News & Stories

Munich. Her career exactly reflects the shift from classic Sales & Marketing in the industry to the "Commercial World" in 2020. After 15 years, Daniela Schade is leaving Accor today: as Managing Director of Accor in Germany and as Senior Vice President Commercial Development for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. What has changed, in what direction is the industry moving in this important area - the area which sets the framework for contact with the customer and for the economic success of a company? A conversation about change.

Brussels. The dependence of the hotel industry on online booking portals is higher than ever. Despite all assumptions, direct bookings are continuously decreasing. This is the result of the current, biennial HOTREC study on the European hotel distribution market.

Brussels. The Platform to Business Regulation entered into force on Sunday 12 July and hotels and restaurants in Europe welcome this new piece of EU legislation. It promises increased transparency and fairer terms and conditions for hospitality businesses across Europe with Internet giants.

Paris/Corsica. In Corsica, a group of hoteliers decided to speak very clearly with the OTA Booking.com: They recently decided to stop working with the platform, at least for the whole month of August.

Berlin. After years of struggle by the industry, Germany has finally officially approved the solution of the digital registration form for hotels. The guest only has to identify himself electronically. This was the last hurdle to truly contactless check-in.

Munich/Wien. As early as April, Germany wanted to launch its official Corona Warning App. Now it started on Tuesday in the middle of the big restart. The Austrians, on the other hand, are very app-tired; the download is low. And there is still a long way to go before we have a uniform EU app.

Ahaus/Münster. When corona arrived and overnight meant that the hospitality and catering industry was forced to use digital tools and accept contactless payments, the software company Tobit was well prepared: Since 1986, the medium-sized company from Ahaus in the Münsterland region, Germany has been programming communication systems, and since 2007 it has also offered ordering, booking and payment systems for the industry. It's also testing them out in a little town of just 40,000 inhabitants, in its two unstaffed hotels, the Smartels, and for TKWY and the disco next. Everything digital, automated and contactless. hospitalityInside.com went to have a look.

Bern. For Swiss hotels, direct bookings via the hotel website are increasing slightly. Nevertheless, Booking.com continues to capture business. Commissions were at an all-time high in 2019. The situation remains tense.

London. The hotel management of the future must bid farewell to its silo-like structures: a new management muscle must grow up that allows for quick reactions and innovative adjustments to structures and products. The Corona impact is the imperative for this! The imperative imperative to act not just to survive, but to reinvent, become stronger and thrive. Tim Davis, founder and managing director of Pace Dimensions, London, on the fundamentals and current trends in the Corona context.

Augsburg. Within a very short time, unknown software companies sprouted up from the ground, offering solutions for contactless check-in and digital menus for the restart of the restaurant and hotel industry. Here are four examples.