News & Stories

Rome. The sun was bright in the Italian summer of 2015. Yet, some clouds remain on the horizon, especially concerning employment issues: a clear signal that the industry’s recovery has started but still needs some help in order to stabilise itself and gain the necessary consistency. This is the scenario of the Italian tourism sector drawn from data collected by industry associations, research institutes and the National Statistic Agency.

Vienna. Austria's hotel industry was taken by surprise as news trickled through that it was to make a contribution to financing the 2016 tax reform. The jump in VAT appeared too high. Protests from the industry didn't miss their target though. The result is a highly complicated compromise with curious reasons for different VAT rates.

Wiesbaden. At the beginning of August, a press release from AccorHotels surprised the franchise sector. The French hotel group terminated a franchise agreement with Norse Hotels Scandinavia and as a result lost 13 hotels in Sweden in one fell swoop. A dramatic act, something which is unusual for Accor. There is friction in most franchise partnerships, but such splits are rare. hospitalityInside.com questioned both franchisors and franchisees with a view to determining which situations can lead to warnings or terminations and also allowed various MDA partners to have their say. Against the backdrop of the Expo Real in Munich, which has just ended, at which franchisor and franchisee were celebrated as the motors of expansion, here is an interesting background article.

New York. Last month, a trend analysis report published by New York University, showed how the US hospitality industry was making billions out of ancillary fees – revenue generated by “non-room” sources. According to Professor Bjorn Hanson who conducted the study, the trend will only grow. Following the 2014 record of 2.35 billion dollars, total fees and surcharges collected by US hotels are indeed forecast to increase to another record level of 2.47 billion dollars in 2015. If this amount remains impressive, it is still seven times less than the over 15 billion dollars US airlines collected last year in bags, seat preferences and reservation changes fees. Yet, 2.47 billion dollars extra revenue is more than welcome for American hotels, which could use some extra cash in their battle against giant online booking platforms and sharing economy businesses. There is a tiny problem though…the customer.

Wiesbaden. The dimension of the refugee wave to Germany and Austria has reached an unexpected magnitude and winter is just around the corner. Accommodation possibilities are not only largely exhausted in the regions near the borders. An increasing number of hoteliers are receiving inquiries regarding accommodation and the first German chains such as Maritim and H Hotels are even making entire hotels available. A great deal is happening behind the scenes in Austria and the OEHV industry association is helping, mediating and pitching in where it can. And: The industry that is desperate for staff members – in both countries – is hoping for the desired manpower through the integration of the asylum-seekers and is sending corresponding appeals to the policy makers.

Amsterdam. Whether they are made of ice, salt or sand, ephemeral hotels were the beginning of the pop-up hotel trend. Opened for a season only, they were designed to surprise and offer a unique experience before melting down or disappearing with the wind. Nowadays, the term pop-up goes beyond "making an appearance". Today, it denotes exclusivity, innovation, originality and flexibility. It is all about the experience and the wow factor. Made out of safari tents during English summer festivals, of luxurious cabanas on a sandy beach in Mexico, of a container entirely transformed by hipster designers from Belgium, of a foldable XXL box or of a portable hotel on wheels … pop-up hotel concepts are often original, sometimes confidential, always fully booked.

Wiesbaden. The duty of documentation introduced with the Minimum Wage Act in Germany as from January 1, 2015, has placed a significant burden on the hotel industry. Amendments announced this summer by Minister for Employment Andrea Nahles have changed little here. The minimum wage and the associated duty of documentation causes the biggest problems for restaurant kitchens, it appears. Here, hoteliers have had to shorten opening times and some are even questioning the existence of their gourmet restaurants.

Heilbronn. The introduction of the minimum wage in Germany in January 2015 has raised personnel costs in the hotel industry - and in the catering industry significantly. An even greater burden, so the industry reports, is the associated duty of documentation. This is underlined by an online survey of 1,512 hoteliers and caterers, conducted by the Heilbronn Institute for Applied Market Research of the University of Heilbronn, supported by Dehoga and the German International Hotel Association.

Duesseldorf. Whenever large hotel groups present their half-year or annual results, the phone rings more often than usual at consultants: "This is when comprehension questions and questions about intercompany comparisons pile up," says Karl-Heinz Kreuzig, Managing Director at bbg-Consulting in Duesseldorf. The callers are not only family hotels, but mainly chain hotels. In this guest contribution for hospitalityInside.com, the consultant with more than 50 years experience in the hotel industry and gastronomy explains how the revenue of hotels can be analysed and controlled via cost accounting. "Hidden cross-subsidies often burden the hotels' results for decades. They are extraordinary revenue reserves if they are identified early enough."

Berlin. What about a washing machine in the lobby? Guests at apartment hotels will love it... it was certainly one of the more amusing and provocative thoughts bandied around among the 100 participants at the Serviced Apartment Camp hosted by The LivingHotels and Derag Livinghotel Koenigin Luise in Berlin. Large brainstorming sessions under the motto "Let's go wild" brought together all sorts of ideas for the apartment hotel of the future. A current study by HVS also attests a great future for the young segment.