Most Swiss hoteliers are cautiously optimistic about the coming winter season. Especially in the Alpine regions, businesses are confident. However, increased costs are likely to weigh on margins.
Around 56% of Swiss hoteliers expect turnover in the 2024/25 winter season to be the same as in the previous year, according to a statement issued by the Hotelleriesuisse association on Monday. However, this would represent stagnation at a high level, especially as the number of overnight stays reached a high of 18 million in the previous year. Around a quarter of those surveyed expect a further increase.
Confidence is particularly high in the Alpine regions, where one in three businesses is expecting higher turnover. This forecast is supported by the hope of good weather and snow conditions. In contrast, businesses in urban and rural regions are comparatively cautious.
Cost pressure
High costs are causing problems for the industry. Looking back, 55% of those surveyed reported lower margins during the last summer season. The majority of establishments were therefore only able to pass on some of the increased costs to guests. Hoteliers cited higher staff costs as the most important cost driver, followed by higher energy prices and inflation in general.
More
More
Swiss hotels set record for overnight stays in 2023
This content was published on
Swiss hotels set a new guest record in 2023. With 41.8 million overnight stays, they broke the 40 million mark for the first time.
This coming winter only a minority are likely to succeed in adjusting prices to the higher cost base: only just under a third of establishments intend to increase prices, compared to half of them in the last survey.
Now half are planning to keep prices the same and around 15% want to reduce prices. According to the study, price adjustments due to demand play a secondary role in the increases, while they are the main reason for planned reductions.
Lack of staff
According to the association, another major problem for hoteliers is the continuing shortage of staff. A clear majority of respondents named this as the biggest challenge for the industry.
Changes in the composition of guests and the short-term nature of bookings, which had a negative impact on planning reliability, were also high on the barometer of concerns. According to the survey, climate change also poses major challenges for the industry.
According to the press release, around 160 members of the Hotelleriesuisse association took part in the annual survey. They were surveyed between October 25 and 31, 2024.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to [email protected].
More
Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday
This content was published on
The village of Brienz-Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland, which is threatened by a rockfall, must be evacuated by 1pm on Sunday. All residents must leave the village.
This content was published on
A former judge of the Graubünden Administrative Court in eastern Switzerland has been found guilty of rape, sexual harassment and threatening a former trainee.
Costs and care time increase in Swiss retirement and nursing homes
This content was published on
In 2023 the costs of retirement and nursing homes increased by 5% compared to 2022 and those of assistance and care at home by 7%. Together, they amounted to CHF15 billion.
This content was published on
Almost half of the population in Switzerland shows clear to pronounced signs of smartphone addiction, according to a survey.
Swiss healthcare stakeholders want to save CHF300 million
This content was published on
The main players in the Swiss healthcare sector want to save around CHF300 million ($340 million) in healthcare costs a year from 2026.
Switzerland supports three gas-fired power plants abroad
This content was published on
Swiss Export Risk Insurance (SERV) is now insuring three gas-fired power plants abroad, two of them in Vietnam and one in Turkmenistan.
This content was published on
The Lufthansa Group, which includes Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has once again extended its flight ban to Israel.
SWI swissinfo.ch – the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).
Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SBC. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.
Zurich took second spot behind Vienna in Mercer’s 2023 Quality of Living survey for expatriates, The Swiss city was hailed for its political stability and high-quality infrastructure.
The Swiss economy grew slightly faster than expected in the second quarter of 2024. Gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.5% on an adjusted basis between April and June 2024 compared to the previous quarter.
This content was published on
August 15, 2024 – 13:31
+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox
This growth was “slightly above average”, according to initial estimates by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco). Industry in particular contributed to growth, along with the services sector.
+ Read how different sectors of the Swiss economy are faring
Economists surveyed by AWP had only expected growth of 0.2 to 0.4%. In the first quarter, GDP had
Swiss breast cancer screening quality varies across cantons
This content was published on
Aug 6, 2024
The quality of breast cancer screening programmes in Switzerland varies from canton to canton. However, according to a study published on Tuesday, the results align with the European standard.
Read more: Swiss breast cancer screening quality varies across cantons
More
Swiss army neutralised 280 unexploded ordnances in 2023
UBS Group AG was asked by a powerful US lawmaker about whether the bank it acquired, Credit Suisse Group AG, failed to report an American accused of evading taxes on $350 million (CHF307 million) in income.