Dear Insider,

Brace, relax, profit and protest, share and pay back... These are the opposing pairs of words in our top stories today, in which contradictions form a new image. Developers and brokers in Germany are praying for growing transaction volumes, yet hotel financing simply remains difficult. Investors (Art-Invest, Union Investment), consultants (Hotour, Select Hotel) and banks (BNP Paribas) with their feet on the ground do not deny this today. But they, too, look with sorrow at other EU countries where access to credit is so much easier and yields are really taking off.

Things have been boiling over again in Mallorca this week. "Stay home", demanded seven environmental organisations and anti-tourism associations in an incendiary letter to tourists, the perpetrators of overtourism. The pressure in the public opinion cauldron is rising, yet our interviewees remain cool but critical: Arabella Hospitality Espana CEO Francisco Vila, Managing Director Björn Spaude from Castell Son Claret, Rolf Seelige-Steinhoff from Bahia del Sol and the Mallorcan hotel association FEHM make it clear that the protests are not representative, that much is politicised and that growth generates positive synergy effects.

A new model is set to bring disruption: For the first time, hoteliers are in a position to retain control over their data. An independent organisation from Switzerland wants to end their dependence on OTAs and gives them access to high-quality industry data, real-time market information and market analyses. And a third of the revenue generated flows back to the participating hotels. Today, we are one of the first media outlets to write about it. Sarah Douag also interviewed Christopher Meignier, Chairman of the HCommunity Foundation. And we will continue to work on this very exciting topic.Coincidentally, HotellerieSuisse was once again made to see this week that its "Lex Booking" has not helped at all over the last two years and that the OTAs continue to retain their power... Pure frustration.

In its overview of the German investment market in 2024/25, Christie & Co describes itself today as an optimist, Google parent Alphabet is fiercely defending itself against a potential EU fine in the billions, and in Salzburg, landlords of unregistered holiday apartments are now afraid of the city inspectors who are cracking down.

Tired of so much dynamism? Wellness hotels are an energy filling station. But their trend analysis showed that even sauna freaks are clamouring for even more experience. Proposal: Lie down soon on the two million cubic meters of newly piled sand on the island of Sylt, reserve a seat on the many new night trains that are conquering Europe, or travel to the mountain village of San Bernadino before capital turned it into a mega ski resort.

This and more in today's issue... And keep an eye on our HITT Think Tank: This week, Olivier Garaïalde, the CEO of Center Parcs Europe, has confirmed this. Take a look at the program and get involved in something positive: Hospitality can be regenerative, yes. Nature and new profit lines can be merged! Brussels, 26/27 May - this link will take you to bright minds and new ideas.

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
Editor-in-Chief