Dear Insiders,
The corona state aids might be enough to survive, say the CEOs and CFOs of the German hotel groups HRG, Motel One, Deutsche Hospitality, RIMC and Solutions Holding today – however, in combination with a big "but" … They all welcome the extended bridging aid III but still remain very cautious. The crisis is far from over yet.
The government is less cautious when it comes to travel rules: Yesterday, Germany lifted general travel warnings for 80 corona risk areas, and no longer advises against tourist travels abroad in principle. However, no agreement could be reached on entry rules for returning vacationers this week – which annoys many citizens, especially because of the threatening delta scenarios, which are conjured up on a daily basis. I contend: The politicians in Berlin are now just going hunting for votes, and the German population is becoming victim to egoism and greed for power again, based on incompetency and the inability to make decisions.
The Plaza Hotel Group, however, was able to decide very quickly to help the now ailing Maritim Hotels and buy some of their floors, in order to provide the old but large rooms with comfort and a kitchenette. Susanne Stauss talked to Managing Director Yonca Yalaz about this off-market deal.
Also in Italy, it's the small and silent changes or the big announcements that describe the shift in the market. The signals are being sent out by wealthy owners and hotel groups as well as individual players. Massimiliano Sarti on the Mediterranean hunger for investment and expansion.
And we cannot ignore Asia: Louvre Hotels first tried out their new smart hotel concept in Shanghai, now it has been transferred to Lyon. The heart of the concept: A web app, which allows guests to control many features via QR code. Many more innovations will come from Asia – or from the US: Apple is in the process of making the hotel app superfluous. In this country, however, the focus is still on new apps and not on automated process chains, which make life easier for hoteliers – as they will have to manage with even fewer employees in future.
The staff shortage is severe: In all conversations I have on this topic, I hear from nearly every Central European country that every business or group has lost one third of their staff members due to the pandemic. Hotels in Vienna are now able to provide figures for this misery: 38% of the employees want to stay and 38% want to leave – also because they do not have enough money to secure their livelihood.
Human resources will decide about efficiency and competition in future. And HR is even becoming a focus of state regulation – against the backdrop of climate change and sustainability. This is made clear by our two legal experts from the global law firm of Baker McKenzie. At the HospitalityInside Think Tank on September 13, Xavier Junquera and Dr Ulrich Hennings will explain the enormous pressure that is created by state regulation and the consequence for cost calculation, agreements and partners. Please find more on this on our first page and all the details on www.hitt.world! We are looking forward to your registration! In Munich, only 50 people will be allowed to take part in person...
Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief
Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com
