Behind the scenes of New York's luxury gastronomy world, the restaurant reservation trade is flourishing. A new law aims to put an end to this. 

To ensure that the Maldives remains a dream holiday destination, local hotels and resorts are committed to environmental and species protection. They produce key rings, jewellery and furniture from washed-up plastic waste, care for coral reefs and call for joint beach clean-ups.

More and more skilled workers and valuable employees are retiring and taking their knowledge and experience with them. An initiative in Austria aims at bringing these senior citizens back into employment. 

Cork everywhere. On the walls, the floor, the ceiling, even furniture and decorative objects are made from this renewable raw material. Because at Milan Design Week, the material with the somewhat dusty image is taking centre stage in the "Casa Cork". 

The world's first bridge made of flax fibre composite was inaugurated in Ulm, Germany. It's not only an example of the circular economy, but also a musical instrument.

In the hype, many people forget that AI is not yet able to independently offer the in-depth and authentic experiences that customers expect. A consultancy service is now making this clear on the subject of marketing.

What does the future hold for Germany as a conference and congress location? An innovation network scrutinises current standards and processes for business events and presents megatrends.

The Austrian Loisium Group is injecting new momentum into its expansion plans with a crowd-investing campaign. Investors, wine and food lovers can now invest directly in the wine hotels.

Until now, human rights have largely been a blind spot in tourism. To raise awareness of this and of sustainable business practices in the sector, well-known associations and organisations have launched a digital training course. 

Six Senses is a global pioneer when it comes to sustainability. The consistent implementation of the strategy in the resorts has now been recognised with the highest level of certification from Control Union, an official certification body of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

Robotics and automation are still on the rise. Some trends will characterise the year 2025 - from high-performance robots equipped with image processing systems to humanoid all-rounders that can be used in the scullery as well as on the assembly line.

The SV Group from Switzerland is introducing the Eco-Score to make it easier for employees to choose menus in restaurants based on sustainability criteria. This allows guests to recognise at a glance how low-carbon, seasonal and biodiverse their food is.

Tourists are looking for information on their smartphones and no longer in brochures: Paris is now closing the last remaining tourist office in the city. Those who need offline help can now find it elsewhere.

Coffee and snacks "to fly" instead of "to go": In China, delivery drones and air taxis are conquering the skies. Despite minor turbulence, the economy is booming above people's heads. This is also due to help from the very top.

The event location in Brussels has long since been decided, now the title and programme of the 8th HospitalityInside Think Tank (HITT) on 26/27 May 2025 follow: "Nature's Appeal: Can Hospitality be regenerative? Risk, Resilience & Innovation." Here are the contents; the names of the experts will follow shortly. Registration is open! 

Hotels Tomorrow? This is knowledge about where the industry is drifting, where it sees new concepts and profits, thinks outside the box and wants to discuss. Simply HOT. The website for the new Europe-focussed investment conference in a new format is now online, including the topics. Save the date for a relaxed event format with in-depth content: "Hotels Tomorrow - The Unconference", on 17/18 February 2025 in Paris. (This date has since been postponed to 30 June/1 July 2025, editor's note). 

The most important dates have already been noted in the 2025 calendar. The 27th Expo Real in Munich will take place from 6-8 October. The hospitality cluster is growing and networking is becoming increasingly important. This time, the joint stand "World of Hospitality" will feature two Get-together events.