As Europe contends with record-breaking heat this summer, hotels across the Continent are adjusting everything from pool temperatures to excursion times – while dishing out free ice cream – to try to keep guests cool. 

At Maisons Pariente's Hotel Le Grand Mazarin in Paris, guests were offered complimentary chilled water, cold towels and facial mist sprays, said Luc Seiler, accommodation manager. The hotel's housekeeping team closed the curtains while servicing rooms to prevent warming. 

"Like many hotels in Paris, we have adapted our service to ensure our guests remain as comfortable as possible," Seiler said.

Agathe Jousse, deputy GM of B. Signature Hotels & Resorts, which operates five properties across the city, including the Hotel Montalembert and Hotel Bel Ami, said the group's concierge teams are helping guests rework their days around the heat, recommending morning cultural visits, late lunches in air-conditioned restaurants and even an evening spent in room at the hotel.

"We are encouraging a more elevated room service experience, almost a 'luxury movie night' approach, allowing guests to enjoy good food, fresh drinks, Champagne or cocktails and take a real pause after a hot day in the city," said Jousse.

Mark Bonte, CEO of tour operator French Side Travel, said June's extreme heat had a far greater operational impact than in past years, with major Paris attractions like the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and the Musee d'Orsay closing or adjusting their hours. To work around those changes, his team has shifted outdoor experiences to early mornings and steered clients toward alternatives, including smaller museums.

"Even regions like Normandy, which are typically less affected, experienced unusually high temperatures," Bonte said. "The team had to relocate guests from hotels without A/C, something they hadn't encountered before in that part of France."

At the Casa Angelina, concierge staff are recommending evening activities like sunset cruises aboard the property's private yacht or a squid fishing excursion with a local fisherman after dark. Photo Credit: Casa Angelina

At Casa Angelina on Italy's Amalfi Coast, GM Domenico De Simone said the property has shifted toward sunrise wellness activities and morning boat excursions to get guests outdoors early, and evening options like sunset cruises aboard its private yacht and a squid fishing excursion with a fisherman after dark.

At the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa in Italy, general manager Cristiano Cabutti said the property had to cool its pools after temperatures climbed past 95 degrees. 

"There was no real difference between the temperature outside and inside the pool, so we're adding cold water to give guests some relief," he said.

The JW Marriott Venice also moved outdoor lunch service indoors during peak heat periods and is giving out more water across the property. Food and beverage preferences have also shifted.

"It's more about the refreshing stuff: a bit less pasta and more salads and gelato," Cabutti said.

In London, Hotel Cafe Royal managing director Eugene Leonard said the property introduced a lobby refreshment trolley with chilled water and coconut water, along with a "sun kit" arrival amenity containing sunscreen and cooling facial wipes. The hotel also debuted new artisan ice creams at its Cakes & Bubbles outlet.

London's Hotel Cafe Royal launched a new range of artisan ice creams at its Cakes & Bubbles eatery.

Likewise, The Londoner now offers a complimentary ice cream trolley in its lobby on especially hot days, while at the Westin London City lighter fare like poke bowls at its all-day restaurant Mosaic are more popular.  The Westin also rolled out new indoor programming, like monthly yoga classes and a "Clay & Cocktails" ceramic sculpting workshop, keeping guests occupied as they wait out the heat. 

"It's these thoughtful, timely touches that make the greatest difference during a heat wave," said Hotel Cafe Royal's Leonard. 

Play it cool

While hotels work to beat the heat now, hospitality experts say a hotter Europe is accelerating longer-term changes.

Alexandra Dumoulin, director at the London office of global hospitality consulting and services firm HVS, said air conditioning investment, once concentrated in luxury and Southern European properties, is extending across categories. 

"We've been having these heat waves for a good decade now," said Dumoulin. "Obviously, each one feels like it's the worst one when you're in it, but it's been going on for a while, and the industry has started moving. Air conditioning adoption in European hotels has accelerated significantly."

Dumoulin said hotels without reliable A/C increasingly face guest complaints, lower satisfaction scores and the risk of losing occupancy and pricing power during peak summer periods.

Jousse of B. Signature agreed, citing the group's long-term investment in maintaining and upgrading its cooling systems across properties. 

"Air conditioning has become a much more important decision factor than it used to be, especially for international guests," said Jousee. "For many travellers, particularly from the US, it is not seen as a luxury but as a basic expectation." 

Hotel renovation budgets now prioritise HVAC, solar panels and automated systems that switch off lighting and cooling in unoccupied rooms, Dumoulin said, as owners look to offset rising energy costs and meet tightening building-efficiency standards.

But despite the heat, she said summer travel demand hasn't slowed.

"I think the European market has proven to be quite resilient," she said. "Across Southern Europe and along the Mediterranean coast, especially among upper-upscale and luxury, rates have exponentially increased and continue to increase, due to very high demand for those destinations."