News & Stories

Brussels. Member States received a green light from the EU to help out businesses affected by the war in Ukraine. Trade unions otherwise warn of the death of thousands of businesses this summer. Companies with liquidity bottlenecks are entitled to direct grants, guarantees, credits and loans with subsidised interest rates. The aid must be linked to the increase in energy prices.

Augsburg. Mini-messages about noteworthy events of the last week(s): Accor/Zagreb, Adlon/Lament, B&B/Rome, BWH/Sardinia, Dt. Hospitality/Amsterdam, Four Seasons/Venice, Grand Hotel La Pace/Tuscany, Grand Hotel Tremezzo/Lake Como, Harry's Home/Telfs, Italy/Decline, LFPI/Cologne, Mandarin Oriental/Cortina, Maritim/Amsterdam, Marriott/Verona, Novum/Spain, Numa/Italy, Oriana Suites/Turin, Pandox/Scandic, Premier Inn/Q1, Radisson/Barcelona, SMG/IPO, Starhotels/Florence, TH Hotels/Veneto, Wyndham/Antalya.

Milan. For Smeralda Holding, 2022 is set to become a record year, with results never seen before. Qatar's famous destination resort also suffers from inflation but not from staffing. Another new lifestyle hotel is announced and it may no longer sail under a Marriott brand.

Paris. The ranking of the world's largest hotel groups changed little in 2022 from the prior year. While the aggregate rooms portfolio of the top-ten chains progressed by about 3% over 2021-2022, three of the groups experienced a decline in the number of rooms, led by Oyo whose total slid by over 20%.

Augsburg. Mini-messages about noteworthy events of the last week(s): BWH/SHA, Des Bains/Venice, Experimental Group/Biarritz, H-Hotels/Düsseldorf, HNH/Sicily, Icon/Florence, LVG/Novara, Marriott/Dubai, Meininger/Venice, Numa/Hamburg, Primestar/Vienna, Radisson/Durban, Scandic/Copenhagen, The Pavilions/Rome, Union Investment/Bremen, Wyndham/Crete.

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.