Duesseldorf. The online advertising market in Germany grew to EUR 6.47 billion in 2012. Currently accounting for 21.8% of the media-mix, the internet is the second most popular advertising medium after TV and has increased its lead on the print media market for the third year in a row.

Munich. Dieter Mueller is deeply relaxed. In Munich, in front of him on the conference table there are Scottish whiskey candies in a bowl; they are a sweet symbol of the successful Motel One launch in Edinburgh in January. There, the egg chairs by Arne Jacobsen, which are typical for Motel One, have a tartan pattern; however, apart from that, the German low budget design chain wants to remain faithful to its chosen path, also abroad. The success proves the chain right, as shown in the annual report 2012 last week: the net profit is nearly 21 million Euro, which is six million more than in the previous year. Where does the founder and CEO of the Motel One Group see the saturation limit of a city, which micro locations is he aiming for, will he be able to maintain the fixed-rate model abroad, and when will he sell? Dieter Mueller and his wife Uschi Schelle-Mueller, responsible for marketing and design in the business, openly talked with hospitalityInside.com about the status quo and the tricks of the trade. "Before we feel the pain, the world has to be suffering really badly," says Mueller relaxed.

Berlin/Parsippany. The deal with Wyndham was obviously brought about with some haste - that Grand City Hotels would in one fell swoop terminate 14 contracts with three franchise partners in Germany came as quite a surprise though. There was confusion at Accor, InterContinental Hotels Group and Best Western last weekend as nobody behind the scenes could discern a sensible strategy. Then, news of the Wyndham deal trickled through. And the listed US chain, the world's largest franchisor, was forced to go public with the deal on Wednesday: As of March 1, 2013, thirty-three and from 2014 a further ten hotels will be rebranded. Overnight then, Wyndham has established a huge foothold in the much-praised German hotel landscape.

Paris. Very slowly but wisely, the Buddha Bar Hotels Collection is spreading accross the world, starting with Europe. After Prague opened in 2009 and Budapest last September, the French group George V Eatertainment, will open its third unit in Paris within the next 2 months. Stranded between the boutique hotel for cosyness and the palace for quality of service, the groups's target is to become a luxury hotel collection, with a dozen of urban resorts and up to 6 beach resorts.

Berlin. "The capacities in the Hostel, Low Budget and Budget segments are slowly pushing toward their limits. In any case, there will soon be a clear market settling." Sascha Gechter, still the Managing Director of Meininger through to April, forecasts this. Last week, the first German hotel group in the Low Budget segment was entirely taken over by its shareholders, the British tour operator Holidaybreak. In 2012, the group produced a revenue of approximately 43.3 million Euro with its hostel and hotel model. Approximately 50 million Euro is planned for 2013. Was this the right time, in the middle of the budget boom, to sell all shares? As a German company, Meininger was only 14 years old. What made its success, what mistakes did others make? Sascha Gechter casts his gaze on the market and the Meininger history.

Eschborn. In 2012, Best Western Hotels Germany was able to take up its 200th hotel and be happy about record revenues. Along with this, the group is always keeping the optimisation of their own reservation avenues in the forefront. Moreover, they are working at full speed on brand-wide staffing concepts in view of the menacing lack of professional forces.

Munich/Vienna. The opening of the second angelo hotel in Munich last week provided an opportunity for an update on the strategic progress of the Austrian-based Vienna International hotel company. CEO Dr. Andreas Karsten, who has been in office since September 1, 2011, reported on the company's healthy financial state, stronger focus on mixed-use property and the intended expansion boost in Germany. On an international level, the company is concentrating on Russia and the neighbouring CIS states.

Vienna. The attention turned toward tourism policy was the most important benefit of the Austrian Hotelier Consortium. Both exiting presidents, Peter Peer and Sepp Schellhorn, emphasized this at the annual conference of the industry consortium in the Viennese Hofburg this week. For its 60th birthday, the OEHV has reached the highest peak of its history with more than 1,200 hotel operations. The appropriately self-confident OEHV was also in the presence of its guests of honour, the Austrian Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer and Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Reinhold Mitterlehner. "The policy unabashedly and deeply reaches into the purses of the enterprisers," criticised both hoteliers. However, the new presidential generation, the freshly chosen hoteliers, Gregor Hoch and Michaela Reitterer, also left no doubt in their political ambitions: "Jobs up, Taxes down!" they demanded with a firm voice.

Davos. During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, CEOs of two major hotel groups urged governments to move quickly to ease visa restrictions. Both Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton Worldwide and Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, explained how easing visa restrictions would stimulate global travel, create new jobs and spur economic development.

Munich. "It began with 1,000 hoteliers and 2,000 opinions," jokes Susanne Weiss, Managing Director of Ringhotels. Today, the consortium has all the reason for celebration: The consortium will be 40 years old on the 25th of January. Susanne Weiss herself is only the fourth "boss" of the mid-class consortium. The consortium with the symbolic-laden ring in the logo laid down a meteoric start in 1973: 98 hotels had already joined it within the first year and today, there are 130. Even then, the family-controlled operations foresaw the new competition by the US chains that pressed for the German market; today they move at eye level with them thanks to the central distribution and marketing efforts of Ringhotels. However, the private hotels are currently troubled by quite different problems. A look back and forward.