Editorial

Dear Insiders,
Continental Europe's first Indigo arrives with freshness and style. The IHG boutique brand takes its place alongside today’s most attractive midscale trendsetters such as aloft and Hampton. I did manage to get a peek at one of the rooms this week.
Rudolph Tucek has no worries when it comes to his own brand, Cube Hotels, but complicated relations with Vienna International are beginning to impede his plans.
Among the more rapidly developing companies today are those focussing on "collaborative consumption". Car pooling is one of them. The hotelier can jump on the bandwagon here.
Do you head an innovative, attractive company? Then you have a good chance of reducing staff turnover. One study surveyed 108 hotel staff.
In four weeks, many of us will be packing our bags and heading for Berlin: The ITB is around the corner, and prior to that the IHIF investment conference. For the ITB, I have organised the hotel conference for the 7th time. The programme is fixed - and today we give an overview of the day and provide details on the first two panels on "brand chaos" with top participants from Marriott, Jin Jiang and Interbrand. From today, we will present a different talk round each week. Click every Friday on the "network" button or on the ITB logo!
Cornell and EHL alumni should save the date for the annual ITB reception! Click on the Cornell banner at the front page! - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders,
When a much-travelled tourism journalist like my colleague, Peter Hinze, illuminates connections between the hotel market, the economy and politics, one feels "right in the middle". Having the German language in common was certainly a good bridge between him and Bernold Schroeder, the new CEO of the largest hotel group in China, Jin Jiang. The group wishes to also soon belong to the top 10 hotel chains worldwide!
The new CEO of Vienna International in Vienna is also inspired by thoughts of expansion and markets: Since development in East Europe remains still, he is approaching the established markets with ambitious plans.
In Austria, the longtime tourism fair ACTB has ceased to exist. The organizers will change its format.
Does it all make sense? This question also positions itself toward many environmental activities, e.g., with "green" seals. HOTREC Vice President, Susanne Kraus Winkler, and hotelier, Otto Lindner, provide colleagues' tips and warn about actionism.
In Germany, "Fury Hoteliers" – so named by a creative journalist colleague - have appealed for a "Week Free of HRS" because the OTA had raised their commission toward their 250,000 hotel partners the last week. For me, the only question posing itself here: Who do these hoteliers actually hurt - beside themselves? What is the use of a week free of HRS if they do not get out completely? And where was their fury years ago when they signed the HRS contracts with the unequivocal clauses? In my eyes, this reaction precisely reflects the semi-professionalism anew that those outside the hotel industry happily reproach.
Please, do not initiate a week free of hospitalityInside!  - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders,

First it was energy and human resources, now distribution costs have a stranglehold on hoteliers. This week, HRS raised the booking commission for its 250,000 partner hotels from 13 to 15 percent. All hotel.de partners that have joined HRS since October have to swallow even harder.
This news livened up discussions on how strong hotels depended on increasingly powerful OTAs. The fact that HRS is now giving its hotels to Amadeus and therefore strongly increasing its range, went almost unnoticed. However, the new alliance between Amadeus and HRS means a historic turning point: the beginning of mergers of GDSs and OTAs.
At the moment, everything seems possible. It seems hotels are almost trying to free themselves desperately from the clutches of the distribution giants. Room Key, the new platform established by the six major US hotel chains, has the same purpose in mind. However, European hoteliers don't share the enthusiasm Room Key's Marketing Manager displays in an interview with us.
We have gathered a large number of opinions across the industry on these top distribution issues. Definitely exciting!
Our report on Sunstar Hotels in Switzerland is of more quiet dimensions, as the chain has silently started to acquire individual resort hotels across the country.
The main news items: Accor's revenues 2011, Colony's challenging thoughts on Accor's real estate management as well as the lawsuit between HolidayCheck and A&O Hostels. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders,

2012 began with some good news for hospitalityInside: This year, we will for the first time host the "hospitality X-PERTS Lounge" at the ITB Berlin, the world's largest tourism fair. The Lounge will be located at the very heart of the fair in Hall 9/Stand 109. Already, we have seven co-exhibitors on board. Logo partnerships are still possible. Prospective exhibitors are asked to register their interest soon. The first names and details can be found on our homepage under HOME. 
In this edition, our first of 2012, Hotel Management Professor, Christian Buer, asks whether the criteria used by feasibility studies are still realistic: Hotel developers should no longer depend on overnight stay statistics, but should instead form their decisions based on gross domestic product.
Discussions about locations and brands are part of the daily life of a hotel, as the snapshot by RIMC Austria shows. Not every project runs to schedule. Holiday Extras hopes to make travel easier. The provider is taking some of the stress away from airport and cruise passengers by offering parking and overnight stays at the departure destination and super low prices. And just how realistic the expected 10 Top Spa trends will be will be seen over the next 12 months.
I wish you all every success in the New Year, along with creativity and credibility. - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders,
A New Year with many, many question marks is swiftly approaching. For this last hospitalityInside issue in 2011, we have spoken with hoteliers, bankers and advisers and have ascertained: The uncertainty about the next year rarely remained as substantial for all in unison as it is at present.
In many talks regarding the end of the year, it has also become clear: Everybody feels that the wave of the change will grasp our entire lives, both privately as well as professionally. Therefore, we would like to confront you once again with challenging examples by the research institute Zukunftsinstitut and encourage you to ponder over them in these quieter days between years and recognise your opportunities. 
A dynamic year for hospitalityInside in which we have implemented much together with old and new partners is coming to an end and there are plenty of ideas and confidence for the New Year. The true motivation for us is the active participation within our network, with events and the continually high interest in our weekly information. 
We thank you, our respected readers and business partners, very warmly for your trust in us! In 2012, we will also remain open to your suggestions and the dialog with you.  
Our next issue appears on Friday, 13 January 2012.
The editorial and publishing staffs wish you each a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Dear Insiders,

Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriott will get competition. In Amsterdam, the first European Hyatt Place will originate by the end of the next year. The concept pillars sound similar, but, Hyatt is known for quality and therefore, must be taken very seriously.
The members of Best Wellness Hotels Austria have learnt that networks help to hold up rates. Now, the consortium will be 20 years old and it benefits from flagship operations like Hotel Jungbrunn in the Tannheimer Valley just as vice versa.
Millions on the deficit page of the accounts have become the curse: Supposedly more than 100 German funds suffer from the financing with Swiss Francs. One of them is funds initiator, Ebertz & Partner. The sale of the Dorint Hotel Halle shows how a fund comes under pressure.
Even in rich Abu Dhabi, financing shows to be a challenge: One has the feeling of "Déja vu" – after Dubai, now the capital of the UAE, battled with too many hotel rooms, sluggish demand and developers deep in debt. An update from the Emirates.
From the news: In spite of its announcement, HNA will not take shares of NH Hoteles; Arne Sorenson becomes the 3rd CEO in Marriott´s history; Vienna International wants to take over more hotels, and in Paris, there are accusations of fraud against the former Relais & Châteaux president, Regis Bulot. - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders,
The strong Swiss franc continues to weigh on the hotel industry as the year draws to a close: Will hotels begin to close in Switzerland in 2012? The persistent strength of the Swiss franc against the euro does not only affect the Swiss though, but also Austrian and German hotels that have taken out CHF denominated loans.
Social media specialist TrustYou has surprised hoteliers this week with a free tool for hotel ratings. Prior to that, we spoke with TrustYou founder, Benjamin Jost, on the challenges of the semantic search.
Mundane but important: How can you ensure that notice of dismissal is served in good time on an employee where time is short? Our legal specialist leads us through an important judgement on the matter.
hospitalityInside is already deep in the process of organising the 7th "ITB Hospitality Day". The themes and initial speakers for the hotel conference set to take place on 8 March 2012 are already fixed. A short overview.
And in the press releases this week: Starwood Hotels is now minority shareholder in Design Hotels. And in a comparison between Google+ and Facebook, Google+ does surprisingly well.
Four weeks ago, I hosted the "Leadership Conference" held by the German Hotel Directors Association. At its 30th anniversary celebrations, the HDV focussed on the subject of "brand". Star guest was a non-hotelier: Uli Hoeness, President of FC Bayern giving interesting statements about entrepreneurship and people management. A video of this talk can be seen online at www.hdvnet.de.... - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders,

Two weeks ago, we made the change to our new IT system: If you haven't requested your new password yet, please do it now! Please don't hesitate to get in touch in case of any questions.
In today's edition: Managers will in future only have to take their decisions on the base of uncertainty. A study on leadership and business management 2030 highlights this - and draws some very interesting conclusions.
Austria is taking a good look at itself. Attention has now moved to whether the guest nationality mix is the right one. Whether higher advertising budgets will help here?
Credit Suisse has few worries, at least in terms of its hospitality fund. It's been on the market for a year.
Columbia Hotels are less transparent in this respect. The subsidiary of a Cypriot company is very secretive in general.
HRS launched its "bargain hunt" à la Groupon yesterday; protest from French hoteliers with respect to an additional tax has paid off, and Rezidor and Swissôtel gave us a brief insight into their current activities.
Our idea to launch the first hospitality "X-PERTS Lounge" at the ITB has also found its first friends. If you are interested in this "Creative Room" in which companies can present hotel trends, technology and more, please don't hesitate to contact us... - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders, In London Marriott presented a model of its new "European" prototype for the Courtyard brand: Room cosmetics for business travellers. They are the main target group. But breakfast, and above all Internet, are not included as standard. Whether Courtyard will become the carthorse of the European expansion remains to be seen.
Quality expert Franz-Josef Koenig sees a vicious circle between expansion and quality. Mystery checks deal only with the symptoms and not the causes, he explains. Romantik Hotels on the other hand operates a system of anonymous tests and open audits.
The Leading Hotels of the World have begun to hike the minimum number of points a hotel must achieve to pass its quality tests by two percent each year. Chief Inspector Trent Walsh explains how this can be done and compares luxury quality standards in different parts of the world.
The Austrian Verkehrsbuero Group will focus its future expansion on Austria and on Vienna in particular, no longer on Central and Eastern Europe. For this reason, its joint venture partners Motel One will go it alone in the CEE region.
And the trends in the press releases this week: The Chinese are moving in on Europe and in the US, on the other hand, investors are still struggling. - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders, First, a note on our own account: We have installed a new IT system this week. For this reason, you must renew your password when you first log on to the new system. To do this, click on the link "Forgot password" in the login field and follow the instructions. Further information on the change can be found here.
In Rome last week, the bed-giant Marriott officially sounded the advance on Europe's luxury provide hotels: with the Autograph Collection. Marriott's distribution power is one thing, but do all hoteliers want to enter a pool which already includes hotels with up to 3,000 rooms?
The poker game in the private hotel industry has begun. How do Accor, The Leading Hotels of the World and Worldhotels see the new competition between chains and consortia? Prof Marco Gardini, brand expert and author, takes a critical view of brand actions: What the industry is doing is name cosmetics and is some way away from brand creation!
The interview with Mandarin Oriental fits well here. Christoph Mares describes how the luxury chain finds its niche, how it calculates costs in Europe and how it motivates its staff. All that is part of the whole brand process.
holidayCheck has begun to publically identify those hotels suspected of manipulating their ratings. A bright red warning sign "Warning Manipulated Ratings" is placed above the hotel photo - The full Editorial…