News & Stories

Berlin. The German Social Democratic Party in the coalition government suggested raising the reduced value-added tax for the lodging sector from 7 to 19 percent. It is not only the hotel association that is up in arms. The sector would then again be at a disadvantage compared to the rest of Europe.

San Francisco. Heading towards an IPO, the pressure is mounting for Airbnb to diversify its offerings and justify its mammoth valuation. Will the IPO be as overhyped as Uber's and other Unicorns? Meanwhile, Airbnb's market share is increasing in the world of hotel chains. New ideas like developing its own shows and films is spurring on fierce competition.

Vienna. Austria is seeking a unified, country-wide reporting obligation and mandatory registration for offers in the sharing economy. The country, whose main source of income is tourism, plans to make booking platforms as well as lessors responsible for fulfilling their duties. Politicians and hotel experts are closing ranks now for the draft bill.

Rome. Airbnb must collect and pay the 21% flat tax on short-term residential rentals, better known in Italy as "cedolare secca". The Administrative Court of First Instance of Latium rejected the request by the online portal for the right not to play the role of withholding agents, as the measure provides for.

Berlin. FF&E, part four: With today's contribution of the hotel team of the hotel consulting company Horwath HTL Germany and Trinavis Wirtschaftsprüfung Steuerberatung from Berlin, our series on FF&E concludes. Finally, author Nils Neuwerth, lawyer and real estate economist, will focus on the contractual implementation of the FF&E models and give advice on how to negotiate and draft tenancy/lease agreements for hotels with regard to FF&E.

Berlin. FF&E, Part 3: Today's instalment of our four-part series put together by the hotel team of the hotel consultancy Horwath HTL Germany and Trinavis, an audit and tax advice company based in Berlin, focuses on taxation under the various arrangements and the requirements for trade tax relief.

Paris. Airbnb is finally collecting city tax on behalf of thousands of municipalities across France and will pay them back 24 million euros this year. Paris will get the lion share. In America, the first market for Airbnb, the company is looking for ways to bolster its inventory and make itself beautiful for an eventual IPO. Talks have been going on with discounter HotelTonight.com, but have gone cold… for now.

Berlin. FF&E, Part 2: The hotel team of the hotel consultancy Horwath HTL Germany and Trinavis, an audit and tax advice company based in Berlin, described in the first instalment of this four-part series the differences between a ready-to-go lease and a turnkey usufructuary lease. And states: Certain FF&E models place a one-sided burden on the owner or the operator. For this reason, it is important to ensure burdens are shared fairly in the respective contractual arrangement. This is what tax consultant and senior boss Anke Bendschneider deals with in today's article.

Berlin. FF&E is one of the most difficult things about hotel operations. The abbreviation stands for Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment. Together with Operating Equipment, it's the cause of many a discussion with owners, operators and also with lawyers. In a four-part series, the hotel team from the hotel consultancy Horwath HTL Germany and Trinavis GmbH & Co. KG, an audit and tax consultancy in Berlin, take a look at the right approach to FF&E. To begin the series, they focus on "ready-to-move in" leases and the "turnkey" usufructuary lease. Authors of the series are Anke Bendschneider, tax consultant and senior manager, and lawyer and land economist Nils Neuwerth, both of whom form part of the hotel team at Trinavis.

New York. Airbnb starts the year 2019 with a victory against the city of New York. Last week, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer suspended the recent city law that is forcing Airbnb and HomeAway to share certain data about their listings.