Dear Insider,

The UNWTO is now "UN Tourism". Yesterday, the specialised agency of the United Nations announced the new, simplified name. I like it. 

That tourism and the global hotel industry are (almost) now operating at their pre-corona levels is clear from the balance sheets that we have published for you on our homepage since Monday. There you will find the financial statements from TUI, Minor, Marriott, Scandic, Orascom and Wyndham. 

Dear Insider,

Today's issue short and sweet: The Summer Olympics in Paris prompt greed and abuse in the hotel industry. Prices are exploding and the government is already punishing the industry. The serviced apartment brand Stay Kooook presented its 3rd room concept, again with "furniture on rails"... impressive. And lifestyle is everywhere: Room Mate from Spain is reinventing itself in Italy, Wyndham and SBE are recreating life and style, and the HOTCO organisers and STR have broken down the lifestyle hotel world into numbers.

Dear Insiders,

Today, it's the positive that dominates. Spain rockets out of its corona slump! And everything is running smoothly: Overnight stays, hotel KPIs, transactions ... and as hard as it might be to believe: In Austria, tourism/hotel professionals have praise for their employers! And not only that, they see many more good things to praise in an otherwise oft criticised industry. And slowly, more and more investors are venturing into the "climate-friendly" refurbishment of their buildings. In other news today: Accor sells parts of its Vacation Club. And a word on our own account: Our new editorial team introduces itself.  

Dear Insiders, 

First things first: Today, we bring you an initial overview of our HITT Think Tank on 17/18 June in Amsterdam with a focus on sustainability and innovation! The two days will be intense, but also colourful and exciting, especially when it comes to AI and technology. Green pressure is increasing everywhere - including from the OTAs: HRS now demands emissions data on the website. Italy has fought its way back to pre-corona levels but is still struggling with costs and a lack of employees. 

Dear Insiders, 

The Choice-Wyndham battle now has the quality of a psychological thriller. Wyndham has taken the biscuit by publishing the following headline on its website: "No Room for Wrong Choice". A humorous response to Choice's recent public accusations... Sarah Douag has dug a little further on the dispute. In the meantime, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has become involved and is keeping a close eye on both parties. 

Dear Insiders,

Welcome to the New Year! Once again, opportunities and risks lie ahead of us and the pace remains brisk. Not everyone thinks straight away about getting out, but many long for a slower more leisurely pace and a circle of like-minded people to which they want to belong. Claus Sendlinger has turned this wish into a business model: "Slowness". The latest hospitality project has been simmering for years in the remote east of Berlin but will grow into a complete work of art this year and next.  

Dear Insiders,

A dynamic yet strange year is now drawing to a close. The hotel industry still had many positive moments, yet all too often was able to achieve its goals only with extraordinary energy. The high costs and the shortage of employees remain, as does the uncertainty. Entrepreneurs are now putting together their own feasible perspectives as politicians appear even more headless than before. 

What I've understood from conversations over the past few weeks will apparently become the bitter reality of the next (two, three?) years: More and more investors and operators, even German ones, are turning away from Germany as a hotel location. They prefer Austria, which is only half as bureaucratic, Switzerland with its generous international guests or the more cosmopolitan Benelux, which still has room for many brands. Germany is currently suffocating from its own prosperity...

Dear Insiders,

The luxury hotel industry has lost a grand seigneur, gentleman and an exceptional hotelier: Georg Rafael. He was 86 years old and died on 21 November in Monaco. He was the first German luxury hotelier to expand internationally, an entrepreneur with vision, a cosmopolitan with his feet on the ground, a mentor to his employees and a kind and congenial person. Susanne Stauss and I are dedicating a detailed obituary to him today; he was also a companion to us. 

It feels crass when, after such an obituary, you have to switch straight back to day-to-day business in hospitality, to the unemotional topics that are almost exclusively about money, costs and technology. Existing buildings are becoming ESG-fit thanks to urban mining and AI, serviced apartments are moving ever closer to hotels in general and, despite digital advances, hotel chains are neglecting the individualisation of their offers, according to a recent study. 

Dear Insiders,

Today we are moving between highs and lows: the mega-bankruptcy of Signa Holding, to which tourist magnets such as hotels or shopping malls are falling victim, frowning at the new non-Adina brand, rejoicing for Portugal, swallowing at the global decline in property values...

In 2019, on the fringes of the MIPIM, I had the opportunity to photograph René Benko's 62-meter-long super-yacht in the port of Cannes. It had all the charm of a warship. Now, the insolvency of his Signa Holding could become the biggest bankruptcy in Austria's history. The administrator is forcing the billionaire out of hiding by, among other things, rigorously selling off his lifestyle assets and cutting private luxury spending. 

Dear Insiders,

The crisis has many facets, exposing greed, humility and cleverness, characters with fine antennae and bullish stock market fists. Today we talk about boosting reservations, Dorint Hotels and ungrateful hoteliers, a snapshot of the market with JLL, the small arcona insolvency, large Travelodge sales and the Choice/Wyndham stock market battle. 
Corona and the crises have given a strong boost to direct bookings. And AI will accelerate this trend. Caro Brauer, Managing Director of distribution specialist QR Reservations, is very sure of this. She is also certain that the OTAs are spending a lot of money to intercept customers as they surf the net as they search and book and that they do it professionally than the hoteliers can imagine. Susanne Stauss spoke to her about the subtle changes in reservation systems, data and AI.