News & Stories
Wiesbaden. Instead of having to repay any sums customers have already paid for booked rooms or trips which have been cancelled owing to corona travel restrictions, vouchers to be used for the payment of equivalent services at a later point are one means of securing essential liquidity for many tourism companies. The German government wants to mandate the acceptance of such vouchers, but so far failed to be able to do so as a result of EU law. Now, each company is working individually on ways to convince customers to accept vouchers - in some cases by expanding the services offered. Will this prevent the collapse?
Augsburg. The global standstill in tourism produces horror figures. At the same time, the panic of tourism providers and hotel entrepreneurs is increasing, now also in otherwise so level-headed Germany. The voices after the easing of restrictions and freedom of travel are getting louder. Politicians are holding out against it. And Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is creating its own facts: The coastal destination wants to welcome tourists starting May 1.
Berlin. The coalition committee in the German Bundestag responded to a demand by Dehoga during the night from Wednesday to Thursday by lowering the VAT rate for food served in restaurants from 1 July, 2020 for a limited period until June 30, 2021. It should be clear to all those involved that this measure alone will not be enough to save hotels and restaurants from the current crisis.
Berlin. Currently, German Dorint Hotels are losing one million euros in turnover per day; Motel One is losing 20 million euros in liquidity per month at the moment. Most hotel groups are not even commenting on their misery. The crux, however, remain the rent respites, which do not help the hotel industry at the moment – just as most KfW loans also do not. 70,000 insolvencies are imminent, according to the German Hotel and Restaurant Association. However, the association does not officially support a moratorium, as proposed by Motel One and ZIA, the German Property Federation. Instead, it is celebrating the reduction of the value-added tax for the gastronomy, which was accepted by the Federal Government on Wednesday evening – but is limited to one year only.
Berlin. The priorities of an umbrella organisation and concrete proposals are what get through to the politicians. The general demand for a reduced value added tax is the completely wrong signal, which results in the German Hotel and Restaurant Association failing in the current corona crisis with its existence-threatening financial difficulties, says Frank Stauss from Berlin. The renowned political consultant is a more frequent guest on talk shows than Ingrid Hartges, Dehoga's leader.
Munich. "Politicians and associations are forgetting the present," says Dieter Mueller at the end of his interview criticising the measures taken so far by the German government concerning the hotel and restaurant sector. The aid packages do not solve the industry's current problems. Everyone is just talking about the time after the shutdown. "Until then, the burden of a crisis will be very unevenly distributed," says the founder and CEO of Motel One. The 64-year old, crisis-tested entrepreneur is very concerned about the current situation – because it can push 2.4 million employees in the industry and the entrepreneurs into social isolation through no fault of their own. Dieter Mueller therefore wrote a letter to the crisis management team and proposed a "rent moratorium". "You cannot stop one wheel in the economy and let the other wheel continue."
Munich. Home office, short-time work, crisis scenarios, never-ending talks with business partners... Dealing with hotels closed in a crisis is more work than operating them during normal times, Duncan O'Rourke said during the interview with hospitalityInside.com. In contrast to many other executives, who steadfastly refuse to talk to the media over this difficult period, Accor's COO Central Europe is committed to transparency. Nevertheless, he remains cautious, aware of the unpredictability of the current situation.
Augsburg. From the exuberant abundance of current news about the corona virus, hospitalityInside.com has selected "snippets": The focus today is on attempts to track down the corona virus with AI and tracking systems.
Leipzig. How will Germany develop after Easter? What paths could politics take and what effects would these have on the economy? This question has now been addressed by another future institute which has developed five scenarios. mrp Hotels from Vienna will then present its market calculations – facts for the future.
Wiesbaden. As a result of Corona, the whole world has greatly reduced or completely stopped travelling. A phenomenon that the hotel industry has never experienced before in its globality. An overview of initial reactions and strategies of three major international hotel chains affected in every corner of the globe: Marriott, Hyatt, IHG.