News & Stories

Brussels. On June 15, 2017, the European Parliament agreed on a resolution to deal with the so-called Sharing Economy. The Parliament reacted to its misuse by setting out concrete criteria, but these are not binding.

Berlin. Relief for the holiday home segment? Deutscher Ferienhausverband e.V. acknowledges last week's announcement of the planned change of the Federal Land Utilisation Ordinance, which will bring many landlords legal certainty. Arnecke & Sibeth, a law firm in Munich and hospitalityInside's editorial experts, are not giving the green light yet.

Brussels. The European Commission has opened an investigation to discover if the commercial agreements between Meliá Hotels and the tour operators Kuoni, REWE, TUI, and Thomas Cook infringe the European competition rules.

Munich. One segment is currently booming: Serviced Apartments. The term covers a range of usage types making the distinction between the hotel and a short-term let increasingly blurred. Both are geared to longer stays, though the person using the accommodation does not necessarily have to make use of hotel services. Serviced apartments sit somewhere in the middle between residential apartment and hotel. And it's exactly here that this young and attractive segment gets into trouble with the terms used in planning law and type of use in Germany. Thomas Hartl, Senior Associate at the law firm Arnecke Sibeth in Munich, is an expert in planning law and in this guest contribution today explains the legal intricacies which project developers such as construction principal and operator face.

Berlin. The legendary funds initiator Anno August Jagdfeld and the fund "Fundus Fonds Nr. 31", which finances the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, have sued the Signal Iduna insurance company.

San Francisco. Airbnb will celebrate this New Year's Eve, projecting nearly 2 million guests around the world staying in an Airbnb. That’s nearly double the number of guests who stayed in an Airbnb on New Year's Eve 2015/16.

Munich. The German Federal Fiscal Court has held that parking facilities for hotel guests are not subject to the reduced tax rate - not even in the case that no specific fee is charged. The reduced tax rate is only applicable to services which are directly linked to services provided in relation to the overnight stay.

Munich. The investor run on "safe haven" assets in Germany is certain to increase this year. This is expected by pretty much all experts. Germany will presumably also benefit from Brexit - and for this reason alone, attract increased interest from foreign investors. Many of these investors though have little or no experience with the German legal system. For this reason, Jan Wunschel, Partner, and Alexander Thiermann, Senior Associate, at the law firm Arnecke Sibeth in Munich look at the legal risks on acquiring real estate in Germany. With this article today, hospitalityInside.com launches its partnership with Arnecke Sibeth, a law firm which is active at four locations with 35 partners and over 100 lawyers.

Luxembourg/Vienna. In 2011, the Austrian federal government removed reimbursement for energy charges for service companies. Following the move, Prodinger, a tax consultancy based in Vienna, took up the case of a hotel, taking the fight before the European Court of Justice.

Duesseldorf. The Higher Regional Court of Duesseldorf has turned down the application of Booking.com, to be able to maintain the parity clause in Germany until the legal process regarding the appeal of the company against the withdrawal of the clause is completely finalised. The German hotel industry has herewith gained another temporary victory in the battle against the claims of the booking platforms.