Editorial
Dear Insiders, Today, the future speaks. Do investors know the connection between real estate value and social media? Internet expert Bruno Wolf explains. The "Green City Index" already shows investors and hoteliers how closely the construction and operation of hotels will depend on the environmental development of their city district in future. If mega cities are to be created, the infrastructure must follow: e.g. neighbourhood networks for water and energy. Food for thought. That old and valuable structures are still in demand is seen at Almdorf Seinerzeit in Carinthia, Austria. 31 new chalets will now be built - and offered for sale. Hotelier Rupert Simoner drives brand and returns forward. Austria's JUFA Group is one of the quieter market participants. Its focus is on youth and family tourism. Now, its popularity allows it to expand, also in Germany.The health resort Lanserhof near Innsbruck, Austria also plans to expand in Germany. And Motel One has signed contracts for the first project in London. On a different note, Sarkozy's need for cash has meant an increase in VAT for hoteliers; though in Switzerland thoughts turn to a temporary reduction in VAT.And here another tasty piece: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his Managing Director Sheryl Sandberg speak on US TV for around an hour about Google and Facebook. - The full Editorial…
Dear Insiders, The alarm bells have been ringing for years, though nothing has changed. University graduates don't want the low salaries, long and anti-social working hours and miserable career opportunities. A survey looked at the current mood among graduates. Depressing. Yet the hotel industry can still shape a life. Ed Fuller, President of Marriott, has expressed in his book the values the industry has given him after 40 years on the job and how he lives these values. People, passion, values are his key words. Such books should be compulsory reading at university. The Hotel Schick in Austria I would also invite to a lecture: The owner family no longer want any old run-of-the-mill 4-star wellness hotel. They are switching to Ayurveda - with all its consequences. They focus on a niche. And on the subject of niches, Club Aldiana with its 10 resorts still feels at home in its niche; stabilise not expand is their motto though. Managing Director Peter Wennel continues to focus on niche concepts in the individual clubs. Also of interest today are our personalia with renowned names in new chains, there's a new Forecast 2012 for 17 European cities, and more. Last night's news from the U.S.: An affiliate of Hospitality Property Trust in Newton acquired Sonesta Hotels for 174 million USD, according to the "Boston Globe". The trust owns 288 hotels and 185 travel centres in North America. - The full editorial…
Dear Insiders, What advantages and disadvantages will the new Google hotel finder bring to the industry? Our distribution expert, Carolin Brauer describes the great opportunities to the hoteliers and the risks: Google's cash-cow here is also in the linking.Distribution experts everywhere are increasingly choosing costs as a central theme. This is why Choice Hotels is the first chain to rely entirely on a web-based Property Management System. With the 2nd European meeting in Nice the last week, almost everything turned toward the efficient distribution.The 4th ITB Asia in Singapore came to an end the last Friday - with an absolutely positive summary of the trade show.Hotel bosses should look at the message by the American, Joey on YouTube: In front of the video camera, the frustrated Renaissance Hotel staff member throws his resignation notice at the feet of his boss. Our Social Media column today. Today, employers should read the legal contribution about fixed-term contracts: The legal situation has changed here.There is hotel project news today from Switzerland and furthermore, Crowne Plaza has changed its concepts. Adagio will expand by the support of a new sub brand, and TUI launched a new "nature hotel" brand.Also, hospitalityInside reveals some more thoughts about the first planned "hospitality X-PERTS LOUNGE" at the upcoming ITB 2012, see homepage. - The full 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.