Editorial

Dear Insiders, Solid visionaries and entrepreneurs like the late Ueli Prager hardly have a chance today. The "rapid fire" CEO is in demand, as Steffen Weidemann's departure form IFH demonstrates. Those left standing get the competition going, as Paris shows: There, one luxury hotel after the other is planning million euro renovations - first and foremost the world famous Paris Ritz. For a long time, there's been no news about the Dutch "luxury budget" chain citizenM. Now, CEO Michael Levie has announced modifications and new projects. Speaking at the Expo Real, experts from the Mandarin Oriental, IHG and CBRE Hotels explained what it means to adjust to different markets and situations: How do Asian businesses adjust for Europe was a key question during their talk round. Benchmarks help in many cases, also when comparing wellness recliners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Kohl & Partner Consulting in Austria gives some tips. Of course, we have also taken the mood with respect to the takeover of hotel.de by HRS… Today, Solutions reader find a new article about "Cloud Computing": Micros-Fidelio explains the benefits by "software from the cloud". And one more look ahead: hospitalityInside is working on the concept of a new "hospitality X-PERTS LOUNGE" at the ITB Berlin. An interactive platform for innovative subjects and trends will be created under the slogan “Hotel trends, technology & more“. Become a partner/co-exhibitor of the premiere that will ideally take place at the next ITB. Contact hospitalityInside Managing Director Michael Willems, michael@hospitalityInside.com. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, The top distribution news of this morning, sent by hotel.de at 7.50 a.m.: HRS takes 61.6% of the shares of hotel.de, effective from this morning! More next week. Baudoin Prot, Head of France's largest bank, BNP Paribas, delivered a piece of pure satire to the German newspaper "Handelsblatt" this week: For four weeks, he revised his interview responses, then withdrew them all. On Wednesday, editors at the newspaper printed the interview anyway, without answers - "on behalf of a wealthy elite who were simply lost for words". What symbolism in such times! Expo Real visitors were anything but lost for words, though statements have changed slightly over the course of the week and is beginning to take different forms. This is reflected in opinions from hotel exhibitors and visitors printed today. Though the finance experts during the Expo Real hotel conference were quite divided on the future of hotel finance. Yet there is certainly no shortage of projects, as our special news mix shows. The restructuring of the Accor brand "ibis" also has a marketing background. Before the Expo Real, we met the Paris-based Head of Marketing, Grégoire Champetier. For the hotel industry, this year's Expo Real was a milestone: Supported by a range of coordinated activities, hotels positioned themselves at the fair as an asset class of its own. Trailblazers here were the hotel conference, the networking event "BRICKS & BRAINS" and special publications by hospitalityInside. The success of the first joint stand "World of Hospitality" and the massive support by Expo Real PR and advertising campaigns for the hotel segment certainly ensured a breakthrough this year. A summary. If you like to listen our well-perceived mini talks "5 minutes of plain talking" at the hospitality joint stand, please click the orange banner on the homepage - and you will end up "live" on YouTube. To enjoy impressions of "BRICKS & BRAINS", open the PDF attached to the fair summary. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, The ignorance of politicians obviously concerns investors and hotel operators more than the ever more difficult task of securing hotel finance. Professionalism and pragmatism best describe the mood at the 14th Expo Real which ended yesterday evening in Munich. The hotel industry is establishing a better foothold here - also thanks to the 1st joint hospitality stand whose participants didn't have a free moment from start to finish. The successful premier of "World of Hospitality" was worth several public announcements for Munich Trade Fair. Despite palpable austerity, 37,000 participants attended the event - just as many as last year. Today, first impressions: a mood report supplemented by comments from hotel exhibitors and visitors on the joint stand and on the subject of finance. Also, a summary of the discussion between owners and operators at the hotel conference. Next week we will provide a more detailed report on the hotel industry. Also today, a report from our Dubai correspondent Dania Saadi, who last week visited Cityscape, the real estate trade fair in Dubai. She provides an interesting summary of the change in the Arabian real estate world, a fitting complement to our Expo focus. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Expo Real Munich is around the corner. For hospitalityInside, the trade fair this year is a special one: For the first time as a young publisher, we have created a trade fair platform for exhibitors from the hospitality industry. We would now like to wish our eight partners for the first hospitality joint stand every success! The growing presence of hotel groups and hotel-focussed companies at the real estate fair is worth particular mention. It is a signal of the growing confidence of the industry and its desire to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world of finance and real estate! We have summarised all activities at the Expo Real on our homepage. We also include practical links for your trade fair visit. In time for the Expo Real, HVS London has published a current and time-consuming study on the German market for investors. And renowned project developers signal their concerns and desires in their statements. Last week, the Jumeirah Frankfurt was officially opened. A 5-star hotel with difficult blue-print but beautiful rooms. Marketing of the hotel will be a challenge. We will see some of you next week at the Expo Real. We will provide everyone else with an initial summary on events next Friday. Also, these readers may snuffle a touch of Expo Real - in the new, 100-page eMagazine of hospitalityInside. You can read it for free on our homepage. Turn the page! The printed edition will be available at the Expo Real at the convention and at the "World of Hospitality" and the partner stands. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, The summer holiday has sharpened my view toward the north of Germany and its coastal regions and thus, the picture of the competition originating between the "old" federal state of Schleswig-Holstein and the "new" federal state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

Business for German hotels is fine right now, but do also small and mid-sized enterprises benefit from it? A survey among advisers indicates: The banks are remaining quieter than before.

The strength of the brand is often sworn by. But surprisingly, the upper regional centres of Germany belong to those with the highest brand concentration.

So that we do not become too Germany-heavy today, our look also turns to Singapore, where in four weeks, the 4th "ITB Asia" will also take place. There, the market information also gains in meaning - recognizably in a vast conference programme.

For us, Expo Real and the hotel conference, "Hospitality Industry Dialogue" on the 4th of October is getting ever closer. In parallel, other highly interesting platforms have announced themselves for this autumn: e.g. the "Future Convention for Hotel & Destination Branding". hospitalityInside is happy to support such ideas as a media partner.

Hyatt begins a new extended stay concept, Romantik expands to Spain and among the coupon suppliers, the great feast begins ... - The full editorial ...

Dear Insiders, Wherever in the budget market the motto is "accelerate fast". The speed and financial power of the individual players is now decisive. B&B Hotels is set to spend a nine-figure sum on its expansion, whilst Accor has changed its strategy this week... Who is making quickest progress? The race of the budget giants has begun.

Up-to-date also the views of consultants who we have interviewed on the subject of foreign investors. They too currently love Germany - an island of peace in a very tumultuous Europe.

My colleagues Fred Fettner and Susanne Stauss have busied themselves with the coupon systems this week. Their in-depth contribution shows the many facets of the systems and compares providers.

Tony Potter leaves Corinthia, IHG has mega-plans for Russia, and hotels are a significant element in Berlin`s commercial real estate market. - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders, Figures show that private hotels do better economically that chain hotels. A discussion in Austria touched an open wound in the competition between family and chain hotels.

Hotels now moving on to the market all use iPads and new interactive possibilities. Moevenpick, Rilano, Kameha and Rocco Forte tell of their plans and experiences with F&B tools, iFeedback and personalised websites. Who could give us their views of social media? Three hotel chains/hotels have answered this question.

Contrary to assumptions trade fair business in Germany does not bring the mega volumes to hotels at top trade fair locations. A very interesting analysis on the imminent trade fair autumn by Hotour.

Preparation for the Expo Real Munich set to take place in four weeks time is well underway. By way of reassurance: The hotel conference programme, the "Hospitality Industry Dialogue" is complete. Internationally renowned names such as Blackstone, Drees&Sommer, Orascom, Ascott, Accor, Mandarin Oriental and Hyatt are on board.

The registration period for our second workshop "Investment in Spas" also expires in four weeks. The date: November 3, in Munich.

Among our press releases today: Upscale hotels in France expect an additional levy and the decision of the Swiss National Bank to set a limit to the appreciation of the Swiss franc against the euro raises questions as to the long-term consequences for the Swiss economy.

Dear Insiders, Our features today look at some of the extremes of our society: In Berlin, August Jagdfeld manages to save his skin and position as Managing Director of Fundus Fund by spreading fear among his already maltreated investors. And in Innsbruck, clever tourism experts are dictating the terms of cooperation to uncertain travel bloggers.

It appears that everywhere, it`s a matter of finding and defending position. This is also apparent in an interview with JOI Design. The interior design company is also struggling with the conditions imposed by its clients.

Also assuming a new position is Jost Hurler KG - known to insiders as the owner of the Althoff Seehotel Ueberfahrt on Tegern Lake in Bavaria. The project developer is revitalising its real estate and is also planning a new mega project with luxury hotel in Munich.

Samih Sawiris, founder of Orascom Development, is also left defending his position: An Egyptian court has threatened him. The reservation portal HRS is expanding its hotel reviews. Thanks to the EU, German hotel statistics will also finally again include figures on room occupancy, and on the investments front, a first German hotel-REIT is finally taking shape. - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders, We are back again, refreshed by sea air and glad for the fact that dark clouds were not our recurring theme during this summer break...

Amanresorts is now up for sale, the German Lindner Hotels come onto the market with a new brand, Prince Al-Waleed plans a tower with a hotel higher than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and various hotel groups signal their positive half-year results in 2011: At the moment, the industry continues to recover.

Because of our 2-week editorial staff break, you will also find the important news from this period under the short and longer articles to be sure that you do not miss anything and also so that no gaps appear in the hospitalityInside archive.

As usual, our front-page stories offer you the current and profound first-hand: from the press conference by Fleming`s Hotels yesterday, about the current hotel developement in Romania and the rebranding of the British City Inn Group to Mint Hotel Group and their expansion into Continental Europe, and last but not least a portrait of 25hours Hotels and their new Hotel HafenCity in Hamburg. There, one finds lifestyle "in containers": A "sailor`s home" as a hotel experience of the finest, without kitsch and compromises. - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders, With today's edition, hospitalityInside says goodbye before the two-week summer break. On August 26, we will be back online - hopefully with a tan...For you today: Cause for thought is provided by the Institute for eTourism, Tourismuszukunft. Managing Director Florian Bauhuber criticises the snail's pace and the indecisiveness of the hotel industry. Material for managers to think about during the summer break.Tourism in Croatia also shows two faces. The popular holiday destination is set for a record season, behind the scenes many problems remain unsolved.Relais & Châteaux sees sales and occupancy increasing: The customer is king and wants to be served individually. Hotels with personality is what Dr. Lohbeck Private Hotels promise to provide: A portrait of a career changer.The Schlosshotel on Lake Woerther begins a new chapter. The change of owner came as a surprise last week; the new operator will follow on September 1. Falkensteiner will replace Capella.Spa enthusiasts should also pencil in another date on their calendar: On November 3, the second "Investment in Spas" workshop will take place in the Kempinski Airport Hotel Munich. Learn to do tough calculations - Rizzato Spa Consulting and other spa professionals know the tricks in practice. Register now! More on our home page.Our homepage also contains the note "End spurt for Exhibitors": If you still intend to take part on the "World of Hospitality" stand, then time is ticking... - The full editorial…