News & Stories

Munich. Social media specialist TrustYou announced the introduction of a new free tool for hotels on Wednesday. In future, hotels will be able to include their own internal satisfaction surveys online - in addition to online ratings – after they have been compiled by TrustYou. The result is to combine separate content even further in order to generate higher sales in the hotel. hospitalityInside.com met with TrustYou founder Benjamin Jost to learn more about the challenges posed by the semantic search.

Hamburg. Google+ launches. Within the shortest time, the social network has maneuvered itself into second place behind the market leader Facebook - even if with some distance. Now, a study allows users to compare both competition networks with each other.

Menlo park. For the next 20 years, Facebook must allow an authority of the US government to review it. T-Online, among others, reported yesterday. The US Federal Trade Commission, the FTC, is responsible for consumer protection

Cologne. Yesterday, HRS began its "Bargain Voucher", but in contrast to Groupon & Co, the new "HRS Deals" should be no platform for leftovers. The Park Inn Berlin began the kick-off.

Bottighofen. As of immediately, hotels which have attempted to manipulate their ratings on HolidayCheck or have these manipulated will be identified by a red alarm sign: "Warning Manipulated Ratings" will stand above the hotel name as a warning to others.

Berlin. High roaming charges, data protection concerns or simply a lack of an internet-compatible device: According to a recent survey, these are the reasons why many travellers reject smartphone use abroad.

Langenhagen/Hanover. In the US, Google already started its "hotel finder" several months ago creating another product for the hotel industry. As soon as it has been adapted to other markets, this particular instrument could bring more benefits than drawbacks to the hotel world, says Carolin Brauer, Managing Director of Quality Reservations in Langenhagen in an interview with hospitalityInside.com. The distribution specialist is fascinated by the search engine giant that is building its own Google world of travel, which could even push established providers aside. The only thing Carolin Brauer advises hoteliers to do is keep their costs under control!

Nice. The Property Management System from the USA is now ripe for its launch in Europe. By the end of the year, it should also facilitate the French and German Choice hoteliers in the desired "seamless" interface of all global distribution channels. "We are the only hotel group in the world with such an exclusively web-based PMS," underlines Margit Hug, Managing Director of Choice Hotels Headquarters for Germany and Central Europe at the second European Convention of Choice Hotels in Nice last week. It was the main news at this meeting of 250 hoteliers from seven countries and should signal: The Choice distribution paths will become shorter and more direct. Moreover, cost control and efficiency rule: In the future, individual activities will be guided only on the Internet. In regard to the expansion in Europe, Choice Management in Maryland wants to become more flexible in the future.

Cologne/Nuremberg. The news broke from hotel.de, a quoted company, on Friday morning of last week. Since then, the industry has had much to say on the new found strength of HRS: Effective as of October 14, 2011, the founding shareholders of hotel.de AG sold their holding to HRS Hotel Reservation Service GmbH, Cologne. HRS paid 43 million in return - and intends to secure the remaining stock over the medium term. How will the balance of power shift? Will HRS increase hotel.de commissions in line with its own - and will HRS again become as arrogant as it was before hotel.de entered the market? There is concern in the industry. HRS attempts to calm nerves and answered important questions by hospitalityInside.com yesterday.

Chicago. At least 16 major hotel groups from around the world plan to work together to develop an industry security framework for handling sensitive credit card data.