IHM’s editorial team – George Sell, editor-in-chief; Eloise Hanson, editor – hospitality; and Priya Khaira, editor, short-term rentals – offer their insights on the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping travel, hospitality, and real estate in 2026.
A is for Arada
I can’t think of many times when a developer has entered a new market and made as much of an immediate impact as UAE-based Arada has done since its arrival in the UK in September last year. It bought London developer Regal – which had a healthy living sector pipeline and immediately pledged £500 million to boost that pipeline. Over the next few months Arada put its money where its mouth is in a major way. In November it acquired an 80 per cent stake in the £2.5 billion Thameside West mixed-use development in London’s Royal Docks, one of the capital’s most significant mixed-use development sites. The 47-acre site, which has been masterplanned by Foster + Partners, will deliver at least 5,000 homes, with 1,000 homes due to be delivered in the first phase of the project. Arada will work alongside the London Borough of Newham, the Greater London Authority (GLA), Transport for London and the other major landowner, GLA Land and Property, to transform the former industrial site into a vibrant new neighbourhood. Then in December it agreed the purchase of a regeneration site in Southwark, for its first coliving scheme. It will be fascinating to see these projects progress in 2026 as well as to see if further acquisitions are imminent. (GS)
B is for BSR reform
The Gateway 2 and Gateway 3 stages of the Building Safety Act, and the delays in achieving them, are one of the major contributory factors to the viability crisis in the UK’s living sector. But there is a glint of light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to a package of reforms introduced in June last year, aimed at speeding up delays in the delivery of tall residential buildings. The reforms include a new Fast Track Process, changes to leadership and fresh investment. They also include the first steps to establishing a single construction regulator – a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Long-term investment in the capacity of the BSR was bolstered with the addition of more than 100 new members of staff to support with enhancing operations and reducing delays. By the end of last year, there were signs that these measures were having a beneficial effect – a 150-unit coliving scheme in Hackney, east London, was given Gateway 2 approval in 13 weeks, thought to be a new record at the time. The Building Safety Regulator’s official target for Gateway 2 approval is 12 weeks. The average time is 43 weeks but some projects have been held up for more than a year. Let’s hope the Hackney scheme is a sign of this to come this year, and not an outlier. (GS)
C is for contactless payment limits scrapped
From March 2026 in the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will remove the existing rules that set a single £100 contactless limit when paying with a physical debit or credit card. Cumulative controls, such as PIN verification after five contactless transactions, or after total spend reaches £300, will also be removed from regulation.
Instead, banks and payment providers will be allowed to set their own contactless limits, or even have no fixed limit, provided strong fraud controls are in place. Firms are also being encouraged to give customers more control, such as allowing them to choose their own contactless limit or turn contactless payments off entirely. The FCA believes that this flexibility “will incentivise firms to step up their fraud prevention, giving consumers greater protection and peace of mind”.
Contactless has increasingly become the preferred payment method of choice for many consumers, accounting for more than 75 per cent of transactions on Mastercard’s global network in 2025. While payments through digital devices such as phones and smart watches have no limit (as they have greater security built in such as face recognition or passcodes), the reforms will shape the buying behaviours of those who rely on physical cards for their purchases.
For UK retailers and hospitality venues, this could lead to less friction at checkout by speeding up high‑value contactless transactions, improving customer flow and satisfaction, and potentially increasing the average spend per visit. These benefits will however depend on banks applying changes in a broadly consistent way and clearly communicating new rules, since a patchwork of different rules could risk short‑term confusion for staff and customers. (EH)
D is for driverless taxis
Several countries worldwide have some form of driverless taxis – also known as autonomous vehicles (AVs). In 2016, Singapore took centre stage as the first country to pilot AVs with the startup nuTonomy. Though the trial did not become a large commercial service, it was generally viewed as a technically successful proof‑of‑concept.
After those early Singapore tests, the centre of gravity for AVs shifted to the United States, where companies such as Uber began to run similar pilots in Pittsburgh (2016) and Tesla widely released its Full Self-Driving software as a supervised beta (2020). Now, Waymo (Alphabet), Cruise (General Motors), Zoox (Amazon), and Baidu Apollo (Baidu) lead commercial driverless services – Waymo with the largest AV fleet in the US, and Baidu Apollo with highest global volumes of rides.
As we head into 2026, the rollout of AVs is accelerating worldwide. In the United States, Waymo plans to expand to more than 20 cities while Cruise and Zoox scale urban fleets, and Tesla continues to refine its Full Self-Driving software. In China, startups Pony.ai and AutoX are piloting AVs across multiple cities as Baidu targets international scale with active tests in Dubai and Hong Kong, in addition to London through partnerships with Uber and Lyft.
The wheels are very much in motion, and as fleets grow in major urban centers, travellers may soon, if not already, be able to plan trips that rely on AVs for airport transfers, city sightseeing, or daily commutes. The biggest challenge however lies in building public trust, and widespread adoption will depend on reassuring people that autonomous travel is not only convenient but safe and familiar. (EH)
E is for EmpCo
The Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition – often called the EmpCo or ECGT Directive – is a European law designed to support sustainable purchasing decisions. It amends two core pieces of EU consumer law: the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) and the Consumer Rights Directive (CRD), ultimately strengthening the information duties for traders and consumers to make informed decisions.
Some key changes include a ban on vague or unsubstantiated claims such as “eco‑friendly”, “green” and “climate neutral” – a clear clamp down on greenwashing. Manufacturers and sellers must also provide a “harmonised notice and label on product guarantees” such as how long a product is expected to last, how easily it can be repaired, plus a reminder of the customer’s legal guarantee rights.
Member states of the European Union (EU) must transpose the directive into national law by 27 March 2026, with the new rules applying from 27 September 2026. It applies primarily to B2C commercial practices in the EU, but non‑EU companies (including UK businesses) are affected when they market products to EU consumers.
For operators across the hospitality and living sectors, the implications are huge. Financial penalties for breaching the directive are set nationally by EU member states, including fines reaching at least four per cent of the trader’s annual turnover in the member state(s) concerned (or at least €2 million if turnover is indeterminable), scaled by infringement gravity.
Businesses will need to audit all consumer-facing claims – from websites and booking platforms to in-room materials and investor communications – to ensure environmental statements are specific, evidence-based and legally defensible. For independent and cross-border operators, this presents a significant challenge but one where early action could reduce regulatory risk and avoid multi-million-euro penalties. Further reading and information can be found here. (EH)
F is for fractional
Fractional property ownership is a great concept but it has always been beset by two main problems – fair usage and resales. But the advent of blockchain technology is leading to a new and improved wave of fractional ownership and investment. This is typified by the launch in Dubai last year of the MENA region’s first government-backed tokenised real estate investment platform. Developed by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) in collaboration with Prypco, Ctrl Alt, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), the UAE Central Bank and the Dubai Future Foundation, the initiative enables people to purchase digital shares in physical properties through a secure, regulated online system. UAE residents can invest in selected real estate projects with a minimum stake of AED2,000 (approximately £400). Each investment represents a fractional ownership stake in a property, recorded as a digital token. Dubai Land Department predicts the initiative will help grow a tokenised real estate market worth AED60 billion ($12 billion) by 2033, accounting for around seven per cent of the city’s total property transactions. Saudi Arabia followed suit in November last year, becoming the first jurisdiction to embed tokenisation directly into its national property registry. The project is expected to support economic diversification and capital inflows by broadening access to the Kingdom’s real estate market. Tokenisation will allow investors to purchase fractional stakes in commercial, residential and mixed-use assets, potentially lowering barriers for both institutional and retail investors. (GS)
G is for Generative AI
Generative AI has come a long way in a short span of time. Large language models have learned how to converse more naturally by emulating human emotion and picking up nuance. 2026 will be a year where we can see what else generative AI can achieve. Attention is already shifting to what comes next. Advances in quantum computing, while still in their early stages, are widely expected to unlock breakthroughs in generative AI’s capabilities.
Major tech players are investing in quantum-centric architectures that combine quantum computing with high-performance computing and AI. With an increase in investment and research, what matters next is how generative AI is being used. Across industries, including hospitality, we are seeing value through orchestration, from combining models and tools into systems that can build more efficient workflows.
Rather than relying on one large AI system to handle everything, we are likely to see hospitality operators mix tools and utilise smaller, faster models to manage everyday tasks. Larger, more powerful models will likely be more widely utilised across travel and hospitality sectors when situations require more judgement, such as resolving complaints or optimising pricing strategies. In other words, generative AI is settling into everyday use, and 2026 looks like the year it becomes part of the background rather than the headline. (PK)
H is for humanoids
For decades, humanoid robots belonged firmly in the realm of science fiction. Films like Blade Runner or The Terminator showed us futures where bioengineered beings moved alongside humans. While that cinematic vision of Harrison Ford hunting down Replicants remains quite some distance away, recent advances in artificial intelligence have pushed humanoids out of science fiction and firmly into reality.
The past year has seen some rapid progress in generative AI and the capability of robots that can perform physical tasks in human environments. Plenty of humanoid models are being made and developed to assist in cleaning, logistics, agriculture and manufacturing. Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2 is designed for factory, warehouse and eventually household use, while the Boston Dynamics’ electric Atlas is shifting from research experimentation to enterprise-grade industrial deployment. Agility Robotics’ Digit robots are already operating in warehouses and Unitree’s G1 is aimed at logistics and service sectors. Newer models like the 1X’s NEO are positioning humanoids for domestic settings in the near future.
Although claims of ‘human-level’ performance remain somewhat aspirational, the direction of travel is clear – humanoids are advancing towards commercial deployment. In the hospitality sector, humanoids may offer a partial solution to labour shortages and rising costs if used for operational functions like cleaning. They are already being deployed across hotels to support housekeeping teams. But as humanoids advance, their role is likely to expand beyond single function machines and into more flexible support. Larger operators may look to robotics to automate manual processes, following a similar pattern to the influx of generative AI across hospitality sectors. (PK)
I is for inheritance tax
From 6 April 2026, Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) in the UK will be capped at £2.5 million of combined qualifying assets per individual for full 100 per cent relief against inheritance tax (IHT). Excess value will qualify for 50 per cent relief, triggering a 20 per cent inheritance tax (half the normal 40 per cent rate) on the surplus. Any unused allowance can also be transferred to a spouse or civil partner, meaning a married couple could potentially shelter up to £5 million of qualifying business assets at the full relief rate.
For family-run hospitality businesses, particularly those with multiple properties or located in rural and coastal communities, this change is significant. It allows couples to pass on a much larger portion of their business without triggering immediate tax, helping to safeguard long-term family ownership.
Earlier proposals had suggested a £1 million cap, but following consultation, the government raised the limit to £2.5 million. By increasing the threshold, family-run businesses are better protected from IHT pressures, reducing the risk of forced sales or restructuring when passing the business to the next generation.
To qualify for relief, the business must be “wholly or mainly” trading rather than investment-focussed, and must have been owned by the deceased for a continuous period of at least two years immediately before death. The option to pay inheritance tax in up to 10 equal annual instalments, interest-free, will also be extended to all relevant qualifying assets from 6 April 2026.
Given the complexity of these changes, businesses should seek professional tax and succession planning advice. (EH)
J is for judicial pressure
Judicial pressure is becoming an unavoidable feature across travel, hospitality and real estate. An array of legal obligations have come into force over the past year, altering how operators deal with risk and cost in the industry.
The ongoing rollout of the Building Safety Act continues to carry implications for residential and mixed-use assets. At the same time, proposed reforms like the Renters’ Rights Bill (as outlined in section R) signal a move toward stronger tenant protections with knock-on effects for investment strategies and asset management.
If that weren’t enough, changes to national insurance contributions, uncertainty around business rates relief, rising insurance and legal costs are placing an additional strain on hospitality businesses. The effect is cumulative – while each measure might be manageable in isolation, their combined impact is reshaping risk and decision-making across the sectors.
This cloud of industry pressure is therefore less about any single piece of legislation and more about the convergence of multiple judicial forces. This year, these forces will influence how businesses are run on a day-to-day basis from staffing and pricing decisions to how assets are being operated.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. For those able to adapt, this moment is as much about resilience as it is about growth within a more tightly governed environment. In this sense, it’s important to be strong and carry on – a topic explored more fully in K. (PK)
K is for keep on keeping on
If J highlights the challenging and ever-restrictive conditions that operators face, K is about resilience. Despite the headwinds, the long-term fundamentals across the hospitality and living sectors remain strong: sustained global travel demand, disciplined supply growth, diversified revenue streams, rising urbanisation and population growth, and continued appetite from investors for high-quality, adaptable assets.
The outlook for 2026 may be subdued and a little flat in the short term, but momentum matters. In the Chinese calendar, 2026 is the Year of the Horse – a symbol of energy, endurance, and forward motion. I’m sure many of you are already quite familiar with speed, seeing as the sectors we cover are inherently fast-paced and dynamic. This doesn’t mean you should gallop off into the sunset, but rather move with purpose. Combine energy with perspective, hold your head up, and keep on keeping on. (EH)
L is for longevity
Research from the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) shows that the wellness market has grown 35 per cent since 2019 (6.2 per cent annually), doubling in size since 2013 and reaching a new market value peak of $6.8 trillion – almost four times bigger than the pharmaceutical industry ($1.8 trillion) and surpassing global mega-industries such as sports ($2.7 trillion). Due to an ageing population, chronic disease and mental unwellness, and a market newly focused on prevention and longevity, GWI predicts that the industry will grow at an even faster pace (7.6 per cent annually) through 2029, when it will approach $10 trillion. The top predicted biggest gainers through 2029 by annual growth rate is wellness real estate (15.8 per cent) – scroll down to W to learn more.
Notably, the number two future gainer is traditional and complementary medicine because the category now includes longevity and biohacking approaches, from stem cell therapy to infrared light therapy, cryotherapy, and IV drips – all of which are becoming ubiquitous in spas, resorts, and fitness and wellness centres. The now $147 billion personalised medicine market is also expected to see a 9.3 per cent yearly growth through 2029, largely driven by longevity-seeking consumers in pursuit of diagnostic services and science-backed health optimisation.
SHA Wellness Clinic’s Advanced Longevity program stands out as one of the most expensive packages currently available, priced at $7,500 for seven nights at the brand’s retreat in Spain. The program includes advanced scans, biological profiling, specialised therapies, and expert consultations. Where longevity is typically positioned as a high-end offering designed around extreme wellness practices, midscale brands such as Novotel aim to make this more achievable for everyday travellers, introducing bed upgrades, menu enhancements, and fitness partnerships across its portfolio.
“Longevity is a megatrend reshaping our world and our industry – a high-growth market expected to be worth trillions to the travel and leisure sector by 2030,” said Jean-Yves Minet, Novotel global brand president. “At Novotel, we believe longevity is not about radical transformation, but about small, incremental actions that last and compound over time. You live better and longer by staying physically and mentally healthy through simple, everyday choices.” (EH)
M is for mid-term stays
The short-term rental market has been subject to regulatory changes over the past few years, which has arguably contributed to the growth of the mid-term market. Defined as stays of 28 nights or more, mid-term bookings rose by 136 per cent between 2019 and the end of 2025, increasing from around 20 million to 46 million nights. Over the same period, short-term rental nights grew by a comparatively modest 52 per cent. Monthly rentals now account for roughly 19 per cent of total rental demand, with year-on-year growth of eight per cent – more than double that recorded for short-term stays.
In New York, monthly rentals rose from around one-third of total demand in 2022 to approximately 70 per cent by 2024. In Los Angeles, where enforcement has been more uneven, growth has been steadier, reflecting more organic demand linked to workforce mobility and affordability constraints. Strong growth is also emerging in markets aligned with employment corridors, hospital systems and universities rather than tourism-heavy destinations.
Mid-term renters represent a distinct segment, prioritising livability, reliability and flexibility over experience-led stays. The tenant mix spans business travellers, healthcare professionals, relocating families, academics and digital nomads, with booking behaviour reflecting on-demand housing needs rather than leisure planning. This pool of travellers are driving demand for accommodation that favours flexibility and longer stays. In turn, the sector is a valuable way to mitigate seasonality drops and to stabilise occupancy throughout the year.
What all of this data shows us is that mid-term stays represent a growing segment that is becoming an important aspect of the urban accommodation market, tying into a wider trend around how people are travelling and why. (PK)
N is for Nordics
Late last year, there was a flurry of investment in the Nordic region’s living sector, a trend I fully expect to continue in 2026. Brookfield Asset Management acquired Unity Living, which describes itself as “a hybrid of elegant hotels and traditional rental apartments”. Brookfield has bought the entire Unity Living portfolio across Sweden and Finland, marking its first living investment in the Nordics. The portfolio includes six newly-built assets totalling around 1,300 units, serving students, young professionals and corporate tenants in some of the region’s most undersupplied markets. Unity is an interesting brand, it was launched in May 2022 in partnership with British designer Tom Dixon, who said at the time: “Young professionals and students deserve quality design and future thinking. Lower cost doesn’t necessarily mean less design value. UNITY is a response to this challenge. A key element in our thinking is that the future will have to become more cooperative. For us to achieve higher specifications, sharing becomes the solution. UNITY is a step towards addressing some of these fundamental issues or capturing the opportunity to rethink affordable housing with top-quality services, spaces planning, and community building.” Brookfield is partnering with Berlin-based The Mesh Group, led by Armon Bar-Tur, to scale the Unity Living platform and build a high-quality, operationally focused living business across the region.
Also late last year, private equity real estate platform DFI and investment manager Evervest launched komvi, a new single-family rental (SFR) platform. The JV has been seeded with the €150 million off-market forward funding acquisition of around 400 single family rental homes across five development projects in Zealand, Jutland and Greater Copenhagen. The homes are designed for couples and families and will meet DGNB Gold and EPC A sustainability standards. The platform has secured a €75 million cornerstone investment from Grosvenor’s Diversified Property Investments business (DPI), representing Grosvenor’s first investment in Denmark. (GS)
O is for operational platforms
Despite rapidly diminishing delivery of living sector assets in the UK, and to a lesser extent Europe, there is no shortage of companies looking to operate them, and in fact there are several new entrants on the scene, a trend which I expect to continue into next year. In November we reported on the launch of HomeByHone, a new build-to-rent (BTR) operator with a pipeline of more than 900 units. The company’s first location, Dalston Works, is a former PRS building in east London featuring 102 apartments over six blocks including 30,000 square feet of commercial space. The project is one of the largest cross-laminated timber CLT buildings in the world. Other locations in the pipeline include Barking, Manchester, and Liverpool. The company is opening a limited round of strategic operating mandates and can offer founder-level fees for the first two years to early clients.
Earlier in the year, Homes For Students, which already has the VervLife brand in the UK, launched Orla Living, a pan-European PBSA and flex living operator. Orla is a broader residential living platform across Europe, initially focusing on Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Nordics across PBSA, residential, senior and flexible living. Set against a background of reduced development activity which hasten the likes of Greystar growing its third-party management activity, and the space is going to be one to watch in 2026. How will third-party operators differentiate themselves in an already competitive market, and how will they balance keen pricing with resident satisfaction and retention? (GS)
P is for professionalisation of the vacation rental industry
The vacation rental industry has been on a steady road to professionalisation over the past decade. Growth has been particularly visible with the wide adoption of AI, the development of technology in the sector as well as the continued expansion of professional property managers (PMs).
PMs have been increasingly using data to optimise pricing and manage distribution. At the same time, travellers are more comfortable choosing vacation rentals in the same way that they would hotels, with expectations around reliability and safety continuing to strengthen. In many global markets, tighter short-term rental rules and regulations have helped filter out non-compliant listings, raising the barrier to entry and as a result increasing guest trust.
From an investment perspective, market saturation is becoming a more prominent consideration, but it also reflects wider recognition of vacation rentals as a mainstream accommodation option. As the sector matures, professional PMs with the scale and systems to manage regulation and guest expectations are best placed to grow. Professionalisation, in this sense, is less a brake on growth and more a sign of where the market is heading. (PK)
Q is for queuing in pubs
Some of the permanent effects of the Covid pandemic are welcome and beneficial – more flexible working arrangements and increased emphasis on local food production for example – but there is one insidious element of the Corona legacy that has taken root at the very heart of British society, and it is only getting worse – queuing in pubs! Queuing is a very British phenomenon, and in most environments I welcome it, but, come on people, the pub is not Pret! We are losing the art of catching the eye of the bar staff, subtly flourishing a £20 note, and swiftly returning to your pals with a tray of foaming ales. You have probably guessed by this point that we struggled to come up with something for the letter Q when planning this article, but there is a serious point to be made here. Pubs have never been under so much pressure – government figures showed that one pub a day closed for good in England and Wales during 2025 as sustained cost pressures continued to weigh heavily on the sector. Nearly 2,000 pubs have been lost over the past five years. The pub serves many useful social functions, and it is not going to help their survival if they become joyless transaction centres, so sharpen your elbows, get up to that bar and try your luck! (GS)
R is for Renters Rights Bill
On May 1 this year, the Renters Rights Bill (RRB) will finally take effect. Its principal elements are the banning of Section 21 evictions; fixed-term contracts replaced by rolling periodic tenancies; renters can end tenancies with two months’ notice; landlords must advertise a fixed price and can’t solicit higher offers; only one month’s rent can be requested upfront; and rent increases can only happen once per year with proper notice. It’s hard to tell just how much of a shockwave this will end through the rental sector – it’s very likely to accelerate the exodus of private landlords from the market, which will invariably put up prices, and could well see BTR and student operators leaning more on short-stays to broaden their distribution mix.
Rent increases can be appealed and then assessed by a new ombudsman – in these days of WhatsApp resident groups it’s hard to see a scenario where most if not all the residents will appeal a rent rise – they have nothing to lose after all – and also hard to imagine that the ombudsman is likely to be under-resourced and swamped with cases.
My gut feeling is that once things settle down, the operators with excellent customer service will prosper – moving is a disruptive and unpleasant process after all, and if you give you residents no reason to leave and every reason to stay you’ll be in pole position. I think the RRB is a well-meaning but poorly conceived piece of legislation and it will undoubtedly have unforeseen effects. We’ll be hosting a webinar to discuss the fall-out of the bill so far. (GS)
S is for second city purge
Have you ever gone to a restaurant and deliberately avoided the dish that’s gone viral on your ‘For You’ page, opting instead for something you haven’t seen before? The same behaviour is increasingly showing up in travel. As social media continues to amplify a small number of destinations to the point of saturation, travellers are actively turning away from the most visible locations in favour of lesser-known alternatives.
In travel terms, this might translate to choosing Guadalajara over Cancun, Milan over Rome, or Lyon over Paris. For some travellers, the very fact that a destination has “gone viral” is becoming a deterrent rather than a draw. Especially since viral popularity is contributing to a rise in overtourism in some regions, often resulting in increased prices and homogenised experiences.
As more travellers seek authenticity, we are likely to see second-cities benefit from increased demand. For hospitality and real estate, secondary urban markets will in turn see increased demand from operators and investors. If travellers are becoming more deliberate and weighing out not just where they want to go, but where they want to avoid – then second cities present an opportunity to capture demand. The challenge for these cities will be managing growth in a way that preserves the very qualities that make them appealing in the first place. (PK)
T is for 3D printing
Back to the Nordics for this one, specifically Denmark where 3DCP Group has completed the 3D printing phase of Europe’s largest 3D printed housing project, producing 36 student apartments in Holstebro. Located near VIA University College’s Holstebro campus, the development features six buildings, each containing six student apartments that together form a connected 3D printed student housing community. Using the COBOD BOD3 3D Construction Printer, 3DCP Group printed 36 apartments ranging from 40 to 50 square metres and described the process as “a clear demonstration of how 3D construction printing can efficiently deliver multi-unit housing faster, more sustainably, and with greater design flexibility”.
Over the course of the project, printing productivity increased significantly. The first six-unit apartment building required several weeks to complete, while the final one was finished in only five days. This productivity gain demonstrates how 3D construction printing can scale efficiently, producing multiple housing units with consistent quality, lower labour requirements, and optimised project timelines.
Henrik Lund-Nielsen, founder and general manager of COBOD International, said: “The results at Skovsporet show how 3D construction printing can deliver large-scale projects faster and more efficiently than ever before. With the BOD3 printer, we achieved continuous improvements in productivity from one building to the next, confirming that the technology is ready for multi-unit residential developments. This project is a strong example of how automation impacts the speed of construction.”
In an even more futuristic twist, international architectural practice BIG is working with NASA and construction firm ICON to develop large-scale 3D printing technology to build housing, roads, and landing pads on the moon, using local moon dust (regolith), and aiming for self-sufficient lunar bases as part of the Artemis program, with plans to test the robotic system for the first “off-world” construction by 2027. (GS)
U is for urban forestry
When I moved to London from Oxford, a prerequisite for choosing where to live was our proximity to a park. I recently learnt from David Attenborough’s BBC documentary Wild London that the UK capital is considered one of the most green cities worldwide, and its sprawling parks largely exist because King Henry VIII wanted vast areas for royal hunting.
The trees that now define urban areas such as London are, however, facing very different pressures. Development increasingly encroaches on root systems, taller buildings restrict access to sunlight, and long-term soil degradation threatens biodiversity. In the 500 years since Henry VIII reigned, London’s landscape, density, and climate have changed dramatically, whereby appropriate intervention will be necessary to sustain the health of the city’s environment and those of its residents and visitors.
For urban living, access to green space has been consistently linked to improved mental and physical health, influencing where people choose to live, work, and raise families. The tree canopy can also help to reduce noise and air pollution while regulating temperature, ultimately lowering the demand for cooling and heating aid. As extreme weather events such as heatwaves and droughts become more frequent, urban forestry could play a bigger role in informing how buildings and public spaces are designed.
For hospitality and tourism, a pleasant visitor experience translates directly into improved comfort and longer dwell times. When hotels, restaurants, and cafes are located close to leafy green spaces, it adds tangible value, encouraging guests to linger, explore and return. In this sense, urban forestry is a key pillar of placemaking and brings clear economic advantages.
Heidi Kagiali of PEFC International notes that projects such as urban forestry are often sidelined by decision makers due to competing priorities such as crime, homelessness, and fulfilling daily needs of residents. “To reap the benefits of urban forests, they must be embedded in city planning,” she says. “Urban forestry must not be an afterthought but rather it should have its own dedicated policies, funding, and experts at hand for accountability. This can be done by implementing green infrastructure legislation which requires a certain number of trees to be planted in new developments, or in cases where existing spaces are being redesigned – this has been successfully implemented in Canberra where two trees must be planted for every one removed.”
Kagiali adds: “With careful planning, appropriate funding, and the right partnerships, cities can ensure that trees and green spaces thrive alongside concrete and steel.” (EH)
V is for voice technology
When Amazon first introduced Alexa back in 2014, its ability to integrate into households and respond to voice commands felt oddly futuristic. Fast forward to 2026, the novelty has worn off and voice technology is not the party trick it once was.
What was previously limited to asking a device for the weather has now evolved into an assistant that can pick up on tone and nuance. Advances in AI mean voice interfaces are becoming faster, more conversational and better at handling multi-step tasks, making them an increasingly natural part of daily life and professional workflows.
New voice models allow systems to listen and respond in real time, while improvements in emotional recognition mean assistants can adjust their responses based on cues such as frustration or urgency. Combined with greater personalisation and the ability to retain context across conversations, voice technology is beginning to feel less transactional and more intuitive.
Hospitality is already one of the clearest beneficiaries of this shift. Voice technology has been steadily adopted in the background of guest communication, in-room controls and customer service, particularly by short-term rental property managers looking to replicate elements of human interaction at scale. As voice systems become more emotionally intelligent and context-aware, they are better placed to handle guest queries in a way that feels responsive and humane. The use of this technology is likely to become a default across hospitality sectors as a way to enhance responsiveness and meet guests where they are. (PK)
W is for WELL certification expands across hospitality and living
The WELL Building Standard is a global, performance-based accreditation administered by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). It applies to offices, residential buildings, schools, hospitals, retail spaces, and more, and measures how well a space supports the health and wellbeing of people inside it, not just the structure itself. While certifications such as LEED measure the environmental sustainability of buildings, WELL focuses on human health and experience inside buildings.
The certification is based around 10 core concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community. Projects can achieve Bronze (40 points), Silver (50 points), Gold (60 points), or Platinum (80+ points) based on the total number of points earned across the 10 criteria.
In 2019, The Inn at Moonlight Beach (US) became one of the first hotels worldwide to earn full WELL certification, achieving WELL Platinum under the WELL Building Standard. Since then, a number of hospitality projects have become WELL certified, including six US-based properties under the 1 Hotels brand. Others have outlined plans to pursue WELL status too, including ZEM Wellness Retreat (Spain), Keihan Kyoto Hotel (Japan), and Stanly Ranch (US), with aparthotels such as room2 Belfast having recently become the first WELL Platinum hotel in the UK and Europe to earn the top certification.
It demonstrates how WELL principles are being applied beyond traditional hotels into the extended stay industry, while WELL for Residential – the latest iteration of the certification – brings the same framework to homes and multifamily buildings. When it launched in 2024, 25 global pilot participants joined the programme; as of December 2025, nearly 20 million square feet of real estate are participating in the programme. More than seven million square feet are already certified or pre-certified WELL Residences, representing over 3,000 units.
These numbers highlight the rapid adoption of WELL across hospitality and living, reflecting a broader global shift towards designing and operating buildings where occupant health and wellbeing are a central priority. (EH)
X is for (e)xtreme weather
We’ve bent the rules to accommodate X – always a tricky letter, though this year, covering extreme weather felt almost inevitable.
Across Europe, storms and heavy snowfall have recently knocked out power, closed schools, and disrupted airports and rail networks. Large-scale disruption caused by weather events is incredibly complex, and when travel plans become unpredictable and undeniably stressful to manage, accommodation plays a far more important role than simply providing somewhere to sleep.
In moments like these, travellers look for reassurance, reliability and trust. Clear communication and flexible booking policies can make a significant difference when onward travel is uncertain, whereby operators and agents can provide a sense of stability when much else feels out of control.
On a global scale, heatwaves in the Mediterranean, wildfires in North America, and floods in Asia are increasingly affecting travel decisions. I’ve heard anecdotally how travellers are now avoiding popular holiday spots due to heat. Climate change is literally prompting travellers to re-evaluate their holiday plans; either opting for emerging destinations that offer more comfortable conditions, or choosing to travel during off-peak seasons to avoid extremes.
For hoteliers and vacation rental property managers, this is driving operational change. Extended shoulder seasons and unpredictable guest flows will have a major impact on staffing, effectively transforming operations to support year-round demand. Hotels are already trading at an increased cost base, and any additional instability will hit margins quickly.
Against this backdrop, insurance and contingency planning are becoming increasingly important. Rising premiums may be a concern, but the reassurance it provides is invaluable: hoteliers gain protection against revenue loss, while guests gain confidence that their plans are secure. (EH)
Y is for year-round demand
Long gone are the days where shoulder seasons dictated revenue patterns for hospitality operators. Across the broader travel industry, we’re seeing demand spread more evenly throughout the year as people opt for trips that avoid the crowds and better suit their price preferences.
The concept is not new, albeit, it is becoming more viable as traveller habits change. The shift to remote working and learning has made this easier to achieve, paired with a growing appetite amongst consumers for authenticity and cultural immersion when they travel. Interest in winter travel, mountain escapes, off-season experiences and second-city locations is fuelling travel throughout the year, with these trips often feeling quieter and less shaped by peak-season pressures.
For hospitality operators, year-round demand changes the rhythm of a business. Consistent travel patterns throughout the year can bring steady occupancy rates but it also means rethinking how properties are staffed and priced beyond the traditional peak seasons. Although year-round travel can contribute to building a stronger tourism economy, sustained demand can also place pressure on destinations not typically designed for a constant flow of visitors.
In markets where this is still an emerging trend, there is likely to be an adjustment period as operators make a move away from fluid models towards more structured, year-round approaches. (PK)
Z is for zoning compliance
If you have made it to the end, congratulations, Z is for zoning compliance. Though it may not be the most glamorous of trends, it has become an important one for hospitality and real estate.
Zoning compliance governs land use, covering density limits to designated use classes. It plays a central role in determining where hospitality assets can operate and at what scale. Its impact has become particularly pronounced in the short-term rental sector, directly limiting supply in certain locations. Throughout 2025, a number of markets including Spain, Greece, France, Australia all introduced or tightened zoning restrictions in attempts to control tourism density and manage housing affordability pressures.
Beyond the rental sphere, zoning laws are continuing to influence where capacity for hospitality sites can be developed. In the UK, zoning compliance took on renewed attention following a planning dispute involving The Bell Hotel in Epping last year. The Court of Appeal overturned an interim injunction relating to the hotels C1 use class after determining that its use to house asylum seekers meant it was no longer operating in line with its original hospitality designation. While highly specific, the case highlights how deviations from permitted use can place operators at odds with planning frameworks. As pressures around housing supply coincide with the accommodation hospitality sector throughout the year, clarity around use classes and zoning compliance is becoming vital.
Understanding local planning rules and long-term policy direction is vital as the sector continues to operate in a space where regulation is shaping supply across global markets. (PK)
