase in room nights and a 4.7 percent increase in ADR, marking 10 consecutive quarters of growth.
• GDS rose 109.5 percent as indirect channel growth was supported by a 7.4 percent increase in room nights and a 2 percent increase in ADR compared to the first quarter of 2024.
• Negotiated index performance rose to 104.8 percent with a 1.2 percent increase in room nights and a 3.5 percent increase in ADR.
• Event volume was at 114.6 percent with growth nearly unchanged from the previous quarter and exceeded the same period last year.

Hotels recorded growth tied to meetings and events. Average attendee count was 146. Average space usage increased from 3,410 square feet in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 4,186 square feet in the first quarter. St. Louis led at 171.8 percent, followed by Austin at 131.1 percent and Philadelphia at 129.6 percent.

In February, U.S. hospitality businesses posted a 108.2 percent year-over-year health metric for the fourth quarter of 2024, the highest in four quarters, according to Cendyn and Amadeus.