Dear Insiders, In future, hotel investors will focus on Asia first, next on the Middle East, and then on Africa. Good old Western Europe is far behind. Maria Puetz-Willems, Editor-in-Chief, noticed crystal clear statements on shifting markets while attending the conference.The hopeless image of Dubai last year has slightly improved. Despite that, abandoned construction sites and countless vacant properties still depict the crisis. Facing this, the mood at the "Arabian Travel Market" felt good. Venu, Jumeirah’s new brand, was a top novelty – and all other hotel groups are exercising restraint.The Austrian Hypo Alpe-Adria bank put several hotel properties in Carinthia to sale, also the Capella Schloss Velden luxury resort. Hotel veteran Elmar Greif is still struggling with massive new and old problems.The social media wave is rolling on, but will Facebook, Twitter, or Xing replace classic websites? Opinions vary widely, as the HSMA eMarketing Day showed.Our article on the result of the German VAT reduction and its aftermath reveals the importance of personal contacts and direct communication. A VDR panel shed some light on this issue.Among this week’s news: Kurt Ritter’s comment on Carlson’s sale of Regent, a reservation portal negotiating hotel rates for its customers, the merger of two meta search engines, and the severe losses of US hotels in 2009. - The full editorial...
