Editorial

Dear Insiders, Our features today look at some of the extremes of our society: In Berlin, August Jagdfeld manages to save his skin and position as Managing Director of Fundus Fund by spreading fear among his already maltreated investors. And in Innsbruck, clever tourism experts are dictating the terms of cooperation to uncertain travel bloggers.

It appears that everywhere, it`s a matter of finding and defending position. This is also apparent in an interview with JOI Design. The interior design company is also struggling with the conditions imposed by its clients.

Also assuming a new position is Jost Hurler KG - known to insiders as the owner of the Althoff Seehotel Ueberfahrt on Tegern Lake in Bavaria. The project developer is revitalising its real estate and is also planning a new mega project with luxury hotel in Munich.

Samih Sawiris, founder of Orascom Development, is also left defending his position: An Egyptian court has threatened him. The reservation portal HRS is expanding its hotel reviews. Thanks to the EU, German hotel statistics will also finally again include figures on room occupancy, and on the investments front, a first German hotel-REIT is finally taking shape. - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders, We are back again, refreshed by sea air and glad for the fact that dark clouds were not our recurring theme during this summer break...

Amanresorts is now up for sale, the German Lindner Hotels come onto the market with a new brand, Prince Al-Waleed plans a tower with a hotel higher than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and various hotel groups signal their positive half-year results in 2011: At the moment, the industry continues to recover.

Because of our 2-week editorial staff break, you will also find the important news from this period under the short and longer articles to be sure that you do not miss anything and also so that no gaps appear in the hospitalityInside archive.

As usual, our front-page stories offer you the current and profound first-hand: from the press conference by Fleming`s Hotels yesterday, about the current hotel developement in Romania and the rebranding of the British City Inn Group to Mint Hotel Group and their expansion into Continental Europe, and last but not least a portrait of 25hours Hotels and their new Hotel HafenCity in Hamburg. There, one finds lifestyle "in containers": A "sailor`s home" as a hotel experience of the finest, without kitsch and compromises. - The full editorial...

Dear Insiders, With today's edition, hospitalityInside says goodbye before the two-week summer break. On August 26, we will be back online - hopefully with a tan...For you today: Cause for thought is provided by the Institute for eTourism, Tourismuszukunft. Managing Director Florian Bauhuber criticises the snail's pace and the indecisiveness of the hotel industry. Material for managers to think about during the summer break.Tourism in Croatia also shows two faces. The popular holiday destination is set for a record season, behind the scenes many problems remain unsolved.Relais & Châteaux sees sales and occupancy increasing: The customer is king and wants to be served individually. Hotels with personality is what Dr. Lohbeck Private Hotels promise to provide: A portrait of a career changer.The Schlosshotel on Lake Woerther begins a new chapter. The change of owner came as a surprise last week; the new operator will follow on September 1. Falkensteiner will replace Capella.Spa enthusiasts should also pencil in another date on their calendar: On November 3, the second "Investment in Spas" workshop will take place in the Kempinski Airport Hotel Munich. Learn to do tough calculations - Rizzato Spa Consulting and other spa professionals know the tricks in practice. Register now! More on our home page.Our homepage also contains the note "End spurt for Exhibitors": If you still intend to take part on the "World of Hospitality" stand, then time is ticking... - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, A colourful edition awaits today: Developer Georg Schlegel explains the challenges facing the up and coming midscale segment and its differences to the budget segment. And hotel consultants and hoteliers criticise the sluggish and selective behaviour of the banks - they have quite a different story to the one from the bankers last week. Experts also warn of a "black screen" for 2012 when digital television is introduced and they provide tips. Many hoteliers couldn't believe their eyes as Google, in a radical move, removed hotel ratings from the web last Friday: Interesting news from Switzerland: Seiler Hotels are selling their real estate, and the City of Lucerne will establish a "hotel zone" in order to prevent hotels from dying out. We also have new personalia and to round it all off, the story of the baptism of the "Adlon Rose" in the Kempinski Hotel Adlon in Berlin. And last but not least, On Tuesday, October 4, the Hospitality Industry Dialogue will take place and will focus on current themes affecting the industry with high-calibre panelists. The programme is largely already fixed. An overview is provided under "Mice" or under our "Networks" button on our home page and can be accessed by all users. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, How do experts and parties concerned evaluate the current funding situation for the hotel industry? Today, banks speak, next week the hotel consultants und hoteliers.With his financing model for the Adlon fund, the initiator of the fund, August Jagdfeld, is up against the wall – therefore, he is starting a PR tour through Germany. Will it help?Accor regards its cooperation with the German Sustainable Building Council as "Tour d'Horizon". Its certificate values the property but Accor wants to obtain it as operator. Why? An interesting interview.An unbelievably high number of hotels let conference requests of over 30,000 Euro slip through their fingers, either by not responding or not checking up on inquiries. A test hands out only bad marks around the globe.The American consultancy HFD created a programme concerning spa performance. Kempinski continues to restructure its personnel; Orascom-founder Samih Sawiris hands over his position as CEO …Investors and hoteliers are already getting ready for EXPO REAL in Munich, from October 4 - 6. And again, there will be a novelty for the hotel industry: the premier of "World of Hospitality". At the first joint stand for hospitality businesses, 7 top companies of the industry will be awaiting you! Details for all users on our front page or under "Network".Last but not least: the programme of the "Hospitality Industry Dialogue", the hotel conference at EXPO REAL, which I am honoured to organize for the fourth time. Details for all under "Network". - The full editorial …

Dear Insiders, What would you think if address data from strangers suddenly appeared on your computer screen? We experienced such a data leak… The scale of the problem was immediately apparent as SynXis was involved here - serving 12,000 hotel clients. The full story today - together with tips as to how hotel groups can protect themselves from internet attacks. The background to DGNB certification also needs some explaining. A first article on this point will today illustrate why this label only applies to the hotel property. In Germany, Van der Valk hotels manage as yet just one hotel. In the Netherlands, they are the biggest hotel group. And no wonder: Behind the hotel group is a family which operates internally like a franchise company. And in time for the holiday season, today's edition will also include a small article from our travel chest: I recently noticed small creative elements in the One&Only The Palm Dubai and in the Pullman Dubai. From the cabana with air conditioning to the wine bar. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Where is the industry heading? Robert Salzl, former Chairman of the Board of the Schoerghuber Company Group, says: "The hotelier can no longer afford a hotel!"In contrast to this is the extravagance and self-confidence: In Paris, The Mandarin Oriental has now opened. Here, the Asian brand oozes with French style. I ask myself though: Why should I want to stay in an Asian hotel in Paris?Authenticity will pay in future. "The user no longer believes us", IT specialist Bruno Wolf says at the premier of the talk "Freitagshappen" arranged by hospitalityInside and the Hotel Nassauer Hof in Wiesbaden. Where are Social Media and Mobile Commerce taking us, we asked, and found: Hoteliers find themselves in a squeeze.Just how strong the influence of Social Media and Mobile Commerce already is and will become is illustrated by the findings of several studies which one online research company has made available to hospitalityInside readers.Brand new market facts and figures are also published in the new report "Budget Hotels in Germany 2011" by PKF hotelexperts Munich. The 75-page document shows a changed market after the financial crisis. More on this on our start page!Kempinski is restructuring its sales department, Travel Charme grows in Austria through acquisitions, and real estate transactions are again on the up. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, Experiencing the first soccer game of the German team - of the "best women" - together with 73,000 soccer fans last Sunday was a delight. Marriott's PR idea of inviting "female opinion leaders" into the VIP area of Berlin's Olympia Stadium was also a win. At the same time, Susanne Stauss and I asked about the ramifications of the event at four of the nine World Cup cities – the result: a super image push for the destinations and for individual hotels, nice additional business for all, though no boom. Not at all fun, on the other hand, is the on-going sometimes very public spat between August Jagdfeld from Fundus and the Shareholder Protection Association. The latter now has an opportunity to remove Jagdfeld from management. Design Hotels, on the other hand, see customers as partners and are working intensively on new "creative" strategies for them - and on direct distribution. Two other consortia, Romantik Hotels and Ringhotels, today explain their web and social media strategies. One of them is focussing on training the medium-sized private hoteliers, the other is managing their activities centrally. Marketing of both consortia takes a two-prong approach: online has still not overtaken paper. In addition, further interesting news from the business travel and tour operators' world - and more… - The full editorial.

Dear Insiders, Elisabeth Guertler from Hotel Sacher has bought a second Grand Hotel in Vienna: The Bristol, in the immediate vicinity. Alongside the Bristol, the Imperial has also found a new owner, as has Goldener Hirsch in Salzburg. The sale of these "crown jewels" has an interesting background.The exclusive Rosewood Hotels from Dallas have also been sold - to Chinese owners. And in 2009, the Schweizerhof in Bern was sold to investors from Qatar. Today, after undergoing renovation work to the tune of 45 million CHF, the Swiss hotel legend celebrates its official reopening.Investment issues underlie such news; but will these hotels ever find their way back to their old roles as magnets for the city? Design Hotels pondered the 'neighbourhood'. How does a hotel today establish itself in its direct surroundings?The new "neighbourhood" trend.Junior Spas: A tour through various hotels shows that the trend has been implemented with much creativity. From action to acne treatments, there's everything on offer, expensive or complimentary. Wellness is an experience factor for the family and an event for the youngsters.Our news today pick up thoughts about the assumed sale of Al Waleed's minority stake in Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts, at the new developments at Berlin's Central Station and at Ritz-Carlton's long new expansion list. - The full editorial…

Dear Insiders, In Leipzig, the Steigenberger Grand Hotel flagship officially opened on Tuesday evening. All prestige hotels of the group should look like this in future. CEO, Arco Buijs, wants to earn the money with 3 and 4-star properties.In Freiburg, the members of the IHA met. The online reservations are out of control!, complained the hoteliers self-critically there. In the matter of sustainability, successful companies encouraged their colleagues.As a pure experiment, one could see the premiere of the new Alpine-covering trade show, "theAlps", in Innsbruck. The organisers experienced surprises with their new format, but the basic feedback remained positive.Meanwhile, in Morocco, the future has many question marks; however, skilful investment strategies and the planned entry into the GCC Alliance attuned the tourism-makers positively.A high resonance was found after the workshop, "Investment in Spas", at the end of May with 17 participants, Rizzato Spa Consulting and hospitalityInside will hold the workshop once again: The next appointment is on Thursday, the 3rd of November, 2011. Please register or reserve immediately! Details on our starting page. - The full editorial...