News & Stories

Berlin. Seldom has a participant in a discussion at "ITB Hospitality Day" during ITB Berlin received such attention as was the case with Mario. Visitors would love to have hugged the 57 cm "tall" robot with mischievous eyes; at least, they all wanted to take a picture of him. The Japanese female robot ChihiraKanae seemed a bit more wilful although she had humanoid features and attracted a great deal of interest at the ITB Marketing and Distribution Day. There were many topics for discussion concerning robots and their impact on the work environment – with the sober recognition that the programmed beings are able to find their way into the hotel industry faster than anticipated. Fred Fettner provides a summary.

Wiesbaden. Franz Woegerer, chef de cuisine in Thurnher's Alpenhotel in Zuers, Austria, has never before experienced a Christmas season like the one just gone. Around a quarter of the guests in the fully occupied hotel indicated they had allergies, food intolerances or dislikes. One female guest also regularly burst into tears because she didn't like the alternative dishes suggested by the kitchen... Guests with allergies or pseudo-allergies have of late been making life in the kitchen hell. How is the hotel to react? Some interesting tips.

Duesseldorf. At the moment, there's a lot to be heard about budget hotels. They are considered highly profitable and exist without almost any F&B provision at all. Almost nobody talks of full-service hotels any more. Yet these still account for the lion's share of the sector. The midscale hotels below them are meanwhile coming under increasing pressure. 70 percent of operating costs are fixed. Where then are the cost drivers and, in the end, the earnings potentials? These can be influenced in planning, Tina Froboese says, Partner at bbg-Consulting in Dusseldorf. In her guest contribution today, she points out the focus areas - e.g. the kitchen and in work processes.

Munich. How do you keep budget fresh and alive? Especially when you expand quickly, like Motel One, to become a large international chain. The Munich-based "Low Budget Design" group leads the way: in interior design, in its lighting concept, at the breakfast table, at the bar and in its recent image video. It even dares to use the word "luxury". After all, it furnishes its "One Lounges" exclusively with expensive design originals. Daniel Mueller, Chief Operating Officer of the group, explains how the group manages this and the innovations which will soon await the guest. His statement: For a budget hotel group, Motel One has "value surplus"!

Munich. What effects do terrorist attacks have on tourism and on individual destinations in particular? The first part of this series from the last Friday provided some answers to this. Nothing seems to be able to rob the investors of their calm: The belief that it is merely a question of insurance is almost spooky and apart from that, certificates for more security in the hotels can be provided. And hoteliers hide behind the discretion that their job imposes upon them. Only the increasing extent of cyber criminal activity jolts them awake.

Munich. Terrorism has increased over the past 15 years. The attacks have stretched from 9/11 in New York over to Madrid, Kenya, Beirut, Bagdad and through to Paris. And as a result, a heightened alert toward potential terrorist attacks has also existed within the hotel industry for quite some time. Nevertheless, there is a clear blanket of "business as usual" with the will to react, but not to overreact. However, the interpretations of investment banks and the behaviour of investors / shareholders do not always coincide with the initial reactions of the travellers. Today, in the first of two parts, Beatrix Boutonnet explains how experts currently assess the terrorist danger and how strongly individual destinations have suffered or are suffering from the consequences of the attacks.

Wiesbaden. The cryptocurrency Bitcoin tends to polarise views. Whilst some see a very volatile currency which, according to media reports, is primarily used by criminals, others still believe in Bitcoin's big future as an excellent alternative to the currencies used by the global banking system. Opinions in the hospitality sector are divided. Some of its pioneers already accept the internet currency.

Zell am See. Three countries, 667 hoteliers, one finding: The digital waves have embraced the hotel operations quicker than the management. And the gap between knowledge and action is enormous. This can be interpreted from the comprehensive study by Roland Berger whose basis is provided by a total of 667 hotels in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was presented during the annual convention of the Austrian Hotelier Association in Zell am See this week. In addition to this, the industry representatives also discussed an OTA charge with the Austrian cartel authorities.

Bern. The new second homes law in Switzerland will come into force on January 1, 2016. Thereafter, the owners of their own hotels, which they relinquish for economic reasons, may only convert up to 50 percent of the primary usable area into second homes. Many questions are still open.

Berlin. From start-up to market leader! Many dream of this, but the young man behind Dreamlines has managed it. The good old Postbus is also making more journeys - but with new ideas in the suitcase. And even Deutsche Bahn has meanwhile set up its own "innovation lab" with the aim of attracting future customers in a much more personal way. What can the hotel industry learn from these young and old companies? Quite a lot - insofar as they're ready to question their own actions and focus on the customer/guest rather than themselves. Three examples of other companies' ideas.