News & Stories

Madrid. Outdated payment concepts in the hotel industry are meeting with less and less understanding among hotel guests. They are tired of queuing at reception to pay, only to end up being asked for payment methods that are not their favourites.

Madrid. Good performance news from around the world: in April and May 2022, global hotel occupancy exceeded pre-pandemic year levels for the first time since the pandemic began. ADR also increased by 11% compared to 2019, and further increases can be expected into August - with short-term bookings of less than a week.

Vienna. Is digital marketing on the verge of abrupt change? Are cookies - finally - reaching the end of the road? Uncertainty is growing in Austria's hotel industry and tourism associations, as a discussion at the Austrian Tourism Days revealed. More and more customers/travellers are refusing to consent to cookies that can track their internet browsing. What will the impact of this be?

Augsburg. Innovative, funny and scary things from the digital world. Today: Strong robotics market / Robotics standards for the working world / AI use doubled / Mastercard wants biometric payment / Payment: just tap / Buying a flat with VR glasses / Gastro games: Augmented dining / Portal for sustainable e-vehicles / Autonomous driving regulation / Digital future for SMEs.

Brussels. A new Hotrec study on hotel distribution shows the impact of the pandemic on booking behaviour. Both bright spots and dark sides come to light. Overall, the hotel industry continues to feel strongly pressured by OTAs.

Bern. It is now official: The Swiss hotel industry has won its long-running battle against the best-price clauses of the OTAs and can once again set its prices independently. The industry also sees this success as the elimination of a locational disadvantage vis-à-vis neighbouring countries.

Amsterdam. NFTs are a significant form of alternative investment that appeals to buyers’ personal interests and passions. This technology is projected to become a 14 trillion-dollar alternative investment industry by 2023. Hoteliers can embrace NFTs and blockchain to improve their margins, attract new audiences, increase direct bookings, secure loyalty, and grow brand awareness. But will they do it?

Augsburg. Three weeks ago, an Australian court found hotel booking website Trivago guilty of "falsely presenting hotel rooms as being the cheapest available when in fact it was favouring rooms of paid advertisers".

Amsterdam. The interest in the Metaverse has exploded during the pandemic. From Facebook to Microsoft and Google, tech giants are racing to identify their new business model, and investors are following their every moves. Wall Street assumes the Metaverse economy could be an 8 to 13 trillion dollar total addressable market by 2030. Opportunities are multiple for the hospitality industry. Will hoteliers jump the bandwagon or watch the train pass…again?

Brussels. In addition to the Digital Market Act against anti-trust behaviour from tech giants, the EU has agreed on a new set of rules to fight illicit content on social media. The Digital Services Act would end an era where TikTok, Facebook or YouTube decided solely what content was right or wrong. Good news for small businesses and consumers although ultimately, it will all depend on how the EU enforces the new rules.