Although market trends may not directly point you to a specific account to contact, they can guide you in the right direction. Trend analysis informs teams on what’s currently happening in their market. Monitor the profitable sectors of the industry in your market for hotel lead generation.
NB: This is an article from Cendyn
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Here are four hotel market trends to pay attention to:
#1: Customer buying/booking patterns
Use this information to direct your account-based hotel sales strategy. Which groups book space monthly, quarterly, or annually that fits your property’s space? Can you look more closely at submarket booking patterns? These trends can help to define a target audience.
#2: Shifts in meeting size
Knowland’s 2025 Meeting Planner Survey showed meetings with 100 to 250 attendees represented 35.8% of all bookings, while events with over 500 attendees accounted for 32.4%. This trend shows an equalizing shift between smaller and larger events, emphasizing the need for hoteliers to improve services and amenities tailored to diverse group sizes.
#3: Industry segments that are driving revenue in your market
Some hotels specialize in serving the needs of a particular industry. But if that industry isn’t booking as frequently, you’ll need to know where to turn next. As you can see, Agriculture companies had the largest increase in event capture from Q3 2024 versus 2023. If you’ve exhausted your contact list, these industries present new opportunities in your area. This table shows data from the DMV market. Note that your specific market’s industries could differ from the regional trend.
#4: Active accounts in your market can become top hotel sales leads
If you notice new groups holding events in a smaller market, it may be for cost savings. Take advantage of that! Show them what you have to offer to develop longer-term relationships with new accounts.
How to Use Market Trends for Hotel Sales Lead Generation
Teams can apply market trends throughout the sales processes. As you become familiar with the metrics and their impact, they can inform sales conversations, prospecting strategies, and more. However, their impact can vary across leadership roles.
Hotel General Managers
General managers must communicate with asset managers, hotel owners, and other stakeholders about the market conditions around their property. This allows them to predict market trends that could be positively or negatively impactful.
These are the key data points to consider:
- Booking volume
- Average bookings per property in the market
- Average estimated attendees
- Average estimated meeting space used for that market.
The stakeholders will likely ask whether your market is trending upward or downward on these critical data points. You can develop a sales strategy to capture these opportunities based on that data.
