News & Stories

Amsterdam. After a two-day convention on holiday rentals held last week in Amsterdam, several cities are joining forces to ask the European Commission to be tougher on rental platforms. Among other requests, Amsterdam and seven other touristic destinations want Airbnb and Booking.com to share their data about hosts and guests.

Vienna (February 2, 2018). Over the last two years, Austria's hoteliers have generated almost ten percent more revenue, but costs have increased even more sharply. Profits remain weak. The reason for this is a deterioration in framework conditions, the Austrian Hoteliers Association (OEHV) concluded in its current "Hotelcockpit 2017" report. Nevertheless, hoteliers made record investment, the Austrian Hotel and Tourism Bank (OEHT) reported. Whilst the association formulated new political demands of the new government, companies have been plagued by very different, very concrete concerns, as Erich Falkensteiner, Supervisory Board Chairman of Falkensteiner Michaeler Tourism Group (FMTG) told hospitalityInside.com.

Rome. The Italian Parliament approved its yearly budget law just before Christmas. For the hospitality segment, it's a glass-half-empty, half-full scenario.

San Francisco. Earlier this month, the rental platform Airbnb won a court case against major apartment investment and management company Aimco At the same time, Airbnb was hit hard by the new short-term rental rules enforced by the city of San Francisco. Overnight, the P2P website had to get rid of half of its hosts.

Wiesbaden. Adjusting the temperature in the hotel room prior to arrival, finding the desired TV channels in the hotel straightaway? This is possible through digitalisation and the related Internet of Things; also included are an increasing number of robots in the daily routine of the hotel. At the end of 2017, hospitalityInside.com has assembled a few activities that innovative hotel groups are working on at the moment.

London. Exactly one year ago, participants of the at Henry Stewart's Hotel Finance conference in London were told that Angela Merkel was rethinking requirements for free movement of people in the EU which was in fact a gross distortion in the UK popular press of some statements that she had made regretting the human suffering caused by the refugee crisis. Another presenter confidently predicted that a fast-track trade deal with the US was now achievable following the recent election of Donald Trump. One year later, the so-called 'special relationship' is now in tatters, especially following Trump's tweeting approval of a series of videos from Britain First, a radical far right UK group. Which impact will Brexit have on the UK economy and hospitality sector? This question is still open.

Paris. Airbnb is being questioned by the French government about a possible money laundering scheme. The rental platform offers French hosts the possibility of receiving their payment on a card issued in Gibraltar, where bank records are sealed. The Ministry of Finance is investigating the matter.

San Francisco. While major hotel chains are spending billions buying each other, Airbnb scores again through the acquisition of Accomable, a startup based in London that focuses on rentals for disabled people. With full force, Airbnb enters a multi-billion-dollar market frankly ignored by traditional hoteliers. But Morgan Stanley is convinced: Airbnb has reached a saturation point.

Bethesda/London/Toronto. Marriott has teamed with two leading tech companies to launch the hospitality industry's Internet of Things hotel room. Four Seasons Hotels has launched a Chat – a new digital service for instant messages in real time and in more than 100 languages. And Hilton turned the ground floor of its global headquarters into a public space.

Amsterdam. Hoteliers are trying to create a new revenue stream by shortening cancellation windows and charging fees. Will that pay off or scare corporate travelers away? While hotel chains are not all adopting the same strategy, HRS and Booking.com recommend flexibility, a decision-making element for business travelers when it comes to picking a hotel. Also noteworthy is the fact that European chains behave differently compared to American groups.