Dear Insiders,
The fans of the International Hotel Investment Forum Berlin had to wait a long time. For the first time since March 2019, real estate experts and investors met again at the InterContinental Berlin – but this time with 1,000 participants instead of 3,000. Most of them considered it a positive signal that this event actually took place – an important emotional push for the hard-hit industry. Hoteliers, bankers, and developers alike seemed less stressed compared to the boom period two and a half years ago.
There was no big news. Instead, the CEOs compared their frustration and expectations. Only Sébastien Bazin's speech was a beacon of light. You'll find more on this in today's initial report on the general mood. The next issue will feature more extensive interviews with CEOs by Susanne Stauss and myself. The IHIF does not end before noon today.
What was the summer in Europe like? Our correspondents quote the official statistics as well as both frustration and joy of hoteliers from both budget and luxury. In the German-speaking countries, there has been a little more sun than cloudy weather since June, while it has been the other way round in Italy and Spain. There were more problems than successes. The situation remains tricky. Everybody is suffering from a lack of employees and extremely short-term reservations, which are often made only 1 or 2 weeks before arrival.
European pipeline figures published right before the IHIF will increase the pressure even more. This year, hotel openings will reach an all-time high in Europe with 100,000 new rooms. This also marks an end of the project backlog that had been accumulating since 2019. Competition is thus rising. A virtual job fair in France is trying to address the lack of employees – at least in the luxury segment. You can join in!
To make sure that travel does not turn into a financial trauma for vacationers in the future, the German Travel Protection Fund will be officially launched in Germany on November 1. Today, our News Mix is once again full of new projects, and in our Sustainability News section you will find, among other things, news on an e-mobility platform and e-cargo bikes for hotels.
And this brings us – for the last time – to our Think Tank. For this hybrid event, a substantially higher physical than virtual participation in Munich is becoming apparent. Today, we introduce our sponsors of the HITT: Accor, Drees & Sommer, IDeaS, Deutsche Hospitality, Duetto, Uniper, Expo Real, and Hotelschool The Hague.
This colourful diversity reflects the cross-industry interconnectedness of the topic: SUSTAINABILITY & DIGITALISATION: THE CHANGE DRIVERS. The Decade of Action: How Sustainability leads the agenda, how Digitalisation enables it.
There are only free co-working spaces available in Munich. Or you can join us virtually. You can still book last-minute with us! After all, this is fully in vogue this year.
The same goes for the Expo Real: Here, businesses joined us as exhibitors in the World of Hospitality last-minute, and we even enlarged the second stand again. This is your last chance to secure a fixed place at the trade fair. Of course, mere logo partnerships are still possible in October.
Have a nice weekend and a good week!
Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief
Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com
