Dear Insiders,

The fans of the International Hotel Investment Forum Berlin had to wait a long time. For the first time since March 2019, real estate experts and investors met again at the InterContinental Berlin – but this time with 1,000 participants instead of 3,000. Most of them considered it a positive signal that this event actually took place – an important emotional push for the hard-hit industry. Hoteliers, bankers, and developers alike seemed less stressed compared to the boom period two and a half years ago.

There was no big news. Instead, the CEOs compared their frustration and expectations. Only Sébastien Bazin's speech was a beacon of light. You'll find more on this in today's initial report on the general mood. The next issue will feature more extensive interviews with CEOs by Susanne Stauss and myself. The IHIF does not end before noon today.

What was the summer in Europe like? Our correspondents quote the official statistics as well as both frustration and joy of hoteliers from both budget and luxury. In the German-speaking countries, there has been a little more sun than cloudy weather since June, while it has been the other way round in Italy and Spain. There were more problems than successes. The situation remains tricky. Everybody is suffering from a lack of employees and extremely short-term reservations, which are often made only 1 or 2 weeks before arrival.

European pipeline figures published right before the IHIF will increase the pressure even more. This year, hotel openings will reach an all-time high in Europe with 100,000 new rooms. This also marks an end of the project backlog that had been accumulating since 2019. Competition is thus rising. A virtual job fair in France is trying to address the lack of employees – at least in the luxury segment. You can join in!

To make sure that travel does not turn into a financial trauma for vacationers in the future, the German Travel Protection Fund will be officially launched in Germany on November 1. Today, our News Mix is once again full of new projects, and in our Sustainability News section you will find, among other things, news on an e-mobility platform and e-cargo bikes for hotels.

And this brings us – for the last time – to our Think Tank. For this hybrid event, a substantially higher physical than virtual participation in Munich is becoming apparent. Today, we introduce our sponsors of the HITT: Accor, Drees & Sommer, IDeaS, Deutsche Hospitality, Duetto, Uniper, Expo Real, and Hotelschool The Hague.
This colourful diversity reflects the cross-industry interconnectedness of the topic: SUSTAINABILITY & DIGITALISATION: THE CHANGE DRIVERS. The Decade of Action: How Sustainability leads the agenda, how Digitalisation enables it.

There are only free co-working spaces available in Munich. Or you can join us virtually. You can still book last-minute with us! After all, this is fully in vogue this year.

The same goes for the Expo Real: Here, businesses joined us as exhibitors in the World of Hospitality last-minute, and we even enlarged the second stand again. This is your last chance to secure a fixed place at the trade fair. Of course, mere logo partnerships are still possible in October.

Have a nice weekend and a good week!

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief 

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com

Dear Insiders,

Masks only in shops, little distance between rental loungers, lots of room under pine trees, delicious food and super service in restaurants… This is how Croatia welcomed us on our summer vacation this year, after they examined our "covid papers" at the border and later again at the tourism office. Bureaucracy seems to be reassuring. I perceived the European and colourful mix of holidaymakers in Croatia as mindful in general. Everybody knows what is at stake.

It's about the 4th wave, which is surging again in Central Europe right now. The countries want to break this wave by admitting only vaccinated and recovered or maybe also tested people into restaurants. The disagreement is uniform, and last summer's patchwork measures seem to be a déjà vu. However, one thing is clear: The pressure on non-vaccinated people is increasing. In a cosmopolitan industry such as tourism, this is ethically and morally questionable, but actually the bottom line is: without herd immunity, the virus will not disappear.

The subsequent question for the industry is the following: How long is the industry to continue suffering? The EMEAA region remains the biggest challenge, says IHG's CEO at the presentation of the – devastating – half-year figures. And Duncan O'Rourke of Accor says the same in my interview with him today: Europe is struggling, Germany is struggling even more… The CEO Northern Europe is especially depressed about the lack of staff members and is trying to compensate for this by forming local task forces. And the empty MICE hotels have to be reconsidered as well: He has already established new creative teams here. He is very matter-of-factly and solution-orientated.

In the world of mega chains, nearly nothing has changed according to the US magazine Hotels – apart from the fact, that Oyo from India was expelled from the ranking. This is an unusual step and Macy Marvel explains the reasons.

And why should you, dear hoteliers, install more charging stations for e-cars? The reason is very simple: As long as there is such a shortage as today, a charging station for e-cars on the premises could bring you additional guests. However, what you should consider regarding charging infrastructure as well as guest-compliant and comfortable billing, will be explained by The Mobility House from Munich today – a young technology business, which thinks interconnected.

Today's news shows: An increasing number of studies reveal the necessity and benefit of digitalisation and sustainability. Reports like the ZIA & EY, for example, and the RICS Sustainability Report.

Therefore, we feel our focus for the HITT Think Tank has been fully endorsed: It starts in Munich in 16 days – live and digitally. I know that there are many appointments in September. But these two days will provide you with so much condensed hotel-oriented information and expert knowledge you would only obtain on very few occasions. Sustainability & digitalisation will not become a game changer – they already are! Pressure and dynamics are already increasing here.

As executives, you need to invest time and vigour NOW, in order to understand the new and interlinked future between property and hotel operation! And we offer ample opportunities for networking as well. You will find all information on www.hitt.world. And the entire overview is displayed on hospitalityInside's page 1 today.

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com

Dear Insiders,

Germany and the US are still debating about the advantages for vaccinated people in everyday life. While New York single-handedly creates precedents as first metropolis in the US: starting on September 13, the city will demand proof of vaccination from employees and visitors of businesses in internal spaces. This is a clear announcement, finally!

I predict: The German government will keep debating – at least until the federal election in September – to evade any responsibility. Yesterday, my colleague Susanne Stauss said during our daily exchange: "The government has patronised us for one and a half years – and the only thing, which will really help, will not be mandatory!" And she is right. Socially and economically, this is no longer acceptable.

Starting today at noon, I will no longer get worked up about politics as we will be off for our two-week summer break. But I would like to provide you with some food for thought for the next few days:

Amsterdam and the small Austrian village of Hallstatt, which was overrun by Asian tourists, have pulled the tourism brake. Massively! In both destinations, large and small, citizens, local business people and mayors agreed on the strict limitation of masses and consequently, on the loss of revenues. And this means: There will be fewer new hotels. Sarah Douag, who lives in Amsterdam, reports about change in thinking there, and Baerbel Schwertfeger paid a visit to the World Cultural Heritage village in the Salzkammergut.

Sylvie Konzack also sees the crisis as a chance for the industry: She traces the numerous facets of the industry's DNA with a positive approach. The hospitality lifestyle spirit and the know-how of hoteliers, who switch to different niches, will cater to the fact that hospitality is the new living.

Primestar is taking a new approach to the long-stay segment as well now; CEO Andreas Erben reveals further details and relies on a young booking portal for these guests. The operator MHP Hotels acts as co-investor for the first time in the just recently obtained Marriott Basel; the "PropCo" is becoming strategy, says managing partner Joerg Frehse.

The industry is crisis-proof, can take a lot and is able to save a few things through high self-motivation and flexibility. Therefore, it is very frustrating when the head of Switzerland Tourism publicly declares that it will still take decades to recover in the country…

The balance sheets of Motel One, Hyatt, Marriott, Pandox, and Wyndham for the first half and the second half show a recession but recovery as well. In addition, I talked to several hoteliers this week, who are happy about their first properties with an occupancy rate of 90% and 100% in July – also in cities.

Our Think Tank is also a reason to be happy. Do you have this top-class event in your calendars? September 13/14? In Munich or virtually? Most speakers have announced they will come personally. Use this network opportunity and get an in-depth, exclusive update about sustainability and digitalisation! Including get-togethers on two evenings. Our common language is and remains English. Our host Tim Davis explains the USPs of this unique event, which stands for quality instead of quantity. There will be no PR shows.

"In this Think Tank, we will deal with the trends, which will shape the future of our industry and will determine, who becomes future market leader." Please register! This is a win-win situation for all who drive sustainability and digitalisation in their businesses. www.hitt.world

We will be back in our office on August 23, the next edition will be available on August 27. Have a nice holiday!

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com

Dear Insiders,

The Italian government decreed by law: As of 6 August, no one will be allowed to enter a restaurant without a vaccination certificate. The next day, 500,000 Italians made an appointment to be vaccinated. And it was the same in France: The day after the health passport was announced, 1.1 million people signed up for vaccination; by the end of the week, that number had risen to 3.7 million. There you go! Only the Germans are still debating the issue... Presumably until the holiday season and the federal elections are over.

The tendency to simply sit problems out is also a characteristic of many hoteliers. Even in the boom years, they already knew that you had to pay employees more and create more attractive working conditions for them. Many did, others simply ignored things.

The price has now fallen to be paid - all around the globe. Figures from USA, UK and France show how desperate the situation is. I'll just mention just one shocking figure: Over 50% of former employees in the industry who are currently looking for another job say: Neither a raise nor any other incentive would motivate them to return to their old restaurant, bar or hotel job.

Sarah Douag reports on the conditions behind the international figures and describes the consequences in the three countries. At the same time, Sylvie Konzack is trying to work out just how hard the boomerang will return to hit in Germany. Hoteliers and headhunters report. Yes, there will be a race for employees, and this is coming at the worst possible time, in the middle of the crisis, in the balancing act between helpful short-time allowance & weak revenues, rising guest numbers & necessary salary increases.

Fortunately, despite all the acute problems, there are still people like Alexander Eisner and his Atomis Hotels who want to really step on the gas in the hotel industry. Romania also wants to step on the gas: despite Corona, plans for mega-tourism projects and hotels continue to develop there, following the pre-Corona pattern. Macy Marvel on the boom in a little-noticed country. 

Human resources, today, is an expression that carries with it a completely different connotation to that used by legitimate business, namely: human trafficking. Perhaps this affects us in Europe less than other countries, but it is still a serious issue. The WTTC has published a report on today's "World Day Against Trafficking in Persons" and is thus sending out a clear signal. As a part of ESG targets, we will hear more about this issue in Europe in the future.

This brings us to our think tank on "Sustainability & Digitalisation". One will no longer work without the other. Investors, operators and IT experts will have to cooperate in the future. The technology ensures that operational costs are reduced, which puts leaseholders in a position to pay higher rents and thus convinces the investor to invest more. That is the lever of success. The drivers behind this are the new consumers and sensors that communicate with each other.

Now you want to know what works and what doesn't? Then listen in as CTO Floor Bleeker of Accor, Andreas Ewald of Engel & Völkers Hotel Consulting and Klaus Kohlmayr, Chief Evangelist of IDeaS share their thoughts. www.hitt.world

As usual, we round off our issue with lots of market news. The half-year results from Accor, Hilton and NH also give an indication of the economic mood in the market.

Till next Friday!

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com

Dear Insiders,

This issue is hopefully able to rein in some fears and curb the feelings of panic before the next wave. The hotel sector is going under, though known hotels continue to go out of business almost every week now. "This is a normal process of market consolidation," Martina Fidlschuster says soberly. And in place of the oft-predicted big wave of insolvencies, she doesn't see many small waves coming either.

Every group is currently polishing its portfolio and scouting out shaky hotels, mostly in secret. Obviously though, taking the example of Flemings hotels this week: Those who rely too heavily on one location run a higher risk in the crisis. And in the case of the large Ellington Hotel in Berlin, it was probably more a question of the mega-property in a prime location and thus a change of use.

Despite such misery though, the pipelines for the cities are still full, so the loss of the 285 Ellington rooms won't even be noticeable. And there are always new players like Renditus on the market who first put out feelers and then make targeted use of synergies.

Martin Winkler, CEO of Austria Trend Hotels, says: "If you expand by hook or crook in locations where you need 80% occupancy to cover your costs, you're going to have problems." The thinking in Austria is similar. Verkehrsbüro, the parent company of ATH, the serviced apartment group Harry's Home and the private Ipp Hotels want to and will continue to expand. They all solved their problems around rents/leases, government subsidies and employees in their own different ways. Crisis is the mother of all invention.

The same applies to the Global Hotel Alliance, which, with its network of international hotel chains, stands back to look at the broader picture each day. CEO Chris Hartley senses that more and more independent business are looking for a strong shoulder in distribution and loyalty. With NH Hotels as new shareholders, the consortium is set for huge growth as, among other things, NH merges its rewards programme with GHA's. GHA wants to be the alternative to Accor's ALL and Marriott's Bonvoy. More "local experiences" and the new "Discovery Dollar", which can also be used to pay at home, are intended to help. GHA introduces its own loyalty currency. Crisis is indeed the mother of all invention.

Even as the UK's corona case rate climbs towards 500 four days after "Freedom Day", hospitality insiders are slowly turning their attention back to the Brexit fallout. Their biggest drama: the European employees who have left. A current study analyses the immediate future for British hoteliers with data and identification of the weak points.

Landing a coup in a crisis usually means being so solid yourself that partners will pull you along, despite a loss of liquidity. Motel One is now also available in New York - a mega step and a mega compliment for the Munich-based budget lifestyle group. Its first hotel in the USA! It is moving into the previous Courtyard at Marriott at the World Trade Center. The tenant was obviously in trouble, and owner Union Investment terminated before the end of the lease. Motel One follows Marriott. It shows investors as well as the mega-chains: Size doesn't matter anymore. Crisis is both risk and opportunity!

And this is especially true for the subject of sustainability. The destroyed villages and valleys in West Germany, together with the more than 170 dead, is a tragedy that cries out for change. "We must not only announce plans, but act on them too!" says ex-hotelier Wolfgang M. Neumann, today Chairman of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. Change is a matter for the boss, needs a leadership strategy, teamwork and clearly defined responsibilities. He will explain how hotels can do this at the HITT Think Tank on 13/14 September.

And an update on Expo Real in October: 12 companies have now confirmed their participation in our joint stand. New additions are Premier Inn and Primestar. More on our page 1. 

We wish you a pleasant week full of opportunities!

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com

Dear Insiders,

After this week's talks, I note that the Germans fear the Delta variant. The Delta share was at 74 percent yesterday. Mainly people returning from Spain are bringing the variant along with them. But that goes unnoticed in everyday life. So don't panic, please! Before we get proactively hysterical and start cancelling the fall meetings and trade fairs in our minds, we should wait and see how the British do when all coronavirus restrictions are lifted next Monday after the "infectious" European Football Championship.

Stay positive – as everybody needs business again. Particularly the Germans. Last Tuesday, July 13, marked the so-called tax payers' memorial day – the moment the Germans work for themselves again. Up to this date, every German has given 53% of their annual income to the state. Almost nothing will come from the hotel industry this year.

Professor Stephan Gerhard no longer has any desire to experience such desolate figures, and certainly no more pandemics. The investor, who also acts as a tenant and operator in his company network, is taking precautions: He has enforced special clauses covering pandemics and hyperinflation in all agreements. No more agreements without these clauses! he says firmly. Today, you will read what this looks like and the hardship that went into it. The Graf von Westfalen law firm provides its neutral legal perspective on this issue.

Hotel operators are also sweating for another reason during the start of the peak season: They lack personnel! This topic will remain a constant issue as highlighted by us on many occasions. So start attracting trainees and secure the next generation at an early stage! But a cross-industry study turns out to be completely frustrating: Youngsters google for apprenticeships while employers do not place any ads on this channel. Furthermore, companies whitewash the working reality. Shame on you! But Petra Barta, General Manager of the Die Wasnerin hotel in Austria, would certainly receive excellent feedback: Only three of her 90 employees quit their job during the corona crisis.

Human resources is a "sustainable" topic and even part of the ESG Goals. Hyatt's idea to publish data on its employee diversity on a newly developed mega platform, to raise awareness against human trafficking in training sessions, and to increase workplace quality through well-being may once again seem overly American from a European perspective. Globally, however, it is becoming all the more important with respect to a more sustainable, i.e. social, world as a basis for flourishing tourism. Covid-19 clearly reveals how unequal the world actually is.

This is why small steps are so important at the moment: In Venice, mega cruise ships will be banned from October 1 on. That's good and it is a start. The German Alltours tour operator wants to welcome solely vaccinated and recovered guests at its allsun hotels – which is being criticised by hoteliers. Germany wants to replace the infection rate factor by a new, not yet existing value – okay, at least they are thinking about it.

Xenia zu Hohenlohe from the Considerate Group and sustainability expert Tony Williams have thought a lot about innovations, systems, benchmarks and certifications. And about the new, still invisible drivers from the world of finance who collectively want the same thing: Making sustainability measureable in order to give investors peace of mind. The hospitality industry is one of the sectors that is most quickly targeted by the new "Masters of the Measurement". Xenia and Tony will be discussing this topic on September 14 at the HospitalityInside Think Tank. Please find more about this on our first page and at www.hitt.world.

The storm disaster in Germany on Wednesday is a consequence of climate change and doing nothing. 80 people have paid for this with their lives by this morning, and complete infrastructures have been destroyed in the affected regions. Nature strikes back. 

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com

Dear Insiders,

The world keeps turning between science and madness: The European Football Championship has been responsible for more than 2,500 corona cases, but nonetheless, Boris Johnson has been cordially inviting crowds of fans to the island and since yesterday, other double vaccinated people. Despite vaccinations and tests, 180 Dutch people got infected after attending a party. Everyone simply wants to party – and go on holiday without a mask! And even though some schools will soon open up again, there are still no air filters in the second year of corona.

Once again, there is perfect chaos. There is again no strategy for dealing with a potential fourth wave. A fourth lockdown is currently impossible as well, as courts would rebuke the government due to the basic rights. In September, there will be elections. So better open all the borders, remove all restrictions and dodge the virus variation storm! And off into the recess of parliament...

None of these "top managers" would survive on the free market. Those bearing real responsibility in the crisis do not run away. Instead, they keep working non-stop, thinking about new concepts and sustainable ideas.

"We need to stay as flexible as possible," says Volker Kraft answering the crisis in the retail sector, and considering the chances provided by the crisis regarding the initial hotel fund by ECE Real Estate Partners. The company's core business revolves around shopping malls, but trade and hospitality will be reconnecting differently in the cities. City malls will stay strong! Only ordering and picking up will adjust themselves. Not only does he support his store tenants via lease reduction, but also via a digital mall. And the lobby of the first acquired fund object in Venice will be turned into a mini mall. Thinking differently, thinking out of the box, creating new things: Ascan Kókai, hotel investment expert, explains how and where ECE aims at investing its millions in the future.

But small players can also make it big in the crisis: The German spa town of Bad Muenstereifel used to lead a spiritless existence, but then the real estate professionals arrived. In 2019, a total of 2.4 million shopping fans visited the town, all of them chasing fashion brands among the half-timber house idyll. Hotels and restaurants greatly benefit from this.

The radical conversion of the Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs Group is a totally different issue: A big mountain of debt burdens Europe's largest leisure provider. The strict 5-year plan is full of promises. Everything is becoming green, local, sustainable, slow – with holiday huts and homes full of Millennial families. Committed to pure nature and simple, but more frequent trips per year, this target group is just the right booster CEO Franck Gervais needs. He did his homework at Accor.

All that requires a lot of courage, strength and vision. The movers & shakers that are participating in our HITT Think Tank in September know that as well: Adrian Flueck from the Invesco Real Estate investment company, Executive Olaf Demuth from the multi-billion Zech construction company, and Thomas Schlereth architect, developer and owner of the sustainable Serviced Apartment Hotel Soulmade in Munich will be discussing their ideas and financial viability of sustainable hotels intensely and controversially! All of them hate green washing. I am aware of this and more since our briefing. Let me present these gentlemen to you today on our first page.

In addition, it feels great to be able to say today: The HITT programme is complete! All of the experts have accepted their invitation. You can find the final version with all the names on www.hitt.world. This is the result of - so far - 10 months of research and thinking out of the box with our team and advisory committee. So far, I've learned a whole lot of new things. Now we just need you - people who passionately discuss with us for the sake of a new sustainable era! arly Birds still benefit until next Thursday, 15 July.

And this is why I hope that you will also learn more from our news today, for example, on the global Covid-19 consequences, the hotel transaction during the first half of the year, about NH's Recovery Plan, the allure of Spanish resort destinations and the slowly returning life in German cities. By the way, the change also reflects itself in the personnel news today and, as usual, in our news mix.

Expo Real decided to close one hall after the registration deadline. Therefore, the "World of Hospitality" will move to Hall A1. In the meantime, ten companies have confirmed their participation in the joint stand. With the move, space has become scarce, so talk to us if you still want to exhibit.

Have another good week,
Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com

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

Dear Insiders,

July and August are approaching, the travel months of the year. The Delta variant is equally mobile and fears of a relapse into restrictions and quarantines circulate. Hoteliers in the Balearic and Canary Islands will be hit again. In Menorca, for example, everyone is desperately waiting for the British: They make up 80% of the tourists there. Positive news from Italy: Some regions report "sold out", at least for the month of August. Beatriz de Lucas and Massimiliano Sarti let us know how the season is going.

Such contradictions are probably the norm at the moment; there is still a long way to go before we can speak of safe travel in Europe. The EU Covid certificate, which is supposed to make life easier for travellers from next Thursday, has also not yet been implemented in all member states. There is also a six-week transition period here.

In Switzerland, too, not everything is fixed yet. From tomorrow on there will be more relaxation and entry permits for third countries, but only for those who are vaccinated and not for those who have recovered from infection or who only have tests to show. Another small detail that makes a big difference in everyday life...

In Switzerland, by the way, the para-hotel industry will catch up significantly with the classic hotel industry this year: While bed & breakfasts, mountain huts, campsites and youth hostels suffered greatly in 2020, the increase in bookings is now exhilarating. According to one study, self-catering accommodation in the mountain region of Andermatt has even caused property prices and rents to shoot up. Macy Marvel provides facts and figures.

It's nice when business is good. But employees are lacking everywhere. The "employees recruit employees" model offers an opportunity to find employees faster and with even better qualifications. Ask your employees to post job openings on their own social media channels! It works, the technology and healthcare industries are already demonstrating it. Frequent personnel changes can even become an advantage! The hotel industry is ideal for this, Thomas Bittner says encouragingly, an experienced organisational psychologist, and has benchmarks to back up his statement.

Creditreform has certified that the industry has a high risk of insolvency, but two specialist lawyers dismiss the warnings: No insolvency tsumami currently in sight in Germany! However, it can still happen if the over-indebtedness increases in the next few months.

The pandemic hit hard: The top 50 hotel brands recorded massive losses in brand value last year. It fell from $70 billion to $47 billion. Hilton remains the best in the loss year. We bring you further reports on the capitals of the four Nordic hotel markets, on the repositioning of the operator Primestar and, of course, lots of information on the market.

And last but not least, it's "Urban Hospitality under Fire"! Not today and here, but on 14 September during our Think Tank. Gesa Rohwedder, Head of Hospitality at Drees & Sommer, will discuss Mixed Use and new hotel concepts with the participants, combined with an exclusive live premiere: She presents a demonstrator that can be used to plan "mixed use concepts" digitally. More on this on page 1!

Munich Trade Fair has also extended the registration deadlines for exhibitors to 30 June. So you still have a chance to enter the "World of Hospitality" 2021 for a reasonable registration fee!

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com

Dear Insiders,

Finally, infection rates and the weather are in sync – and the mood is clearly brightening up. The run on pharmacies in Germany to transfer the paper vaccination pass into a digital version tells a lot. But nonetheless, the situation is still fragile. Entrepreneurs as well as each individual still have to be mindful about their responsibility. Vaccinations are no carte blanche, and not every vaccine provides the promised effect as we learned from Curevac this week.

Again and again, there are incalculable depressions. Wearing masks a few weeks longer is nothing compared to the dangerous Delta variation that is currently cutting new corona paths and could lead to increased travel restrictions.

Everyone still in the Covid-19 grip is afraid of the latter: business and MICE hotels. Fairmas recorded a pitiful 13.8% occupancy and 10.60 euros of RevPAR in its statistics for May across Germany's A cities.

City hotels are truly suffering. In this respect, the initiative of the four hotel groups of 25hours, Motel One, Accor Northern Europe and Vienna House that aim at starting a joint marketing campaign to boost business travel is a great idea. They are also calling on other hotels to join in!

And this news from Wednesday is extremely pleasing: Expo Real will be taking place again in October! Finally, things are getting physical again with roughly 300 main exhibitors from 25 countries so far divided across six halls. Only vaccinated, tested and recovered visitors are allowed, which will provide safety among all those ups and downs.

Our "World of Hospitality" will be located in hall A2 next to the restaurant and is happy about the initial eight co-exhibitors. Until June 23, you can join us as a co-exhibitor at a reduced fee. You will find all the details on our page 1.

The pandemic has set back everything and everybody. It is a long way back, also for Novum Hospitality. CEO David Etmeman is granting us the first interview after slipping under the umbrella of the Economic Stabilisation Fund in December 2020 – as the only hotel group so far. He talks with Susanne Stauss on the fund, the aids and a selected pipeline. He aims at paying his full lease again from January 1, 2022.

Full resort hotels will likely be seen in Austria in July and August – also because many guests prefer to go on holiday right in front of their doorstep instead of travelling to far places. Many guests were thus only "borrowed" this year say Austrian tourist experts and hoteliers who simultaneously ask: How many of them will we be able to keep? Fred Fettner attended the discussions at the ÖHV congress.

I would be very happy if you would join us at our HITT in September. Additional names were added to the top-class programme this week: accordingly, the Accor Paris CTO accepted our invitation, as well as the globally acting Baker McKenzie law firm, Invesco Real Estate and the Zech Group from Bremen. To win over such renowned companies, our Advisory Committee of four put its contacts and passion for the think tank and the issue for debate to the test. I will introduce you to these four people today on our page 1. Or you can check them out at www.hitt.world. Only three more names are missing now, then our programme will be complete.

This issue, too, would not be complete without the latest reports on the modified Ringhotels strategy, the no longer standardised Novotel brand, the new German Travel Insurance Fund, the latest personnel news and our market news mix. 

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com