News & Stories

Vienna. The subject of freedom from barriers seems to be an enormous obstacle for many people. It is ignored or dismissed with a couple lip-services. This will end in Austria on January 1, 2016. Then, the transition period for the law regarding the equalisation for persons with impediments that came into force in 2006 will run out for all companies in this country. This means: All goods, services and information that are intended for the public must be offered without barriers. Even the experts do not know yet what exactly this means for the catering trade and hotel industry. However, special platforms are good advisors and aids.

Eschborn. Best Western announced a new corporate structure in Europe. Through the merging of three individual Best Western country organisations, an even stronger marketing and distribution power is to be achieved. Ten countries alone will be merged under a single roof in Germany. In addition, the countries' head office in Greece will gain new importance.

Vienna. For the past few weeks, the guests of the Viennese Hotel MagDas have been looked after by 20 asylum-seekers. For many years, a portion of the staff at the Seminarkultur in Wesenufer on the Danube have been those with physical or mental disabilities. And in the Schoen district the construction of Schoen fuer Alle, a small hotel operation of a charitable organisation that up to now, has been experienced in assisted living, will soon begin. Social and charitable organisations are increasingly penetrating the hotel business. Generally speaking, the social approach is not being lost in the process.

Much. The integration of handicapped staff members into hotel operations has not only been a subject in the industry since the lack of skilled labour. The German-based Embrace consortium with more than 40 hotels alone has already been employing staff members with a handicap. The spectrum of the Embrace members reaches from the youth hostel up to the conference hotel. There are frequently social associations standing behind them, as for example, a charity. The operations must nevertheless earn money. What they lack is recognition and marketing. Others are now sensing an industry trend within the subject.

Paris. In trying to achieve more direct bookings, French hotel group Accor is not only strengthening its own distribution channels, but also acquiring more and more IT companies involved in booking processes.

Munich/Vienna. The hospitality industry is furious. In Austria, higher VAT looms and the smoking ban has been resolved; in Germany, the sector is suffering under the weight of a new flood of bureaucracy following the introduction of minimum wage. But the industry is no longer putting up and shutting up. Both managers and staff have taken to the streets in protest, or have resigned.

Munich. The longing of travellers for the "authentic life" in their destination has evoked a new trend in recent times: Slum tourism. Slum tours in Johannesburg, Rio, Mumbai or other cities are becoming increasingly more popular. This trend is controversial, but can nevertheless be a cause for the positive. A supplier of slum tours in Mumbai, Reality Tours & Travel, was distinguished with an award during ITB 2015 for socially responsible tourism.

Berlin. The new sharing market has revolutionised market standards, so much is clear. The model used by Airbnb & Co works because providers satisfy client emotions in a targeted and uncomplicated way. Will the hotel industry be on the losing side? It looks like it, but it isn't, as a current study by the Berlin-based marketing consultancy DICON shows. The hotel industry and sharing economy contradict and supplement each other, Managing Director Robert Wissmath says. In the recent study, he looks for the second time at the sharing trend. In 2013, he looked at the new movement under the aspect of "social tourists". Now, he takes the subject further.

Worms. An empiric study by ITB Berlin and the University of Applied Sciences Worms has analysed the experiences of users of the private accommodation booking platforms and has come to the conclusion: Those who have used private accommodation once will remain with it and are lost as a hotel customer.

Florence. The UNA Hotels & Resorts affair is finally at its turning point. After a long waiting period, Fenice Holding decided to conduct exclusive negotiations with Unipol Gruppo Finanziario SpA in order to finalize a merger between the Florentine hospitality company UNA and Atahotels.