News & Stories

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.

Paris. Just like Choice Hotels France did last July with the local provider Travel Wifi, the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile is now offering its guests the opportunity to stay connected in and outside its property. The provider is planning to offer this service worldwide.

Amsterdam. Some say, Google has no idea of hotel distribution and still has a lot to learn. The fact that the search engine is now truly turning into an OTA surprises almost no one. The online giant has just closed its "Hotel Finder" and is switching from its ad-controlled pay-per-click payment model to commissions. Some consider this step not very promising. After all, hoteliers had expected some beat of the drum in the form of an extremely low commission. Others expect Google's move to trigger even more competition, as the giant puts pressure on Booking.com and Expedia. It will have to relieve them of market shares while at the same time not losing them as major ad customers ... The statements and evaluations of Google, Booking.com, HRS, Fastbookng, TravelClick, HOTREC, the French Synhorcat/GNI, AccorHotels, and IT consultant Wilhelm Weber clash.

Paris. When announcing the opening of its own booking platform to other properties in June, AccorHotels vowed to recruit 7,000 partners around the world. Four months later, things are starting up slowly. The commission is set: 14%, plus 5% extra for the hotels, which want to benefit from the loyalty program.

Innsbruck. In an Internet conference with one of the European Airbnb managers, a US tourism professional and two Danish researchers discussed the positive approaches of Airbnb – and what still must be investigated.

Paris/Brussels. Since August 7, 2015 the famous "Macron Law", which gives French hoteliers total freedom towards OTAs, has been in force. According to article 133 of this law, all contracts between French hoteliers and OTAs signed before this date ceased to have effect. In other words, current contracts were automatically cancelled and new ones must be signed by both partners. A formality, but not for Booking.com. The OTA only sent an amendment to its hotel partners, which does not correspond to French law and the 'mandate' contract that the relationship between OTAs and hotels is based on. What was supposed to be a simple legal formality seems to have turned into a serious disagreement, which could lead to hundreds of French hotels leaving major booking platforms.

Cologne. Last Wednesday, Berlin-based start-up Conichi introduced an app that allows customers to save time and even use mobile payment, while hoteliers can focus on guest services and experiences. Cologne-based HRS is a strategic investor of Conichi.

Mountain View. A year ago, Google introduced a new app on "Google Now" which alerts users when prices for previously searched flights have dropped. The tool only works if holidaymakers' search was done on Google Flights. Based on this experience, Google is now moving from flights to hotels. Another headache for hoteliers is imminent.