News & Stories
Frankfurt. The German MICE market already experienced a significant upswing last year and the industry remains optimistic for 2023. How much analogue events can catch up even further remains exciting. Not least because the entire MICE industry has to master major challenges, including a pronounced shortage of skilled workers.
Wiesbaden. At Easter, in well-booked hotels and restaurants, tips are flowing again. Also by card? Cashless payment means a reduced tip, Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences believe, and for that reason for the last year have been testing a new model for a voluntary tip lump sum. Other companies see no need for action here, but instead rely on digital billing - without disenfranchising the guest.
Rust. After the pandemic frustration and many disappointments by German politics, it was supposed to be a sign of strength: Ten German hospitality professional associations impressively presented their strengths and élan at Europa-Park Rust last weekend. HSMA, Dehoga Bundesverband and IHA, those professional associations that consider themselves the strongest, did not participate.
Wiesbaden. Within the industry, mergers of hotel operating companies or closures are expected in the coming months, also in Germany. The reasons for this are many and varied. When the wave currently flooding over the industry will subside is uncertain. Managers are struggling after the pandemic; the industry has been hit by multiple crises and the entire situation is just too much.
Geneva. The younger the new hospitality concepts are, the stronger their living character. The boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred, the concepts are growing faster. Suddenly there are hostels, hotels, co-working and co-living under one roof, other concepts rely on communal kitchens and community-owned cinemas... From simple to luxury, everything is there. Whereas serviced apartments have competed with the classic hotel industry up to now, even greater competition is developing in their own segment.
Munich. An AI assistant responds to guest ratings, saving hotels time. But should you simply let the machine get on with it? Well, even MARA, the founder of the software, warns against that. HolidayCheck and TrustYou are convinced that AI responses do not make dissatisfied guests happier. For hotelier Marco Nussbaum, the new tool only supports hierarchical management in the hotel industry.
Munich. New Work is no longer an option, but must find its way into tourism, according to the tenor of a New Work conference at Munich University of Applied Sciences. The term "New Work" encompasses much more than flexible working hours and workation. Seminaris Hotels and TUI AG report on how they implement the concept in their companies. For hotels and even for regions, the topic can advance to a business model.
Salzburg. At the congress of the Austrian Hotelier Association in Salzburg, they not only celebrated but Austria's tourism industry also questioned its role as self-proclaimed "travel world champion". Other countries and dragging politics are putting pressure on the industry – either through bureaucracy or party poker such as the pressuring topic of migration and the work force. The hotel industry continues to struggle.
Paris. This week, the Accor Group announced three big news items of interest to insiders: the sale of the remaining shares in Huazhu, the new soft brand Handwritten Collection for the midscale segment and the new Accor One Living platform as a service provider for investors of mixed-use properties and branded residences. Europe's largest hotel chain is putting all its ambition into now becoming the Living driver alongside Lifestyle - again with a new brand and fewer standards.
Berlin. Turnover, bookings, overnight stays: Most key figures for the German hospitality industry point upwards compared to the previous year. But the industry is skating on thin ice. This is due, among other things, to no-shows, rising costs and Corona aid that has not yet been paid out.