Current Issue
The pressure from the system and genuine hosts
Dear Insider,
There was no new news from Revo Hospitality this week; it appears that the contracts with the five identified operator groups have not yet (all) been signed.
There are other topics though, positive ones too: For example, independent hotels that are weathering the crises successfully thanks to their KPIs, cost management, investment strategy and staff. Karin Leeb and Martin Klein, the third generation to run the Wellnesshotel Hochschober in Carinthia, are disruptors and innovators in their own right. Since taking over the business 12 years ago, they have invested €41 million. This 116-room hotel is one of Austria’s pioneers in wellness: it boasts a perfect lakeside location, complete with a lido, a pool and sauna area, and a Chinese tower as an exotic landmark; it is a trailblazer in vegetarian-vegan cuisine, and employs 130 staff from 22 countries. Plus over 100 free (!) services and activities included exclusively for their guests. From yoga to herb walks and cold baths to dance classes… No, it's not a commercial "All-in" package; quite the opposite: This hotel is a cut above the rest and thinks differently. It is outgrowing its values. And the calculations are precise. And with success.
I have been following this hotel and the family for over 20 years; yes, they still exist, hosts and business owners left who offer this level of quality, attention to detail and passion. And with that, I'd like to encourage you during these times! Karin and Martin reveal lots of behind-the-scenes details.
We'll come back to crisis management automatically. Switzerland Tourism has now drawn up two scenarios for how to respond should the conflict with Iran result in a prolonged absence of high-spending visitors from the Middle East and Asia. Visitors from the Gulf states spend the most: CHF 400 a day. Macy Marvel describes the difficult situation and the most vulnerable destinations.
The hospitality industry needs a new 'architecture' to survive, built jointly by artificial intelligence and people! Sarah Douag draws a connection between the comments made by the tech giants on stage at Mews two weeks ago – from Uber, SiteMinder, Brook Bay Capital and EY. This is all about systems, workflow and efficiency. The main goal is: "Own the customer!" And the advice: Don't hide behind the reception desk. A private hotel like the Hochschober realised this a long time ago.
Crisis management is set to take centre stage in Amsterdam soon. The city continues to tighten the tax screw, setting itself apart – in a negative and stark way – from other European destinations that are also suffering from overtourism. The tourist tax in Amsterdam will be 20 percent in four years' time. With VAT added on top, guests will be paying a total of 41 percent in tax by 2030! That’s another way of ‘clearing’ the city of tourists. Tax hikes are here, and morale is falling.
The FIFA World Cup in the USA has kicked off, and the hosts still can’t believe that tourists aren’t turning up. Ticket sales and other analyses give no cause for celebration. Let’s hope it doesn’t backfire on the Americans.
In contrast, the EU is opening its doors and gates: Check the EU Tourism Platform to find out where you can get funding! The European Commission is now beginning to reach out specifically to decision-makers in the relevant sectors and destinations. HospitalityInside is happy to support that.
And in the news this week: There won't be any visitors in Geneva this weekend because there are demonstrations planned in the city. Not every event is necessarily a great one for the hospitality industry. The decline in business travel figures in Germany is now being 'offset' by bleisure travellers: A new study reveals a new trend.
In our Public News: Anthropic’s CEO is calling on governments to put a stop to risky AI! This statement has been doing the rounds around the world for days.
Copenhagen is now rewarding its sustainable tourists all year round – a brilliant idea (we reported on this two years ago). Travellers in Italy and other countries, however, should keep their eyes peeled. Sometimes tourists fall into traffic traps (e.g. by overlooking no-entry signs) or photo traps: These should be taken seriously too. Good concierges know that.
Till next Friday!
Yours Maria Pütz-Willems
Editor-in-Chief
Iran conflict in figures: Swiss Tourism outlines scenarios - Asians are missing
The number of overnights in Swiss hotels is expected to decline in the year 2026 for the first time since the end of Covid-19. Notably the Iran War has increased the cost and reliability of air travel. Thus, long-haul incoming markets from the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia are likely to see substantial declines.
Family Hotels: The Hochschober is both a disruptor and an innovator
Every spring, Karin Leeb and Martin Klein invest millions in their 116-room wellness hotel on the little-known Lake Turracher in Carinthia. The hotelier couple are disruptors and innovators in their own right - from the arena-style event sauna to AI, in online sales, on social media, and in their relationships with their 130 staff members.
Slowly but surely, the EU is recognizing the importance of tourism for the region's prosperity. A wide range of EU, national and regional funding opportunities for the tourism sector is now easier to access.
Millions of fans are expected to attend the FIFA World Cup, which kicked off yesterday in North America. The USA is anticipating the best-attended tournament in history. German visitors, however, have so far been rather cautious.
Amsterdam has a message for the tourism industry: you are welcome, but you will pay for it. And so will your guests. This week, the city's new coalition government announced a plan to raise its "toeristenbelasting", the municipal tourist tax on overnight stays, from the current 12.5% to 16% in 2027, with the rate increasing by one percentage point per year until it reaches 20% in 2030.
Anti-G7 demonstrations are planned for this Sunday in Geneva. This "event" is causing hotel occupancy rates in Geneva to plummet – rather than driving them up.
67% of German business travellers have already undertaken a bleisure trip, the majority of whom hold middle management positions. This means that bleisure has now firmly established itself in Germany too. This is revealed by a groundbreaking study.
Tony Pallas / Anikó Péchli, Guido Franzen, Anna Exel, Frank Blumenthal / Daniela Bartels / Martin Scherer, Yvonne Urban, Esther Binkert / Anneli Pedersen / Marcus Borowski / Philip Bacon, John Fareed / Stefan Brida, Werner Taurer
Accor/München, Barceló/Rom, Bob W/Stuttgart, B&B/Mantua, CitizenM/Rom, Extendam/Santorin, Falkensteiner/Hinterstoder and Loipersdorf, Four Seasons/Sevilla, J44/Jesolo, Marriott/ aia Mare, Numa/Mailand, Park Hotel/Gemona, Quality Lodgings/Heigenbrücken, Radisson/Salzburg, Toskana/Villa Constanza
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