EHL Hospitality Business School announces the release of an insightful study conducted jointly by Dr Jean-Philippe Weisskopf and Dr Philippe Masset, revealing the transformative trends shaping the hospitality industry in 2024.

Normalizing WhatsApp for client communications, integrating AI into operations, diving into the hype world of mocktails, or changing strategies to properly manage property price fluctuations, 2024 will be awash with novel experiences and ways to face the shifting macroeconomic landscape.

"This study reflects the hospitality sector's dynamic evolution and its role in our increasingly digital society” says Dr. Weisskopf. "It's about balancing tech innovation with the undiminished human need for meaningful connection and authentic experiences, and how this will translate in this year’s top developments."

The research identified 10 pivotal vectors of change, out of which leading trends will emerge:

1. Workforce empowerment: Transforming challenges into opportunities;

2. AI and technology: Choosing the best tech to revolutionize hospitality;

3. Culinary experiences: Putting experiences, authenticity and the senses first;

4. Bars and drinks redefined: Adding creativity and design to the drinks’ menu;

5. Fine dining: In need of reinvention but full of potential;

6. Fine wine prices: Navigating the fluctuating vineyard market;

7. Rising interest rates: The impact on hotel property values and transactions;

8. Green hospitality: Beyond sustainability to net positivity;

9. Data-driven decision-making: Data analytics for optimum personalization;

10. The power of social media: Crafting authentic narratives.

"In today’s global hospitality landscape, it is difficult to confine ourselves to an annual update. Certainly, several general trends have been in place for years and continue to evolve, but by and large, this once cosy industry is constantly innovating and reinventing itself,” adds Dr. Masset.

As a healthy expansion of the hospitality sector can be witnessed post-COVID, these trends can inform industry stakeholders of its significant transformation.