Bold Travel Industry Predictions for 2023

We ask our reporters and editors at the end of every year to stretch their imaginations for what could unfold in the new year. Give us bold predictions you know are 90 percent unlikely, but ones that provoke some thought. And who knows? Each might carry some half-truths once you dig into our team's analyses.

Indulge us, and give these predictions a read.

Sean O'Neill, Senior Hospitality Editor

I see our annual predictions as a mental exercise to remind myself and others that unlikely events, such as pandemics, global financial crises, and mega-mergers among hotel companies, can happen. Last year, I "predicted" Marriott would launch a TV channel, streaming or otherwise. Instead, Marriott made a smaller industry-first move. Marriott began a project to create an ad network, letting non-travel advertisers use its sites, apps, and in-room TVs to advertise to its audience of guests. The ad network has the same underlying commercial motivation as creating a TV channel but is less risky.

This year, I predict that Marriott will buy Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, a chain of luxury properties. I profiled Rosewood this month and noted that it is currently owned by a billionaire family in China via parent conglomerate New World. New World has said it may seek asset disposals in its non-core businesses. Will it decide its hotel business unit, a minority revenue generator, is non-core? The conglomerate seemed to tell investors this year that it sees its core businesses as roads (such as private tolls), aviation (such as aircraft leasing), construction, and insurance, according to a J.P. Morgan report.

One caveat: Rosewood CEO Sonia Cheng was raised in the family's hotel apartments in Hong Kong and has spent more than a decade expanding the Rosewood empire. It's hard to imagine her giving it up. So my bold prediction includes a bet that Sonia Cheng would join Marriott as a leader.

Marriott could benefit from having Rosewood's higher-end customers and urban luxury footprint along with Cheng's expertise. True, the deal would bring a few owned properties, which would reverse Marriott's path toward becoming more asset-light. But Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano hinted on-stage at Skift Global Forum that his company would still consider acquisitions even if they temporarily increased its owned footprint.

Jay Shabat, Senior Analyst at