Every year, ITB Berlin sets the travel industry’s pulse racing. Using the GRI (Global Review Index) and Semantic Analysis data, we recently analyzed trends spanning 2023, 2024, and 2025. Our findings revealed significant shifts, pinpointing evolving guest priorities and ongoing challenges. We thought we’d break down the insights from these shifts, offering hoteliers actionable data to improve guest satisfaction during future events.ng hoteliers actionable data to improve guest satisfaction during future events.
BERLIN 2022-2025 GRI EVOLUTION FOR THE 3, 4, AND 5-STAR HOTEL CATEGORIES
Understanding the GRI Dynamics
Over the last 12 months, the GRI for ITB Berlin 2025 recorded its lowest annual point on March 8th, immediately after the event. Guest feedback following ITB significantly impacts Berlin's overall hotel reputation, making this period crucial for hoteliers. This year’s event attracted slightly fewer than 10,000 reviews, a decrease from around 11,000 in 2023. Fewer reviews meant specific negative issues emerged more prominently than in previous years.
Trending Negative Concepts: A Year-by-Year Comparison
Comparing 2023, 2024, and 2025, the top guest complaints shifted notably. Analysing these changes helps identify persistent issues and emerging concerns.
Rank 2025 2024 2023
1 Location Room Room
2 Sleep Staff Price
3 Room Breakfast Location
4 Hotel Service Bathroom
5 Noise Window Staff
Delving Deeper into 2025's Key Issues
Location Challenges
Location topped 2025’s complaints. Guests frequently cited issues like excessive noise, such as proximity to train tracks, busy streets, or noisy clubs. Another consistent complaint was distance, with hotels considered far from central attractions or inconveniently placed near public transport. It should be noted that Berlin is a large city, and the ITB Messe is not centrally located. During ITB, hotels are extremely busy, forcing many attendees to stay across the city—sometimes even on the opposite side—which inevitably leads to location complaints.
Sleep Disruptions
Sleep complaints largely stemmed from noise disruptions. Guests mentioned loud music from nearby clubs lasting into the early hours. Additionally, uncomfortable room temperatures, either excessively cold or hot, aggravated by malfunctioning air conditioning units, significantly affected sleep quality.
Room Comfort and Size
Rooms were frequently criticized for being too small, cramped, and unsuitable for the number of occupants. Poor ventilation and ineffective air conditioning units worsened guest experiences, adding discomfort to already limited spaces.
Hotel Condition
Guests frequently described hotels as outdated, poorly maintained, or dirty. Common areas such as lobbies, hallways and guest rooms were often highlighted negatively. Maintaining cleanliness and modernising facilities emerged as urgent improvement areas.
Noise Levels
Noise consistently impacted guest experiences, heavily influencing other negative feedback areas like sleep and location. Loud activities from streets, music venues, or internal hotel disturbances were repeatedly mentioned, indicating a need for hotels to implement better soundproofing measures.
Semantic Analysis: The Silver Lining
Despite numerous negative reviews, semantic analysis showed an increased volume of positive mentions compared to previous years (71.9%, +1.1 points over the same period last year). This indicates opportunities for hotels to prioritise guest feedback. Properties excelling in service delivery and problem resolution stand out positively amidst broader dissatisfaction.
THE 2025 ITB WEEK GENERATED A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF POSITIVE MENTIONS (72.0%) THAN IN 2023 (69.1%), THOUGH THE OVERALL VOLUME OF MENTIONS DROPPED MORE THAN 15%
Recommendations for Hoteliers
Based on these findings, hoteliers should focus strategically on several key areas:
Soundproofing Enhancements: Implement effective soundproofing in rooms and common areas to mitigate noise complaints.
Facility Modernisation: Regular maintenance and timely updates of hotel facilities to address cleanliness and outdated décor.
Accurate Location Descriptions: Clearly stating hotel proximity to attractions and public transport to set realistic guest expectations.
Room Comfort: Investing in functional air conditioning and ventilation systems to enhance guest comfort.
Service Excellence: Leverage strong customer service to resolve issues swiftly and turn negative experiences into positive impressions. Data indicates that improvements in staff and service positively impacted overall hotel performance. Over the past three years, staff-related reviews shifted significantly—from reducing the GRI by 0.6 points in 2023 to elevating it by the same margin in 2025.
Final thoughts
Guest satisfaction during high-profile events like ITB Berlin is critical for hotel reputation management. Reviewing GRI data annually allows hotels to identify trends, improve guest experiences, and maintain competitive advantages. Hoteliers can significantly enhance guest satisfaction by proactively addressing recurring guest concerns—especially regarding noise, room comfort, and facility conditions.