2025 Accommodation Barometer: UK Sector Resilient, Yet Pressed on Talent and Digital Fronts

Amsterdam, 30.07.2025 – A new set of reports from Statista, produced in partnership with Booking.com, sheds light on key developments shaping Europe’s accommodation sector — from evolving skills requirements and investment patterns to diverging national outlooks and the uneven pace of digital transformation.

UK hoteliers report a stable and optimistic outlook for 2025, with just over half experiencing positive economic development in recent months and three in five anticipating continued improvement. Only 4% feel pressimistic about the upcoming six months. UK accommodations’ hiring appetite is low compared to neighbours in continental Europe, with high salary expectations and job insecurity seen as key recruitment challenges.

While AI’s potential is widely recognised, barriers like high costs and integration difficulties persist. As tourism-related levy proposals and schemes crop up across the UK, most accommodations anticipate little impact on occupancy, but one in five expect a negative effect. In response, hoteliers are most likely to adjust pricing or look for operational efficiencies — with a few considering more drastic measures, such as reducing availability. Consistent with previous Barometer findings, chain accommodation providers tend to report greater optimism and investment intent than independent businesses.

“This year’s data from the UK points to two pressing challenges: a widening skills gap and uneven digital progress,” said Thomas Hinton, Data Journalist at Statista. “Nearly half of respondents cite difficulties hiring qualified staff. Meanwhile, while AI is making inroads in some areas, broader adoption remains limited — often due to cost or technical hurdles.”