Dear Insiders,
The world keeps turning between science and madness: The European Football Championship has been responsible for more than 2,500 corona cases, but nonetheless, Boris Johnson has been cordially inviting crowds of fans to the island and since yesterday, other double vaccinated people. Despite vaccinations and tests, 180 Dutch people got infected after attending a party. Everyone simply wants to party – and go on holiday without a mask! And even though some schools will soon open up again, there are still no air filters in the second year of corona.
Once again, there is perfect chaos. There is again no strategy for dealing with a potential fourth wave. A fourth lockdown is currently impossible as well, as courts would rebuke the government due to the basic rights. In September, there will be elections. So better open all the borders, remove all restrictions and dodge the virus variation storm! And off into the recess of parliament...
None of these "top managers" would survive on the free market. Those bearing real responsibility in the crisis do not run away. Instead, they keep working non-stop, thinking about new concepts and sustainable ideas.
"We need to stay as flexible as possible," says Volker Kraft answering the crisis in the retail sector, and considering the chances provided by the crisis regarding the initial hotel fund by ECE Real Estate Partners. The company's core business revolves around shopping malls, but trade and hospitality will be reconnecting differently in the cities. City malls will stay strong! Only ordering and picking up will adjust themselves. Not only does he support his store tenants via lease reduction, but also via a digital mall. And the lobby of the first acquired fund object in Venice will be turned into a mini mall. Thinking differently, thinking out of the box, creating new things: Ascan Kókai, hotel investment expert, explains how and where ECE aims at investing its millions in the future.
But small players can also make it big in the crisis: The German spa town of Bad Muenstereifel used to lead a spiritless existence, but then the real estate professionals arrived. In 2019, a total of 2.4 million shopping fans visited the town, all of them chasing fashion brands among the half-timber house idyll. Hotels and restaurants greatly benefit from this.
The radical conversion of the Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs Group is a totally different issue: A big mountain of debt burdens Europe's largest leisure provider. The strict 5-year plan is full of promises. Everything is becoming green, local, sustainable, slow – with holiday huts and homes full of Millennial families. Committed to pure nature and simple, but more frequent trips per year, this target group is just the right booster CEO Franck Gervais needs. He did his homework at Accor.
All that requires a lot of courage, strength and vision. The movers & shakers that are participating in our HITT Think Tank in September know that as well: Adrian Flueck from the Invesco Real Estate investment company, Executive Olaf Demuth from the multi-billion Zech construction company, and Thomas Schlereth architect, developer and owner of the sustainable Serviced Apartment Hotel Soulmade in Munich will be discussing their ideas and financial viability of sustainable hotels intensely and controversially! All of them hate green washing. I am aware of this and more since our briefing. Let me present these gentlemen to you today on our first page.
In addition, it feels great to be able to say today: The HITT programme is complete! All of the experts have accepted their invitation. You can find the final version with all the names on www.hitt.world. This is the result of - so far - 10 months of research and thinking out of the box with our team and advisory committee. So far, I've learned a whole lot of new things. Now we just need you - people who passionately discuss with us for the sake of a new sustainable era! arly Birds still benefit until next Thursday, 15 July.
And this is why I hope that you will also learn more from our news today, for example, on the global Covid-19 consequences, the hotel transaction during the first half of the year, about NH's Recovery Plan, the allure of Spanish resort destinations and the slowly returning life in German cities. By the way, the change also reflects itself in the personnel news today and, as usual, in our news mix.
Expo Real decided to close one hall after the registration deadline. Therefore, the "World of Hospitality" will move to Hall A1. In the meantime, ten companies have confirmed their participation in the joint stand. With the move, space has become scarce, so talk to us if you still want to exhibit.
Have another good week,
Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief
Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com
