News & Stories

Amsterdam. Booking.com is still unwilling to accept the rate parity ban imposed on the OTA by the German Federal Cartel Office shortly before Christmas. This was revealed by a new inquiry in Amsterdam this week.

Brussels. Last year, HOTREC worked on all fronts to communicate the European hospitality industry's contributions to society as well as represent, promote and defend the sector's interests. The European umbrella Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes won several battles, is still battling for others and will try to do even better this year, hopefully with faster answers from the European institutions. As we start a new year, Sarah Douag asked HOTREC CEO Christian de Barrin to comment on the past actions but mostly to explain the industry's key priorities for 2016: the Digital Single Market, the necessity to level the playing field on the Sharing Economy, the importance of a workable fiscal environment, the impact of terrorist attacks in key European cities, the mixed success of the Hospitality Skills Passport, the need to share hoteliers' expertise cross-border, and how crucial it is to promote the attractiveness of the hospitality sector in order to develop skills and competences.

Chicago. During the Christmas holidays, Hyatt Hotels Corporation notified its customers that it had recently identified malware on computers that operate the payment processing systems for Hyatt-managed locations.

Amsterdam. Airbnb belongs to the new, mighty OTAs in the market. The P2P platform apparently provokes hoteliers more than they are willing to admit. Airbnb has become a symbol of individual travel; therefore, the large OTAs are starting to go for holiday homes and apartments more often. Expedia acquired a suitable provider, TripAdvisor and HRS started their own platforms, Booking.com even went one step further: the giant recently partnered with the time-sharing division of Wyndham. Other hotel chains are also contemplating with the market of rental homes. Everyone wants to occupy every niche today. Because of this, some of them are losing sight of China and the giants from that country. However, Sarah Douag has one eye on everything. The second and last part of her series about the current and fierce OTA dynamics in the market.

Brussels. In the battle for customer attention, hotels are fighting hard to avoid intermediaries and the high commissions that come with them. This week, HOTREC launched a new campaign called "Book Direct".

Amsterdam. Things are moving in the lodging industry. Marriott took over Starwood and these two chains will soon become one mega-group managing 1.1 million rooms. Today, more than ever, size means everything in the industry. It gives power, control over millions of loyal customers, marketing and prices, a global footprint, and last but not least, leverage against OTAs when it comes to distribution costs. Does it mean the bigger a group becomes, the better it can operate without OTAs? An industry insider thinks this is the case and even suggests that more consolidation in the sector could lead to the extinction of OTAs. But OTAs have what it takes to resist. And they grow by M&As in their own business field. Which dynamics drive which OTA? Sarah Douag analyses the current OTA behavior in the market – read about Expedia, Priceline, Sabre, Google, TrustYou and TripAdvisor in a first part today and in a second to follow next Friday, then focused on the holiday homes activities.

London. The Australian business SiteMinder, which was founded a little less than ten years ago, is already able to provide a renowned list of references. As professional channel manager, the business wants to help hoteliers to structure their booking channels and keep them affordable. The hoteliers do not have to pay per booking as the costs depend on the hotel's size. Managing Director Dai Williams introduces the business model and Sarah Douag provides two customer statements.

Paris. Two weeks ago, Paris welcomed the "Airbnb Open", the annual meeting organized by the rental platform. Between 5,000 and 6,000 hosts from 110 countries gathered for the occasion in the French capital. During the event, Airbnb shared some figures, which praised its model and the positive impact it has on local economy and people’s lives… However, since the P2P platform only shares what it wants, it's complicated to double check their numbers. But some people are trying hard to unveil the mystery: Murray Cox is one of them. Based in Brooklyn New York, he is the guy behind the counter website www.InsideAirbnb.com, an independent website which compiles all data and offers present on the Airbnb website. Airbnb hates him. For hospitalityInside.com, Sarah Douag interviewed Murray Cox to better understand his motivation and methodology to fight against the giant.

Amsterdam. Two weeks ago, Airbnb won an important battle in San Francisco where 55% of the local residents voted against a city council proposition and in favor of the OTA. At the same time, a study by HVS estimates the negative impact of Airbnb on the lodging industry and the broader economy of New York City at 2.1 billion dollars over the course of the last year. Airbnb says the HVS study is false. On a European level, the political EU bodies still see no need to hurry up. HOTREC provides a 10-point paper to underline the special challenges of the short-term rentals. And Airbnb is keeping calm, and continuing to dictate the rules.

Amsterdam. In the past twelve months alone, Booking.com recorded 285 million guests, meanwhile 70 percent of available accommodation is not provided by classic hotels.