As the hospitality sector heads into another year of change and opportunity, Aimbridge EMEA’s leadership team shares its essential advice for hoteliers and investors seeking to thrive in 2026.

Drawing on a year of strong gross operating (GOP) performance*, their guidance centres on guest experience, operational efficiency and the importance of being agile.

Invest in the right team

No matter how advanced the technology or how robust the strategy, it is people who bring a hotel to life. At Aimbridge EMEA, there is a deep belief that having the right team in place, led by an empowered General Manager, is the foundation for sustained success.

As highlighted in our GM round table last year, the role is evolving rapidly, but the fundamentals remain unchanged: “You look after your team and ensure they have the support and tools to do their job to the best of their ability and you will have happy guests and sales and profit will follow,” said James Conaghan, GM of Novotel/Adagio Leicester.

David Anderson, President, agrees: “A hotel’s success relies on having a general manager in place who can foster a positive culture amongst the team and deliver outstanding experiences for guests.”

Keep guest experience at the heart

David also believes that success in 2026 will hinge on an unwavering focus on the guest. “Hoteliers need to focus on delivering great guest service and experience whilst keeping areas such as payroll and utilities in check,” he says.

“The ability to drive rate is going to remain a challenge, so it’s vital that properties focus on the areas we cover with our balanced scorecard, such as guest satisfaction and loyalty enrolment.”

Liz Dixon, VP IT, echoes the importance of loyalty, experience and personalisation: “That loyalty enrolment and the development of personalised experience is key. Customer sentiment at the moment is about spending money on experiences. Brands are pushing towards attribute selling and more effectively selling packages that incorporate experiences and we’re seeing the demand from guests, too.”

Will Bishop, VP – Commercial Operations, agrees: “One of the biggest missed opportunities in the hotel industry now is personalisation, packages and experience. Many hotels miss the chance to create bespoke services and promotions by leveraging guest data and preferences. Personalisation not only enhances the guest journey but also builds loyalty and drives repeat business.”

Embrace efficiency and technology

With more hotels entering the market and competition intensifying, the team also encourages hoteliers to invest in technology:

“We’re seeing more hotels being developed and coming on stream, but also more hotels coming back on the market, challenging that continued growth in market share,” says Will.

“Customer loyalty and focus on experience, as I’ve just mentioned, will be vital, but so too is the deployment of technology to support this, while ensuring efficiency. That is what will drive the top line.”

Barry Dawson, Senior VP – Finance, highlights the power of data-driven technology and management: “Investing in the right tools that deliver data-driven management can and will improve productivity.

“It’s something we’re doing extensively at Aimbridge to support our owners and in 2026, it will be essential.”

Prepare for change

With further geo-political and socio-economic changes expected in the year ahead, it’s vital hoteliers are prepared for what’s to come, as Lorna Abercrombie, VP – Human Resources, says:

“We expect to navigate increasing geopolitical volatility, which will continue to impact hospitality. Advancing AI adoption is both an opportunity and a challenge, as we address long-term impacts and skills gaps.”

“We’re preparing for generational shifts, especially in attracting and retaining Generation Alpha, whose digital fluency will shape the future workforce. Managing rising labour costs will also remain a priority as we strive to sustain profitability and deliver value for our owners and guests.”

Find the right partners

For investors within the hotel market, the team’s advice is clear: “Investors need to find partners who are going to be focused on the headwinds in front of us in 2026 to protect the bottom line and help secure them with their strategies,” says David Anderson, President.

“We’re proud to say we have our finger very firmly on the pulse of the industry and the wider socio-economic influences at play, and we continue to support our owners throughout, delivering the right commercial, operational and talent strategies to support revenue growth while keeping costs of sale lower than our competitors.

“This is evident in our strong results for 2025 and we’re looking forward to continuing with this trend in the year ahead.”

*Hotstats performance index for Q3 (Jan-Sept) in England & Wales.