Editorial

Dear Insiders, The economic crisis has also changed master plans and business in Eastern Europe. A discussion on the ITB "Hospitality Day" showed the different stages of development of Romania, Russia, Croatia and Poland. More under "Network". Even with the USP "historic hotel", owners often have serious problems with castles and stately homes - especially concerning their size. This was clear from conversations at the first pan-European meeting of the "Historic Hotels of Europe". Branded hotels did better through the economic crisis than independent hotels. A comparison of figures. Our legal expert today explains the reasoning behind the judgement resulting in the reinstatement of supermarket cashier "Emmely" after her dismissal for "bottle deposit theft". We also have a selection of further news. Last but not least a little reminder: The deadline for registrations to the workshop "Spa Investment" for investors, planners and hoteliers closes on 2 May. Details on the starting page. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Growth/profit and sustainability do not fit together. The reality is bitter, despite all good arguments. At the 2nd World Tourism Forum in Lucerne last week, many researchers and only a few leaders discussed the global problem. An initial summary.Many hotel chains have committed themselves to “CSR”, but it still massively lacks group-wide realisation. This is the result of an analysis and a ranking of European consumer protection associations.Bosnia-Herzegovina is one of the delicate blossoms in Eastern Europe. Here, initial international chains are discovering the hotel market – focussed on the capital of Sarajevo.What does the supermarket checkout lady who embezzled bottle deposit receipts worth 1.30 euros have to do with the hotel industry? Quite a bit, from an employer’s perspective. Both proceedings and judgment in this case about a “trifle” bring up far-reaching implications for every company. Our legal expert and employers’ lawyer Joachim Jungbluth explains the entire issue.Furthermore, there are colourful bits of news again today, among them a highly interesting news about the probable call-off of the Sheraton project at Berlin Central Station.A small and qualified group already signed in for our workshop "Investment in Spas". Would you like to join us? Deadline for your registration is May 2, 2011. The details - please see our start page or the "Health" column inside the magazine.Next week, my colleague Susanne Stauss will be welcoming you, as I will be looking around in Dubai and the Emirates as every year around this time… - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Operators will again have to pay to get good contracts. This was the prevailing opinion in an IHIF discussion on alternative forms of finance. Even Starwood has had to explain much more than usual to its investors through the crisis, CEO Frits van Paasschen says. He gave an interview at the ITB and spoke about the company and the market. And in order to gain the trust of the banks, Axel Mehn did his homework. And it paid off: The expansion of the 3-star brand acomhotels is progressing quickly and with top partners, without problems with finance. The hotel business is certainly not getting any easier though: Distribution is claiming more time and skill. Part of this is social media, also in connection with search engines and booking portals. In the ITB talk round at the 6th Hospitality Day in Berlin, two hotel representatives criticised TripAdvisor and Google. The summary - click on the ITB logo on the start page. By clicking on the Cornell headline today, you can also catch a glimpse of the Cornell/EHL reception during the ITB. And last but not least, we would like to draw your attention to the hospitality joint stand at the commercial real estate trade fair Expo Real in October: The deadline for registrations is fast approaching! Interested companies can still benefit from top conditions and trade fair advantages. – The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Dorint didn't manage to present a successor for the former InterConti Hotels in Berlin and Duesseldorf. As a result, some media have pounced on every rumour and also partly report incorrect facts. Today, we look at the circumstances and the players a little closer - at the Ebertz funds.Multi-culti Berlin is always good for a headline: Now, former party animals have themselves begun to complain of mass tourism and all-night noise in the city centre. The German capital and its tourism dream/nightmare.From the new Waldorf Astoria the first photo of the mock-up room is available. It reminds me of lots of things, but not of the Waldorf Astoria in New York.Future researchers gave tips at the ITB how hoteliers may overcome the next few years: By providing an absolutely individual super service! Everything will become even more sophisticating. The summary of the ITB Hospitality Day speech on "Hotels 2020" can be accessed by everyone under "Network". Or click on the ITB banner.Owners of the Historic Hotels of Europe are mostly quite a way away from the competition battles faced by business hotels and from IT-controlled management. They are still hosts in the best sense of the word. Nevertheless, the dynamic environment is also challenging them. About the first European summit in St. Moritz: Click on the HHE banner on our start page.And also, our social media column on the virtual effect of the soya latte macchiato and a further smattering of news. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, The disgrace for InterConti is perfect: The chain has today lost three of six InterContinental properties in Germany. As lessee, Dorint invited the press for 11 a.m. today in Berlin. The status quo of last night. Today's edition has a budget focus. We introduce two companies in "facts & figures": the Malaysian Tune Hotels with its rigorous distribution concept and the online booking platform hostelclub.com. Parallel to this, B&B reports of a new long pipeline and keen investor interest. Exactly these chains and distribution structures will compete with the medium-sized "Mom-and-Pops" hotels. Our summary of the ITB Hospitality Day talk round also explains, indirectly, why budget hotels are booming. More on clicking on the ITB banner or on networks, start page. CEOs and other executives will discuss the world's biggest problems at the 2nd World Tourism Forum Lucerne. They focus attention on sustainability in tourism. Anyone not yet having registered still can. More on clicking on the WTF banner or on networks, start page.Does each spa make profit? A one-day profitability workshop on 23 May is aimed at planners, bankers, operators, architects and developers. "Investment in spas" is organised by the renowned Rizzato Spa Consulting in collaboration with hospitalityInside. More on clicking on the spa workshop banner or on networks, start page. And remember to remind your partners! - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Expansion in Asia is good, but "good old Europe" is obviously still essential. Even the global players generate their core revenues here. And read here – there is still place for further Hilton brands in Europe. Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta and his EMEA colleague Patrick Fitzgibbon about the market.Similar to the IHIF in Berlin, the mood at the MIPIM in Cannes was subdued. Only certain markets, notably Germany, are attracting interest from investors. The upwards trend was also confirmed by the recent market analysis conducted by the German Hotel Association.The low budget sector is already pushing full steam ahead. A study has illuminated growth in Germany, and the parallel talk round at the 6th "ITB Hospitality Day" at the ITB Berlin illuminated the international success. Tune Hotels, A&O and hostelclub.com gave details of business with the next budget wave.At Dorint/InterConti and Starwood/Arabella, there are still no final decisions to report on at the end of this week; so we decided to abstain from putting out a rumour. There is, however, a replacement in sight for Shangri-La in Vienna.Hotel spas have become a standard feature today. But not every hotel earns money with it. A single-day figure-focused workshop for investors, planners and operators will provide some orientation. Details under "Network". Or click on the banner "Investment in Spas" on our start page. For the first time, an Austrian hotel received the Green Building Certificate. The conversion to "Green" should pay off in the next ten years. Technology partner Siemens describes the successful example for sustainable operations on our "Solutions" microsite. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, The shadow of the Japanese disaster came down at the end of the world's biggest tourism trade show in Berlin... All together, the 45th ITB was seen as a complete success. Sold out trade show halls and approximately 170,000 visitors allowed the faces of most exhibitors to shine. Loftier in contrast, the Investment Conference at the InterContinental Berlin. A review on IHIF and ITB.The "hot shots" of the industry were up on stage, which is why we begin our post-reporting today with the CEO Panels with IHIF and ITB. The bosses at Accor, Hyatt, Carlson, Starwood, Kempinski and Grand City illustrated their perspectives and positions there.We have concisely summarised the trade show titbits and rumours of both events for you and have processed the strategic news of the large chains in separate news.For hospitalityInside as an organizer of the 6th "ITB Hospitality Day" at the ITB Berlin, the hotel conference was a great success: 1,900 visitors found their way into Hall 7.1 - 500 more than in the year before. From today, we will summarize another panel of the ITB Hospitality Day every Friday. Click on the ITB logo on our start page or go to "Network". All articles are accessible for all users. Also, our first printed Special, the hospitalityInside Special ITB, sold like hotcakes. For those who did not get a copy, it can be opened online at our start page. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, When you open this issue today, the trade-visitor days of the 45th ITB will just be coming to a close. The mood was great and the industry was almost euphoric. The halls were packed right from the beginning, and the "ITB Hospitality Day" organised by us set a new record: 1,900 attendees listened to the discussions - 35% more than last year! We were present at a number of events and talks again and will provide you with detailed reports on everything – on the ITB itself, the hotel conference, and the investment conference early this week.Today: In Doha, Qatar, a modern city quarter is being created based on old tradition – a completely new approach to city and hotel development. In London, our architecture and design specialist took a close look at another mega investment: the famous Savoy after its 260 million euro renovation.Compared to this, German Welcome Hotels are a very modest group convincing by a solid step-by-step expansion. Two weeks ago, the group captured the first major city, opening its 15th hotel. Further major cities will follow.Wellness Hotels Deutschland also trusts in virgin soil: it offers health trips supported by health insurances via its new partner Premedion.In addition to that, we have a colourful range of news, some of them fresh from ITB. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, In one week's time, we'll know more above whether the positive mood felt up to now remains and whether the sector has managed to translate this into good business: The 45th ITB is around the corner! The hospitalityInside team won't be far away. You will certainly find us on Thursday in hall 7.1b/auditorium London for the "ITB Hospitality Day".There, you can take your own copy of the "hospitalityInside SPECIAL ITB 2011", hot off the press. Those not attending the ITB can find the online version of the special on our homepage in the next days. We will also provide comprehensive reporting of each round of the conference under our "Network" section, accessible to all our readers. Before the ITB, the International Hotel Investment Conference will take place. Our team will also hopefully be able to bring you exiting news from this event. So we'll see each other in Berlin!Today's topics: As of this year, GfK will also assess hotel bookings made by tour operators. In light of social media and hotel review platforms at the ITB, it is surprising to hear that even large chains still support hotel stars - but preferably the EU hotelstars. Europe puts a lot in perspective – also in an analysis on hotel density in Austria. Swiss are in the process of establishing a new hotel group: Starling Hotels. The former Leading front man, Jean Jacques Gauer, is behind the move.Our colleagues at "hotelbau" also today present topics from their new publication - click on "Solutions" to view these. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Social media is hip – but is it also credible? Today, social media hotelier Marco Nussbaum and Markus Luthe, head of the German Hotel Association, are analysing the potential risks and opportunities of Google, TripAdvisor, Facebook and the networking between search engines and hotel evaluation platforms. In another article today, we watch the American hotel evaluation portal TripAdvisor and its plans for Europe.Whether all these parties will be friends forever because of the linking will hopefully be revealed at the respective talk at the 6th "ITB Hospitality Day". More information by clicking on the ITB logo on our home page.The subject of "closed funds" is much more rational today. Their financial volume is twice as large as the entire gold reserves of Germany. Now, they are getting stronger again.In Spain, NH-CEO Gabriele Burgio was surprisingly dismissed this week. Is he the victim of a shareholder, similar to Gilles Pélisson at Accor? Since Tuesday, everybody has been caught up in turmoil in Vienna upon learning the news of Shangri-La's withdrawal from the agreement two months before the hotel opening. The background details. Last Saturday, Kempinski put on an impressive show with its "Career Day" when more than 1,000 external applicants met in Munich. In the background, the personnel carousel is turning again. Once more, social media: As customers continue to include social media in their decision-making process, companies must keep pace with them. Today, Micros-Fidelio focuses on this issue by presenting solutions regarding distribution - please, click on "Solutions". An exciting issue today, full of details... - The full editorial.