Hotel chains in India are increasingly moving away from signing individual properties in favor of multi-property development agreements. This shift comes as the country’s hospitality industry experiences rapid growth driven by rising demand.

The Indian hotel sector is expected to cross INR 1 trillion ($11.7 billion) by the end of the current financial year and reach INR 1.1 trillion ($13 billion) by 2026-27, according to risk management and monitoring platform Rubix Data Sciences.

Occupancy rates are also increasing, projected to reach 73% by 2026-27, up from 68% in fiscal 2024 and significantly higher than the pandemic low of 35%. This is largely due to demand consistently outstripping supply.

This demand-supply imbalance is a critical factor driving long-term strategies across the sector.

Hyatt Hotels CEO Mark Hoplamazian noted that limited supply growth relative to demand is a global trend, including in India. “This is a positive attribute,” he said.

Accor chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin called India “an untapped market.” He said there are less than 200,000 brand

Key Points

• Delta Air Lines clarified it does not use AI to set individualized airfares based on personal data, following criticism from lawmakers.
• The airline uses AI, via a partnership with Fetcherr, to assist in dynamic pricing for a growing portion of its domestic flights, but claims all fares are determined by market dynamics and are publicly available.
• Lawmakers and officials have expressed concerns about potential predatory or ‘surveillance’ pricing, prompting Delta to stress its commitment to fair, competitive pricing and data privacy.

Summary

Delta Air Lines has publicly stated that it does not use AI to set individualized prices based on personal customer data, responding to recent criticism and inquiries from U.S. lawmakers. The airline acknowledged using AI technology, through a partnership with Fetcherr, to assist analysts in setting fares for a portion of its domestic flights, with plans to expand this use. However, Delta emphasized that fares are determined by market competition, not personal data, and all prices are transparently published, aiming to dispel concerns about privacy and potential predatory pricing.

Some of the world’s largest hotel companies saw their earnings dented by currency swings in the first half of 2025, as euro and baht-reporting groups absorbed losses while U.S.-based chains appeared largely insulated from the volatility.

Accor, Meliá Hotels, and Minor International all reported currency-related losses that offset solid operational performance. Meanwhile, U.S.-based Hilton and Wyndham, which report in dollars, did not mention foreign exchange impacts in their earnings calls and appeared shielded from the same pressures.

The U.S. dollar index dropped 10.8% in the first half of 2025 following the Trump administration’s April tariffs and public clashes with the Federal Reserve. The resulting investor pullback caused the dollar to weaken sharply against the euro, baht, and other currencies.

Accor: Currency Among Its Biggest Headwinds

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