News & Stories

Augsburg. Is a hotel still a hotel if the guest no longer sees a human face? That is, if you book online, if you receive the room-key electronically and if you find your own way around the hotel? In fact, there are already a number of unstaffed hotels. Digitalisation has given this trend an enormous boost. hospitalityInside readers asked whether the unmanned hotel stood on a sure legal footing. We asked hotel associations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for their opinions and also interviewed the operators of two unmanned hotels, lawyers from the firm Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein in Munich and our editorial experts on the relevant legal issues.

Palma de Mallorca. Hotelbeds is going to challenge the OTAs. During the last Phocuswright event in Amsterdam, Joan Vila, Executive Chairman Hotelbeds group and the market leader, explained why the bed bank is now the relevant size to offer an alternative route for hotels to market. The Spanish-based group is now connecting 170,000 hotels to 60,000 intermediaries. CEO Joan Vila stresses that his company offers more than OTAs – packages, lots of early bookings, longer stays and far fewer cancellations than OTAs. Defining itself as a tech company, it also thinks about designing a bed bank based on Blockchain. An update by Sarah Douag.

Munich. Those who are familiar with German rent law know: prima facie, the digital conclusion of a multi-year rental contract seems to be nearly impossible. Because rental agreements must satisfy the statutory written form requirements under German law in order to bind the parties for more than one year. If the written form is not complied, the respective rental agreement can be terminated at any time with due notice. A nightmare for every hotel rental project.... Anna Gassner and Dr. Marina Schaeuble, both Attorneys-at-law at the law firm Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein in Munich explain how the conclusion of a rental agreement by mouse click can nevertheless work.

Munich. Foreign real estate investors continue to push on to the German market – and with this comes lots of work for lawyers. Even experts like the hospitality specialist Dr Anton Ostler, Partner at the law firm Arnecke Sibeth in Munich and hospitalityInside's editorial expert for legal must repeatedly explain the ins and out of German law to investors and hotel owners. For this reason, he has put together a summary of German labour law for this target group – a guide which is also intended to protect them from disappointment and all too great an expectation.

Brussels. Some call it the "Big Bang", others "a revolution". Next week, on May 25 at midnight, Europe will activate its new data and privacy regulations. The GDPR will apply to the 511.8 million EU citizens who will have more rights while companies will have more obligations. The hospitality sector is adapting to the changes and assessing the impact it can have on businesses. Sarah Douag asked US-based Choice Hotels International, a group with the complexity of supporting thousands of franchisees in Europe, to share the complexity of the GDPR with us and the processes Choice Hotels has put in place to comply with the new rules. Estelle Corsin, HR and Legal Officer at Choice Hotels France, answers.

Hamburg. Disruption piece by piece: The German Supreme Court has allowed MyTaxi, as of immediately, to offer vouchers and to launch comprehensive bonus campaigns. This is a severe blow for the traditional taxi industry in Germany. Hoteliers should be aware of this for when guests ask about the cheapest taxi service.

Madrid. The Spanish Court of Justice invalidated a salary package in a hotel in Tenerife because of gender discrimination. The chambermaids of Hotel Best Tenerife were payed 500 euros less compared to their male colleagues at the hotel restaurant.

Bonn. Germany's Federal Cartel Office has accused Facebook of abusing data because the company collects and evaluates data from third-party sources. A final decision will not be taken until summer 2018.

Bonn. The German Federal Cartel Office has launched an investigation into the comparison website sector. The authorities will also look into travel websites. By the end of the year, providers will be sent corresponding questionnaires.

Vienna. Booking and Expedia have failed with their appeal on rate parity before the Austrian Constitutional Court, the country's highest appeal court.