News & Stories

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.

Heilbronn. Germany still attracts international hotel chains. As a result, the number of rooms in hotel chains is growing to an all-time high of 334,562 rooms in 2022, an increase of 5.5% compared to 2018. Strong market penetration is particularly evident in major cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, and Hamburg.

Augsburg. Mini-messages about noteworthy events of the last week(s): Accor/Lecce, Amano/London, B&B/Rome, Center Parcs/Denmark, GHA/Set Collection, Hyatt/Saudi Arabia, IHG/Crete, Lago Maggiore/Locarno, Marriott/Munich, Milan/Hotel Michelangelo, Minor/Saudi Arabia, Motel One/Hanover, Premier Inn/Dortmund, Radisson/PPHE, Edmond de Rothschild REI/Florence, Trentino/Annamaria, Trump/Washington, Veneto/Commodore Hotel, Virgin/Mallorca.

Bansko. First, the segment was stumbling, then it recovered, and now it is picking up speed again. At the beginning of May during the hybrid Co-Liv-Summit in Bansko in Bulgaria, the industry reported back again optimistically. Among the most thriving co-living markets in the world is Portugal. And Madeira showed the segment how entire destination strategies can be drawn up. But the industry remains diverse and uses the best of many worlds.

Augsburg. Mini-messages about noteworthy events of the last week(s): Accor/Coliving, Arcona/CI, Atalante Hotels/Italy, Baia Holiday/Peschici, Baltic Village/Damp, Big Mama Hotels/CI, BWH/Italy, Covivio/Bilanz, Dalata/London, Four Seasons/Doha, Hilton/Italy, H-Hotels/Düsseldorf, IHG/Tristar, Kempinski/Dubai, Lindbergh/Rimini, Living Hotels/Cape Town, Marriott/Istanbul, Radisson/Liège, Rocco Forte/Sicily, Stayery/Cologne, Tribe/Amsterdam, Weingut Scheiblhofer/Andau.

Berlin. Younger franchisees want more local and to help shape the design, says Choice EMEA CEO Jonathan Mills. And Marriott's Chief Developer Jerome Briet regretted not being able to step on the gas more in expansion. Two more snapshots from the IHIF in Berlin.