News & Stories
After several years of near stability, there has been a notable shakeup this year in the order of the world’s ten largest hotel groups, ranked by number of branded rooms. OYO's massive leap forward is due, in part, to a business model that is less rigorous than that of U.S. chains. And Jin Jiang is hot on Marriott's heels.
A recently published report highlights that the UK hotel market is signalling a phase of stabilisation in 2026, following a period of increased complexity and heightened competition as new supply has been absorbed. While demand remains resilient, travellers are becoming increasingly selective.
The People's Republic is preparing to launch its first robot hotel. It is situated on the man-made West Artificial Island and is essentially intended as a showroom and experiment to demonstrate to the world just how advanced China is.
Health, wellbeing and longevity have made their mark on the hospitality industry. Yet there remains a gap between their high relevance and their consistent implementation. A study says, there is still a lack of "health expertise". Over 70 percent of those surveyed believe in the future of health packages and services.
Living Hotels has a major project in the works - the historic Jefferson Haus in Hamburg - that will take the Munich-based group to a new level. In the medium term, it is restructuring its overall portfolio – and a new upscale brand is set to be launched as part of this.
Experts warn that criminals are increasingly misusing verified host accounts to create deceptively genuine fake listings. It is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to spot the scam.
The economic pressure on the hotel sector is, and remains, considerable. According to the findings of an annual Europe-wide study, chain hotels are best able to cope with this. In Germany, sentiment remains subdued.
While organisations continue to navigate many short-term challenges, they remain committed to investing in future meetings, exhibitions, conventions and incentive travel programmes.
Amsterdam has a message for the tourism industry: you are welcome, but you will pay for it. And so will your guests. This week, the city's new coalition government announced a plan to raise its "toeristenbelasting", the municipal tourist tax on overnight stays, from the current 12.5% to 16% in 2027, with the rate increasing by one percentage point per year until it reaches 20% in 2030.
67% of German business travellers have already undertaken a bleisure trip, the majority of whom hold middle management positions. This means that bleisure has now firmly established itself in Germany too. This is revealed by a groundbreaking study.
