Editorial

Dear Insiders,
Of all people, the founder of Google China was robbed in Geneva. Now, Chinese tour operators are removing Switzerland from their travel programmes. Quite against its will in this case, the buffeted little country again made the headlines – yet it is also of interest for return hungry international investors: They are particularly interested in large hospitality projects.
Frequently travelling managers belong to one of the risk groups of a new popular affliction - sleeping disorders. The "Day of Sleep" next week aims to raise awareness of this issue. We asked four wellness and health hotels how they are dealing with the subject.
We have one piece of personnel news today: Our specialist for labour law, Joachim Jungbluth, was made an honorary judge at the German Federal Labour Court on May 15. There, he will form part of the 5th Senate which looks at issues of employee status and remuneration claims. We congratulate him on this appointment!
We also have much other news, including findings from the recent VDR business travel analysis which continues to see good prospects for the hotel industry. - The full editorial …

Dear Insiders,
The German hotel industry survived the winter 2011/12 with a strong increase in turnover and is now looking forward to the summer. In contrast, Switzerland resembles a vale of tears: the strong Swiss franc, decreasing tourism numbers, the second home ban, new minimum wage discussions, staff shortages, renovation backlogs, and tenacious hotel managers ... Many external factors, which cannot be influenced and also home-made problems are suffocating the Swiss hotel industry. Guglielmo Brentel, President of the industry association hotelleriesuisse tackles these problems: On Tuesday, the association participated in the national Swiss booking platform.
Compared to this, InterCity Hotels have few problems: the former "station hotels" celebrate their 25th anniversary this year. The Steigenberger subsidiary never took up the speed of the ICE trains when it came to their expansions, but only because of this is it still a rough diamond. "Joachim Marusczyk, the founding managing director, about the past and the InterCity Hotels' status quo.
You can build up your own career even without major corporation, as the example of Georg Imlauer proves. The active Austrian started his career as chef apprentice and waiter trainee and became the manager of one of the city hotel groups with the most beds in the country.
At the moment, Yotel is moving to totally different dimensions. With a 250-million-dollar fund, all of Northern America should be covered by the hotel-cabin concept. Maybe, Yobot will participate – the first luggage robot. Big news from the Big Apple.
Last Saturday, the German yellowpress daily "BILD" put a few lines from our "hospitalityWhisperings" into another dimension: In its online edition, it spread the plans of the building tycoon Zech to buy the property of the Hotel Atlantic Hamburg. The paper saw the tweet of a reader ... Zech Holding was only quoted with "No comment"… We continue to wait patiently – until the whispers may turn into fact. Hopefully, you will be the first again to hear about this. - The full editorial …

Dear Insiders,
Tourism and hotel industriy in Poland is perhaps on the way to developing a champion's format, but the Ukraine is still playing in quite another league. One week before the beginning of the UEFA Euro 2012, the consulting company, Kohl & Partner from Vienna analyses the economic and tourist backgrounds of both host countries. We have also asked hoteliers in Poland and the Ukraine about the current occupancy and pricing. Some things sound contradictory.
Mega events are exciting, as companies are. Derag Living Hotels mixes in with the blossoming serviced apartment segment, but has always been set on the combination of hotel rooms and apartments. And an independent sales, marketing and distribution platform is also available to other suppliers.
In addition, quite a bit of "hospitality whispering" has come to us during the past few weeks, in the Social Media column, Marco Nussbaum agonizes over the recent, bizarre internet poker, Banyan Tree has engaged a CEO for the first time - and more. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders,
Finally, Accor has sold its unloved US business, Motel 6 and Studio 6. Why they never got on their feet was never clear. Will it be Sofitel that is the next to be sold? Accor's luxury child also does not want to quite prosper. It would always fit in Blackstone's boisterous hotel collection …
Today, France is in the spotlight for a second time: The new President Hollande is also allowing for tourism professionals and hoteliers to soon crash properly - e.g. by reducing winter holidays.
There was positive news from Frankfurt IMEX this week: Large events, meetings and incentives are moving to record levels again; Germany remains as a top convention destination. However: The distance between other markets is becoming smaller here and there. International guests make up almost half of all tourists. A complete success for the Germany marketers.
Additional interesting news from Austria and Switzerland and of continued funds disaster. And more. - The full editorial …

Dear Insiders,
Events change the world: Baku in Azerbaijan will host the Eurovision Song Contest. To this end, the city has built a showcase stadium with a capacity of 20,000 people and hotels have been benefitting for months. A Rezidor GM reports on the developments in the tourism no-man's-land.
As a permanent event, Disneyland Paris celebrates its 20th birthday this year. A fun park life with both highs and lows. At present, it's again riding high and is set to go beyond that: Huge investment is about to be made - and 17,000 new hotel rooms built.
Fund initiator August Jagdfeld also wanted to ride high. The result was a rollercoaster experience with million euro investments. Now, the Public Prosecutor is investigating him for delays in filing for insolvency. A fitting contribution here comes from our author Beatrix Boutonnet who today sets out Germany's new insolvency legislation.
Where money is no object, world-class hotels like the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi can be built - with its enormous lobby and 120 types of marble in the hotel tower. The hotel is the new superlative with which the small oil-rich Abu Dhabi likes to tantalise its bigger sister, Dubai. Shame then that Jumeirah doesn't allow its dynamic and experienced director Doris Grreif to speak in facts and figures. In light of the shockingly diluted PR statements, we decided not to publish the planned Q&A interview with Doris Greif as provided.
Last but not least: For hospitalityInside, Expo Real is coming up - planning for the second hospitality joint stand is starting to take shape. The "World of Hospitality" will double in size. Should you wish to become a partner - the countdown has started. More in our news and on our front page. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders,
With an abundance of information and impressions, we returned from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha after two and a half weeks... When comparing these three cities, Dubai remains a magnet of superlatives with a well-developed infrastructure. Abu Dhabi is half finished, but the uncertainty about its future has doubled. In Doha, the world moves more slowly – here, sustainable plans are important and people think twice.
Various temperaments are therefore dictating the pace of development; in addition, the normal market mechanism of supply and demand is becoming effective. Since the crisis, the World Bank has been placing severe burdens on the Arabs, which ultimately hinders hotel financing.
Today, our editor in Dubai, Dania Saadi, reports about the challenges of financing, I have described the new St. Regis, Park Hyatt and Rocco Forte Hotel in Abu Dhabi as well as the dilution of the 5-star hotel industry there. Abu Dhabi is the current problem child.
However, the subject of financing has not been solved anywhere – not even in Europe. In the funds industry, the announced reverse transaction of a multi-billion SEB fund is being regarded as a final caesura in this asset class. Now, three renowned hotels are also being sold out of these funds.
The Grand Hotel Heiligendamm has finally filed for insolvency. Beatrix Boutonnet talked to the insolvency administrator.
The opening of Berlin's major airport has been postponed. This has a noticeable effect on the surrounding hotels. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders,
In the US, the hotel industry nearly reached the profit level of 2007. Finally good news from the west!
The same applies to many countries in Europe; however, every new hotel project is being eyed very suspiciously here. Our correspondent from Austria, Fred Fettner, observed the development in Salzburg more closely.
At the same time, Fettner examines the Austrian job market and its shifts. Experts are desperately needed. "Human resources are an important issue on the Arabian Travel Market," wrote our Editor-in-Chief from Dubai. Fittingly, Marriott provided its "digitalised" human resources concept from there.
In this issue, you will find a first report from Maria Puetz-Willems from the Middle East: During the tourism trade show in Dubai, it became obvious that the individual Gulf states and emirates want to have their own profiles – even conservative Emirates like Shajrah. Dubai shines again, but Abu Dhabi seems close to a depression. New among the large players is Qatar. The small albeit very rich Emirate mainly plans an international expansion in the hotel industry – also in Europe.
Our correspondent from the Middle East, Dania Saadi, provides detailed figures on the individual hotel markets in the entire Middle East and Africa. There are more losers than winners. Maria will bring home a lot of input from her visits in Doha, Abu Dhabi und Dubai. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders,
The entire hotel genre has recently experienced unimagined competition. New online portals such as wimdu, airbnb or 9flats are more successful than ever at marketing unconventional forms of accommodation. In Germany's capital, Berlin, the many apartments offering short-term accommodation for tourists are not only beginning to bother neighbours, but have also attracted the attention of the German Hotel Association.
Meanwhile, Romana Kanzian analyses why hotel industry in Croatia does not make any progress: Still today, around 50 percent of overnight stays are counted by private providers who are anxious not to lose business in future.
The guest, the unknown creature, stands at the core of this edition. Despite all technological progress, even hotel chains still don't appear to know exactly how their guests find their way into their hotels. This was the finding of a sobering and surprising survey conducted by our editorial team.
It's even more satisfying then to find that some real estate funds have not lost faith in the hotel. Beatrix Boutonnet took a look and found investors who gave good reasons for their investments in the hotel industry.
Other topics to be found in this edition include travel trends, revenues and campaigns by Swiss Deluxe Hotels and staff changes. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders,
Is there a credit crunch now or not? The assessments are different, but everyone is feeling the bottleneck in financing. Beatrix Boutonnet has questioned banks, real estate experts and loan mediators.
Accor first introduced their new, global programme "Planet 21" in Paris and then in Berlin afterwards. Again, the hotel pioneer in sustainability leads the way.
Romantik Hotels & Restaurants may proudly look back on 40 years. It was brought to life by private hoteliers as one of the first answers to the advancement of the international chains within the country. Today, more than 200 members in 12 countries of Europe benefit from many common activities for revenue and brand awareness increases.
The consortia have recognised its opportunities, as Preferred Hotels. They are consistently developing their brands orientated toward new target groups such as gays and multi-generation travellers - and want to bring in 300 properties per brand! This equates to the ambition of global chains.
In the meantime, they have flocked around so many brands and concepts that the coming years may bring about some clearing out within. As it is, Marriott announced the sale of ExecuStay. Matching with this, STR Global just delivered the brand new "global hotel inventory". Subdued economic news from Switzerland is reaching us during these days: Three leading hotels/hotel groups are suffering from the strength of the franc, as their annual reports 2011 show. The outlook in boomtown New York is precipitating quite differently. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Since the turmoil in the Arab world, North Africa and the Middle East have become the new great unknowns for hotel developers and investors. They are faced by considerable problems in making their decisions. Their views and assessments on the current hotel situation in the Arab countries have been summarised this week by hospitalityInside correspondent Dania Saadi in Dubai and Editor-in-Chief Maria Puetz-Willems. They visited the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference and the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. One conclusion: The hospitality industry in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and also Qatar is set to benefit from the instable states. The development in China and its consequences on western tourism forms the second focus of this edition. Know-how on the correct way to deal with China has been secured by the Spanish hotel group Sol Meliá with a joint venture deal with its Chinese counterpart Jin Jiang. In Switzerland, the Victoria-Jungfrau Collection has also raised attention. A hotel was sold, and the director carousel turns.Further personal profiles as well as news on marketing, development and finance…Relexa Hotels are heading towards new Serenata technology, focussing on CRM and clients. Sales manager Tim Zerr explains. Click on "Solutions". - The full editorial…