News & Stories

Budapest. The situation in Central & Eastern Europe hardly differs from that in Western Europe in terms of current challenges, as became apparent at the HOTCO conference in Budapest last week. The performance of cities is improving at different speeds, but still lags behind  European averages. Instead of new-builds, everyone is now seeking conversions and soft brands are on the rise. What also remains in CEE: the severe lack of employees. And here, too, there are no visible solutions.

Madrid. Tourism continues to recover at a strong pace, reports the UNWTO. Globally, destinations welcomed almost three times as many international arrivals in the first quarter of 2022 as in the same period of 2021, with Europe leading the sector's rebound.

Vienna. The hotel industry in Austria's provincial capitals suffered very badly from the effects of the Corona pandemic. In the meantime, the markets are experiencing a slight upswing, but with clear differences. While smaller cities are catching up faster, the Austrian capital Vienna is bringing up the rear.

Augsburg. Mini-messages about noteworthy events of the last week(s): Barefoot/Mallorca, Big Mama/Dortmund, B&B/Italy, Dehag/Belgium, Ella/Rhodes, Hyatt/Edinburgh, IHG/Venice, Life Resorts/Calabria, LFPI/Dresden, Lodging Econometrics/Middle East, Marriott/Qatar, MHP/Basel, Minor/Dubai, Philipp Plein/Italy, Radisson/Barcelona, Rosewood/Saudi Arabia, Signa/Vienna, Sicily/Vitha Group, Staycity/Paris, Venice/Xenia Hotels, Warimpex/Q1-2022.

Frankfurt. The world's largest MICE trade fair, IMEX Frankfurt 2022, came to an end yesterday. What will the future of the MICE industry look like? Hybrid meetings will remain, but with a high presence share. Corporate customers will challenge MICE providers most with their questions about sustainable concepts. Here, the industry must deliver reliable offers.

Berlin. With a three-day event focusing on B2B, the tourism trade show ITB Berlin intends to re-establish itself as a presence event next year. Private visitors will no longer be admitted. They can visit the boat and leisure trade show Boot & Fun in November 2023 instead.

Vienna. 71% of the Alpine hotel market in Austria still consists independent, family-run hotels – but more and more brands of international hotel groups are gaining a foothold in Austria's mountains, including Kempinski, Six Senses, Dorint and Arcona as well as domestic hotel groups such as AlpenParks, Alps Residenz or Vaya. While large investors, however, are hardly willing to spend, the more so the operators. Yet buy-to-let encounters many questions when it comes to second home ownership.

Augsburg. Mini-messages about noteworthy events of the last week(s): Accor/Saudi Arabia, Adina/Market Leader, Alwaleed/Kingdom Holding, Aroundtown/Results, Barfoot/Tegernsee, Choice/Ireland, Comer See/Grand Bretagne, Discovery/Octant, Lario/Verona, Leonardo/Italy, Lodging Econometrics/Pipeline Q1, Marriott/Hamburg, Meininger/Bremen, Nobu/Saudi Arabia, Premier Inn/Duisburg, Radisson/Bologna, Rome/H10, Sardinia/Blau Hotels, Scandic/Helsingborg, Star Inn/Austria.

Amsterdam. After only three years in its portfolio, Invesco Real Estate has sold the QO Hotel in Amsterdam to UK-based real estate fund Tristan Capital Partners. The latter doesn't hide its new appetite for distressed assets within the hospitality sector. Ruby Group is the one benefitting from the change of hands of Europe's most sustainable property and discovers conversion.

Bern. The recovery in the Swiss hotel industry continued in winter and over Easter, but is still far from reaching pre-crisis levels. City hotels continue to suffer. International guests are not yet compensating for the weakening domestic demand. The Ukraine war is also slowing things down.