U.S. group business shows highest overall index rating in four quarters

Cendyn’s Sales Intelligence platform, previously known as Knowland, and Amadeus, a travel intelligence and technology provider for the travel industry, have released the metrics from the companies’ Hospitality Group and Business Performance Index. For the third quarter of 2024, the index shows an overall health metric of 107.9% year-over-year (YOY), showing the highest overall index rating in four quarters.

  1. Houston           120%
  2. New Orleans     118%
  3. Chicago           114.8%
  4. New York City  112.1%
  5. Washington DC 111.1%
  6. Philadelphia      110.7%
  7. Boston            110.3%
  8. Detroit            110.1%
  9. Seattle            109.7%
  10. Denver        108.1%

All of the top 25 markets except San Francisco achieved an index score over 100%, with Houston and Philadelphia reaching the highest scores for GDS performance. The top group growth markets were New Orleans (152.6%), Chicago (123.6%) and Houston (115.3%).

The index combines event data from Cendyn’s Sales Intelligence platform with hotel booking data from Amadeus’ Demand360 travel intelligence solution to provide aggregate views of the key drivers of hotel performance. The aggregated index reflects performance or “health” for all segments—group, corporate negotiated, global distribution system (GDS) and events. It offers filters for event market segments and booking industries, empowering hoteliers, destinations, and convention and visitor bureaus to adapt strategies effectively.

Key insights from the index are as follows:

  • Overall health – Q3 saw the highest overall index rating in four quarters, at 107.9%, and the second consecutive quarter over 100%.
  • Group performance – Overall group performance was at 106.1% due to a one percent increase in room nights and a 5% increase in ADR with eight consecutive quarters of growth.
  • Indirect channels lead growth again – Overall, GDS grew again this quarter with 113.5%, compared to 112% in Q2. This was due to an 11% increase in room nights and a 2.4% increase in ADR.
  • Negotiated performance – Negotiated performance showed steady growth against last year. Overall growth was at 101.6% due to a -2.2% decrease in room nights and 3.9% increase in ADR.
  • Events come in second to GDS – Events were the second highest segment next to GDS, with significant improvement over the last quarter. Volume was 110.2% of the same period last year.
  • Meetings continue to provide growth opportunity – Hotels of all sizes in Q3 experienced growth due to the meetings and events industry. The average attendee size held steady at 136 guests. The average space used was consistent with Q2 moving slightly from 4,025 to 3,766 sq. ft. Las Vegas meeting volume was at 124.1%, Detroit was 123.5% and Atlanta 123%.