by Phil Cappelli
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Fri December 26, 2025
2025 was a big year for hotels and resorts. From brand acquisitions and the debut of several new resorts to the perils of Hurricane Melissa and the impacts of the Trump administration on travel, there is plenty to look back on as we move into the new year.
Below is a recap of the biggest hotel and resort stories from 2025.
Key Acquisitions
In February 2025, Hyatt announced its plan to acquire Playa Hotels and Resorts at a purchase price of $13.50 per share, or around $2.6 billion. The transaction brought 15 beachfront properties across Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, and marked a key moment for Hyatt's expansion into the all-inclusive space.
Marriott made a big splash in the hotel world with its acquisition of CitizenM in July, adding 37 hotels for a total of 8,789 rooms in upward of 20 cities in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific. The $355 million sale was completed in July and CitizenM became fully integrated in late 2025.
Along with that big purchase, Marriott also decided to terminate its agreement with Sonder Holdings, citing the hospitality company’s default.
Beaches Resorts Expansion
Beaches Resorts announced plans to invest nearly $1 billion to expand its family-friendly, all-inclusive portfolio. The resort brand aims to double its footprint in the next five years with three new all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean.
Sandals Resorts International (SRI), which already operates three Beaches Resorts across the Caribbean, will add one of the three new properties to its portfolio. The new resort will be located in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, making it SRI’s second resort in the area.
Hurricane Melissa
Hurricane Melissa hit the hotel and resort community in Jamaica hard, causing significant damage to multiple properties and forcing several places to halt operations.
Hyatt Hotels and Resorts announced in November that eight of its properties in Jamaica have suspended operations and they are not accepting any new reservations through January 31, 2026.
SRI was also on the receiving end of the treacherous hurricane and had to temporarily close eight of its resorts. Five of them were not damaged too badly and reopened Dec. 6, 2025, but three others experienced serious damage and have a much later reopening date of May 30, 2026.
While Hurricane Melissa’s impact was deeply felt in Jamaica, the hotel and resort industry has shown remarkable resilience, making progress in recovery every day.
Trump’s Impact on U.S. Hospitality
In what was predicted to be a banner year for U.S. tourism by the National Travel and Tourism Office, we actually saw numbers go down. The Trump administration's federal funding changes, the worsening trade war and border challenges have all been obstacles for the hospitality industry.
After Trump's tariffs came into play, Marriott revised its 2025 room revenue growth of just 1.5 percent to 3.5 percent, down from its earlier forecasts of 2 percent to 4 percent. Later in the year, amid the trade war between the U.S. and Canada, Marriott lowered its full-year 2025 financial projections in its second-quarter report.
Marriott was not the only hotel that struggled during the trade war, as U.S. hotels in 2025 saw total room night volume decrease 1 percent from last year, with future bookings -4 percent from 2024.
With CoStar Group reporting negative year-over-year comparisons for the U.S. hotel industry, it appears performance is still trending down. STR reported that occupancy from September 21-27 was at 65.6 percent, down 4.2 percent from the comparable week in 2024. Average daily rate was also down 2.5 percent, to $166.48.
Despite slow growth plaguing the U.S. hotel industry, nothing was more costly to hotels than the government shutdown. An estimated $650 million was lost in hotel business while government officials struggled to come together and reopen the government. The American Hotel & Lodging Association said that each day of the government shutdown cost the economy $31 million in activity that would’ve been generated by hotel stays.
The Top Hotel & Resort Openings of 2025
There were a ton of exciting new hotels and resorts that opened their doors to guests this year. The Caribbean was home to a sizable portion of new resorts, but there were places opening up all over the world including three new resorts on Saudi Arabia's Shura Island. SLS Red Sea, EDITION Red Sea and InterContinental Red Sea Resort debuted in September, and eight more properties are coming to Shura Island in the coming months.
In the Caribbean there were plenty of exciting resort openings in 2025. W Hotels debuted W Punta Cana in August, marking Marriott International's first entry into the all-inclusive area. Hyatt opened Secrets St. Lucia Resort, an all-inclusive adult-only resort located on St. Lucia’s northern coast.
Hilton expanded their luxury portfolio with the debut of the 148-room, 40-suite resort, Costa Rica Punta Cacique. Another luxury resort that came this year was Marriott Bonvoy’s Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in the Turks & Caicos, which was the brand's first property on the island.
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