News & Stories

Bethesda/Washington. First, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson congratulated Donald Trump on his victory, now the hotelier is already facing redirected bookings. New York sees visitor numbers decreasing. Two days ago, a representative Kayak survey revealed alarming reactions of British and German travelers if they were asked for passwords to their social media accounts.

Frankfurt. The fourth luxury fair “loop”, which took place once more at the Kempinski Gravenbruch in Frankfurt, was again fully booked. This makes the organizers initiate a sister event in South Tyrol this upcoming November – due to the high demand from the German-speaking region.

Berlin/Ahlbeck. SeetelHotels, one of Germany's biggest resort operators, sits on the isle of Usedom and in its 25th anniversary year celebrates the success of its 16th hotel – the Kaiserstrand Beach Hotel in Bansin – as well as the construction begin of its 17th hotel, a children's hotel.

Berlin. There were probably a lot of things that went well for a trade show that turned 50 last year. For the past couple of years, however, critical voices are getting increasingly louder, at least from a hotel business point of view. The sentiment indicator for the trade show continues to drop. Observations from 2017.

Berlin/Shanghai. All signs point to a successful premiere. Three months before the event, ITB China is booked up and trade visitors can now start registering for the show. From 10 to 12 May 2017 around 600 organisations and companies will be represented in the new marketplace of the Chinese travel industry. New main exhibitors are already being placed on waiting lists due to the high demand.

Rome. There are growing trends spurring Italian hotel performance: an increasing number of museum visitors in the country with the world's most UNESCO heritage sites and the rising expenditure by foreign tourists. Still, Italy has not been able to take full advantage of the tourist flows escaping from southern Mediterranean destinations, while the Jubilee year in Rome hasn't brought the hoped for results. Italian 2016 data on tourist performance show contradictory trends. The figures from Italy don't match STR data. But the awareness of the sector's importance is increasing politically. Finally, there is a master plan for tourism 2017-2022.

Washington DC. Trump's travel ban has been suspended by a federal court but damage to tourism businesses and the image of the destination USA are a big concern for industry professionals. Hotel chains are awkwardly quiet about the issue. Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson plays down the issue, only Choice Hotels is calling for free travel.

Athens/Munich. Greece suffers economically, but tourism shows a positive trend – despite all photos of refugees. The overall trend motivates strong Luxembourg-based funds: They now invests 250 million Euros in various properties of the Ikos/Sani Hotel Group with resorts on the islands of Corfu, Kos, and Chalkidiki. These are said to redefine all-inclusive – to a top luxury level, on par with Four Seasons – and to further expand a destination resort to a tourist magnet. Dr. Andreas Andreadis, President of the Greek tourism association, among others, is involved in the operating company.

Munich. At a press event in Munich, AmanResorts presented itself as a success story. The litigation is over, a new sales and PR team has been established and the next big vision is wellness.

Rome. The earthquake that hit Italy's central regions again has also shaken the local tourism industry. In some of the provinces suffering, tourists have nearly disappeared. Rome is also worried.