Dear Insider,

With this weekend, the world is travelling, half of Europe will go on vacation. It feels like the industry is booming, but DACH hoteliers have tears in their eyes: At the end of the year, their profit may have risen by just 1 percent. GOP is dragging everything down with it... Susanne Stauss listened in on a discussion at "half-time" this year. 

One of the industry's larger groups, Louvre Hotels, is embarking on its own journey. CEO Federico González explains in a long interview with Sarah Douag how he wants to spice up Première Classe, Campanile & Co. The ex-Radisson CEO has taken 14 months to find his feet in the new terrain, and now comes the 5-year plan and a €400 million transformation for the group. 940 out of 1,720 hotels are still in France. Federico is now using the synergies with Radisson, including in e-commerce. Jin Jang, the parent company, watches respectfully, he says.

In Italy, the big capital companies have their finger on the pulse of the industry - above all Italian hotel funds, Italian insurers, real estate entrepreneurs and operators. Most of them bring millions and high return expectations with them. The basic tenor: Off we go into the land of mixed-use opportunities, but selectively and with caution. 

If you can no longer cope with this psychological pressure and are really annoyed at the start of the family holidays, you should adapt your lifestyle to your health. Or vice versa. You want to live to a ripe old age after all, don't you? The term "longevity" has become an insider hype since corona, and with this article we are starting a series of articles on a new, profit-promising phenomenon. 

Bärbel Schwertfeger talks to Basel Shammout, who is jointly responsible for the expansion of a health and wellness group behind the famous Chiva-Som in Thailand, the first health resort in the world. His wellness affiliate, Zulal, is located in Doha. The health consultants and doctors use AI and medical technology to protect themselves but use the "gentleness of the East" to convince people holistically. And that promises more than just a long life. I thought this was a pleasant read for your vacation.

Incidentally, taking time out from stress is becoming increasingly stressful, we learned from a study this week. That's why we're sweeping through the market again today. Looking back over the last 12, 6 and 3 months, the hotel groups (Accor, Wyndham, Novum) continue to do well. What mrp Hotels, Covivio and others saw in the large market radius in the first half of 2024 was also demonstrated on a smaller scale by the distribution specialist Quality Reservations (a contribution from our Content Partner). 

We have also conjured up another video for you from the review of our HITT Think Tank in mid-June: Prof. Graham Miller from Lisbon tells you more about "Radical Thinking" in sustainability. Just make a cut! 

We are now also taking a cut: a three-week break. We also need to take a deep breath. The autumn with Expo Real in Munich (7-9 October) is fast approaching - today you can find the names and contacts of our World of Hospitality exhibitors online (on the Expo Real microsite) so that you can start preparing your appointments. 

Save the Date for 2025: The HospitalityInside Think Tank (HITT) will take place in Brussels on 26/27 May. 

And last but not least: We will be back in the office from 19 August, the next issue of hospitalityInside will be published on 23 August. On hospitalityInside Friday, as always. 

Have a good rest, stay healthy - and of course we wish you sustainable summer business. 

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
Editor-in-Chief