Editorial

Dear Insider,

Airlines are changing their routes; these changes are affecting destination markets; in the Middle East, hotel occupancy rates are falling sharply, in Greece, bookings are reportedly stalling; and the governments of Dubai, Cyprus and Egypt are beginning to provide financial support to hotels and tourism companies. The chaos and tension surrounding the Iran conflict continue.

This makes the brief item in today's News Mix all the more baffling, to put it politely: The city of Cluj-Napoca in Romania is preparing the first stage of planning permission for a Trump Tower comprising 250 apartments and a 150-room luxury hotel.

Despite the crisis, business carries on as usual, as Susanne Stauss and I gathered from our many conversations in Berlin. International chains continue to adapt their strategies, sometimes in a rather dull way, sometimes in a lively one. We listened to Hyatt, Minor, Leonardo, the Vienna Tourist Board, Accor, Marriott and UBM. Everyone wants to fill every niche. The craze for brands continues, as does the appeal of franchising.

The chains are now desperate for independent hotels and want to make their soft brands even more flexible. Villa Viva might well have fitted into this category – hotels as "social guesthouses", a perfect, alternative product for investors and operators keen on niche markets, such as Stephan Gerhard. But franchise is not his cup of tea.

Dear Insider,

The mood at the IHIF in Berlin this week was subdued, with hotel investors and operators expressing serious concerns. The unpredictable US-Iran conflict is once again taking a heavy toll on the industry. What do the global and regional CEOs of major chains have to say? There are no longer any safe markets; new travel trends are winding their way through new landscapes; holidays in the Middle East are shifting to the Far East… The industry is re-adjusting but is responding with a level head. It has learnt from the Covid pandemic.

During the day, the IHIF venue felt rather empty; those who hadn’t bought tickets gathered outside the InterContinental to have a chat, and in the evening, the "family" ended up meeting up at a number of events around town. Unfortunately, Revo Hospitality’s long-running and popular party did not take place… Incidentally, interested investors are today submitting their bids for the insolvent Revo hotels.

Radisson CEO Federico González, for his part, does not wish to demonise any operator. With 75 contracts, Germany is the largest lease market, he has nothing against that. It's all a question of details and honest dealing.  And a good mix! Radisson manages 50% of its properties itself, refines its 10 brands without needing to create new ones, and only operates in locations where the owner has paid a realistic price for the property. In an interview with me, he also explains why Jin Jiang’s two subsidiaries, Radisson and Louvre, will not be merging.

Dear Insider,

The Iran conflict is leaving its mark every day, all over the world. MIPIM in Cannes was noticeably quieter than usual, and the Arabian Travel Market (essentially the Arab equivalent of ITB) has been rescheduled from May to October. We are keen to see how many investors, operators and other hospitality stakeholders will be attending the IHIF investment forum in Berlin from Monday. We report. 

Today: Beatrix Boutonnet describes the "new" real estate sector – one that is returning to reality and discovering new opportunities: Standard financing options are a thing of the past, but there are new alternatives. The yachts in Cannes are also adjusting to the reality: They’ve become smaller, there are fewer parties, and people are being more cautious again. Amazing: Germany and the hotel asset class were viewed thoroughly positively.

The new brand Nook aims to establish itself as a "non-hotel" through crowdfunding: This is a spiritual place for like-minded people, for social gatherings and off-site events. The similarity to the former Selina concept for digital nomads is no coincidence. Behind this are German hotel chains, hostels and co-living hoteliers. 

Dear Insider,

Cash flow is King. Hotel operators are the focus of credit checks - a consequence of the ongoing insolvencies in Germany. This turns the tables again: Those who scaled up the fastest in the past secured market share and did not (or no longer) care about profitability. Now, financiers are becoming more conservative again. Capital discipline is the new buzzword. Our financial expert Beatrix Boutonnet explains in detail how the screws have continued to turn. It's time to say bye-bye to the boom. 

The desire for value-add and core assets may remain, but success lies in many subtleties, as the Omnam Group is also making clear to us today. The financially strong Israeli investor and developer has chosen Italy as its core market.

The Middle East will now also experience what capital discipline means - and perseverance. In their forecast for the region, the WTTC and other data analysts talk about alarming negative figures. Just one: Revenue losses are expected to stand at around $600 million per day in the current year. The Iran conflict is now even being mirrored in Switzerland and other countries. We have compiled some new examples.

Dear Insider,

The empty stands in the Middle East halls at ITB Berlin this week are a stark reminder of the war in a major region whose tourism revenue is set to collapse dramatically in the coming months. With the US and Israel attacking Iran, the flow of tourists from all feeder markets will stop - from the EU, CIS, India and the GCC states. 

Since the beginning of the week, contacts from Dubai and Abu Dhabi have kept me informed about the situation on the ground with up-to-date information and photos; I may quote some of them. In Abu Dhabi, the government communicated the security status to the residents in short, clear formulations, just as the hotels were informed that the costs of stranded guests would be paid by the state. The economic reality is the blatant extreme: The destination loses confidence and tourists, and the value of prime real estate drops dramatically.

One day before the surprise attack, European tourism experts analysed travel behaviour - as usual at ITB. According to their (German) analysis, 2026 is set to be a super year, despite some "backward" trends. It is possible that Europe, and Germany in particular, will once again experience a flood of holidaymakers as a result of the depressing situation in the Middle East. But nothing is guaranteed in this country as long as there is no peace in Ukraine.

Dear Insider,

Imagine that you, as a hotel owner, do not receive any rent for three years. Around one million euros are lost every month. This is what happened to Deka Immobilien, the tenant was/is Liran Wizman's Sircle Collection. The hotel: the W Amsterdam. This week, the court ordered the Sircle Collection to vacate the hotel 15 days after the judgment was signed. But that probably won't happen. A curious story with an open end. And I ask the question again - in the mist of the Revo insolvency: Why do owners/investors put up with this? 

The next story won't save the industry's reputation either. Imagine you have bought an apartment in the Austrian Alps. Is this your main, secondary, work or leisure residence? This may just be a tax issue. However, the locals see this as "cold beds" and reject investments in tourism real estate. This is precisely where the residential market collides with the tourist market, where hoteliers would also like to build more apartments. "Buy2let" is the name of this Austrian specialty that nobody likes anymore. Fred Fettner provides the details.

Dear Insider,

The logic of Revo Hospitality in the last press release two weeks ago was not quite clear to me: The original 125 insolvencies under self-administration suddenly jumped to 175. Our inquiry was answered properly. 

At the same time, I asked the Berlin insolvency law firm Anchor - which has no hospitality clients - whether the (Revo) procedure, which now involves five experts (lawyers), is justified and whether the measures are proportionate. Real estate expert Nicole Riedemann has shed light on a number of points. 

And I can offer you even more transparency today: We have an up-to-date list of about 150 Revo companies affected, which we are publishing today. In addition, Wyndham made its first public statement about the Revo insolvency as part of its 2025 balance sheet presentation. The world's largest franchisor has invested $160 million in Revo. Was that all key money? 

The world keeps turning, dear readers. This is how "a little Italian" gets started: the 15-year-old AG Group. The Group pushed its way through Covid on its own steam, now it wants to grow via white label and attract well-known global luxury lifestyle brands (Accor, Hyatt) to the country. And the majority of its guests are already international. 

Dear Insider,

The first big success of the young partners IHG and Ruby was achieved after just eight months: The global chain gave the lead to the 412-room Ruby Chicago, the first of the Lean Luxury group in the United States. Ruby founder and operator Michael Struck then immediately took over the realisation. The America connoisseur and fan was meticulously prepared. In an interview with me, he describes, among other things, how his US partners are clear, tough and demanding when it comes to securing risks and standards. And he praises IHG for the fact that the chain is always working on the "how", on solutions. The integration of the IHG systems into the 21 operational Ruby Hotels will still take a long time though. IHG partner Novum Hospitality has been saying the same thing for two years. But both also understand the complexity.

After the hard facts, today it's all about "human AI". Meanwhile, robots are flirting with their little eyes and AI software voices are gently cozying up to you. Martina Mara, a respected researcher and robo-psychologist - yes, there is such a thing - warns against this dangerous human warmth! But the new "AI natives" are already on the trip. Nobody is as nice to them as ChatGPT.

And back to the facts - and Revo. Our list of known insolvent Revo Hotels is growing. Since the list was launched a week ago, 15 more hotels have been added, bringing the total to 52. As there will not be an official overview of the insolvent hotels, which is why hospitalityInside does its own research. Support us!

Dear Insider, 

Last Friday we discussed the "collective failure of asset owners, banks and brands". Today we're going into more detail, leaving the head bashing aside. Union Investment and Art-Invest, which have since terminated both Revo contracts, soberly describe their options for reaction. The UI focuses on monitoring and alternatives but will also continue to work with white label operators. Art-Invest clearly demands that owners must generally take on more responsibility. For Hotour Consulting, portfolio deals tend to exude more toxic scents than individual deals, and the consultant and developer Christian Buer criticises the high equity ratios of banks and the role of key money. Susanne Stauss has posed questions and written sensitively on the issue. 

Yesterday, Revo Hospitality wrote a few lines on the status of the insolvency situation for the first time, and our editorial team has started to compile a list of affected Revo hotels in Germany; it does not claim to be complete, but could become a small guide. There will not be an official, complete list, as the responsible Berlin court informed us two weeks ago. 

Change of subject: Spain continues to boom, including in hotel investments, and is keeping its foot on the accelerator. The Netherlands, on the other hand, is much more cautious and selective. Two dynamics in one Europe, compared by Sarah Douag. 

Dear Insiders,

We need to talk. The industry needs to talk to each other after Revo's insolvency (under self-administration); it needs to be honest, to lay itself bare. Why? The German hospitality industry is currently tearing itself apart: "Operator insolvencies are the collective failure of asset owners, banks and branded companies." All stakeholders are sitting in the same shaky house of cards – and are tumbling into the abyss together. They are profit-centred, scale aggressively, and operate without controlled data.

Tigran Manvelyan analyses the structural system error with razor-sharp mathematical logic. He is 28, studied AI, is breaking down the data silos of the hotel industry with the help of AI, and sees the toxic structures of the operator model. Read first, then talk! Meanwhile, we continue our research. Everything takes time, especially in the complex case of Revo Hospitality.

This makes the 2026 forecast for the hospitality industry across Europe all the more positive. The sector is already in a "new cycle" thanks to new value-adding elements, namely revenue, operational performance, and asset quality. UN Tourism also promises sustained tourist flows worldwide. In 2025, 60 million more tourists travelled than in the previous year. Looking at the Global Hotel Alliance's figures for 2025, one is equally amazed by the willingness to travel and spend.