Aumenta el riesgo de incendios forestales. El incremento de los costes de los seguros está obligando a los hoteles a prepararse

Key Points

• Wildfire risk has expanded beyond traditional hotspots—smoke and embers now threaten occupancy, operations, and guest experience even for properties far from active fires, as seen with Canadian smoke blanketing the U.S. Midwest and East Coast.
• Insurance costs are climbing sharply—operators report average property insurance hikes of 17–26%, with high-risk assets facing 50%+ increases and some insurers withdrawing entirely; underwriting is now based on both location and individual asset resilience.
• Preparedness is becoming an operational imperative—the industry is combining traditional measures (defensible space, vegetation management, resilient materials, emergency planning, insurer coordination) with new technologies like automated ember-triggered sprinkler systems to contain risk and curb premium growth.

Summary

Wildfires are rapidly evolving from a regional, seasonal hazard into a material physical climate risk that the hospitality and travel industry must actively manage. Recent blazes across the U.S. and Europe—including the evacuation of over 10,000 people in southwestern France and Canadian wildfire smoke degrading air quality across the U.S. Midwest and East Coast—show that exposure now extends well beyond traditional hotspots to properties that are otherwise far from flames. The operational and financial stakes are significant: Maui's 2023 fires cut tourism spending 61% year-on-year, and hospitality operators are reporting property insurance increases of 17–26% on average, with high-risk assets seeing 50% or more and some insurers exiting markets entirely. Major operators (Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott) have flagged wildfire risk in climate disclosures, citing capital damage, forced operational shutdowns, and lost franchise fees. In response, the industry is turning to a mix of layered, "old-school" preparedness—vegetation management, defensible space, resilient building materials, emergency planning, and close coordination with insurers and first responders—alongside emerging technologies such as automated external sprinkler defense systems that can activate ahead of approaching embers, with the promise of tying resilience investments to insurance discounts.