News & Stories
Munich/Cologne. Consolidation continues: in the third week of January of the new year, Cologne-based investor and project developer Art-Invest bought the GHOTEL hotel & living Group with 17 business hotels. "Now we are a fully integrated group," says Art-Invest Managing Director and Head of Hotels, Dr Peter Ebertz, explaining the final step into the operative business
Bregenz. It was probably one of the most "political" annual conferences ever of the Austrian Hotelier Association in Bregenz this week. It showed what a great lobbying organisation the industry association has become – in both senses of the word. The new old Minister of Tourism, Elisabeth Koestinger, did not hesitate to demonstrate her solidarity with the industry. She publicly praised the joint constructive work for the corresponding issues in the new government programme.
Munich. Within this new decade, there will be more changes than in the past 30 years. And the hotel chains will realise their asset-light model is dying that they are solely managing their brands, that their loyalty programmes are a bubble, and their distribution channels an illusion. And their customers will hardly be able to satisfy asset-light chains, as they are no longer travellers but owners and investors. At the start of the year, Richard Adam, who grew up in a hotel family, became a hotel and tourism marketing specialist and is working as an international consultant today, speaks frankly about the silent earthquakes across the sector tearing the current hospitality business apart.
Atlanta. Airport hotel operators should prepare for new trends in the terminals. In the next decade, taxis will fly and airports will think for themselves. The traveller will be totally controlled, as will his or her journey.
Berlin/Salzgitter. A new online guide is now to set to help shed some light on the complicated issue of subsidies for the tourism industry in Germany. The federal initiative is also geared towards the hotel industry. The platform is now live.
Wiesbaden. Rising land and construction costs are driving up prices for hotel buildings in Europe – and have a massive impact on room sizes in sought-after city locations. And now there are even 4-star hotels like Radisson with rooms in the 16 sqm budget format. Will we end up with rooms the size of rabbit hutches or is a counter trend in sight? An interview with architects Peter Joehnk, Oliver Massabni and project developer Olaf Steinhage.
Fribourg. Aevis Victoria plans to become a hotel chain of national importance in Switzerland. The owner of the Victoria-Jungfrau Collection just added eight properties – sold by Credit Suisse for a discount.
Paris. No longer had Huazhu acquired Steigenberger, Accor announced a partnership with the Chinese distribution giant Alibaba. Yet Accor owns 10.8% in Huazhu, behind is the founder of Ctrip. Now, four weeks later, it plans to sell Huazhu shares amounting to around 5% in the company. A withdrawal by instalment?
Hamburg. Mixed use projects only work with reliable partners, affordable technology and digitally networked real estate. Only then does the neighbourhood thrive. That was the quintessence of the third "H3" think tank, which challenged experts gathered in Hamburg from the fields of Housing, Hospitality and Healthcare to put forward their perspectives. It became clear: Investors in particular do not see the need for comprehensive thinking, planning and partnership concepts. So much irresponsibility when it comes to buildings that will stand around for decades drives startups the flush of anger to their faces.
Berlin. According to various reports, Germany is on the verge of an economic downswing. Initial figures speak for themselves. What are the consequences for the hotel industry and the hotel investment market? The fear of a slowdown of the domestic economy has become greater than the fear of geo-political risks and the lack of skilled labour. Some experts remain positive while other industry players start to react.