News & Stories

Munich. The first two days at the Expo Real 2017 Munich knew just one scenario: packed halls, hectic crowds, non-stop meetings and networking to excess. The sector is already breathless, working as if there were no tomorrow. Is this the fear that the bubble is about to burst? Even the experts attending the hotel conference completely denied this was the case. They see no end to the boom, at least not in Germany.

Amsterdam. The city of Amsterdam has too many tourists. To stop the flooding, the municipality is banning all new hotel development and is encouraging investors to check out opportunities in the Amsterdam region. A new strategy has been established to showcase all the assets and qualities that the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region has to offer to attract potential hotel developers. Good timing one would say as many of them are looking for new opportunities. 2017 promises to break a new record in terms of investments.

Frankfurt/Main. German buyers love vacation rental properties. But in which regions and countries they invest, not least depends on the planned investment amount. A study examined the investment behavior of the Germans.

Paris. In order to reassure international tourists, local police have come up with a new label certifying whether a property is secure enough or not. Answering to many criteria already – in a self-evaluation – Louvre Hotels Group is the first chain to secure the certification for ten properties. AccorHotels is supposed to follow.

Zurich. The number of hotels in Zurich is rapidly increasing – and not only in the Limmat metropolis but also in Unterland. Investors see great potential, especially in the low-budget segment. The last hotel opening with the second Motel One in Switzerland boosts this estimation. Next year, the international budget brand B&B will join, and many more have been announced for a long time. The budget chains are making an appearance now because Switzerland has mainly distinguished itself through its numerous hotels in the 4 and 5-star segment so far.

Barcelona. Terrorism seems to have less effect than before on travelers' behavior. From London to Berlin and most recently Barcelona, tourists are showing a certain resilience to terrorism. Hotel bookings and occupancy have remained the same and cancellations only reached single-digit levels. Barcelona has also announced a ban on more hotels from 2019.

Rome. Events are diminishing, but their average attendance as well as the total number of delegates is growing in Italy. Moreover, an increasing share of congresses today is of national and/or international relevance.

Zagreb/Vienna. In the Whitsun week, the last rolls of new turf were still piled up at the completely refurbished Girandella Resort in Rabac. There, guests were already being given the red carpet treatment. And with success: Booked out! Valamar Hotels reflects the current boom on the Croatian market. Valamar Riviera AG invested 873 million kuna in 2016, primarily in the refurbishment of its hotel product. For 2017, it plans to invest a further 704 million kuna, as the Supervisory Board confirms. The persistent demand boom in Croatia has reduced the risk for the investment.

Bellevue/Washington. Airbnb is gaining ground among business travelers. Soon, the rental platform's listings will be shown among major hotel chains like Marriott or Hilton on Concur's online booking tool.

Milan. Europe's long wave of the real estate hospitality market's good performance has finally reached Italy. New figures recently released by the independent consulting firm Scenari Immobiliari confirm the momentum of the Southern European country. There is no doubt that many reasons behind this positive trend are to be found in geopolitical trends or the Brexit effects. In their annual report, Scenari Immobiliari in partnership with Allegroitalia Hotel & Condo describes that investors are noticing "the presence of premium assets located both in the country's main cities and in secondary as well as tertiary locations". Most worrying: the huge increase in supply coming from non-hospitality operators. It already started more than ten years ago, even before Airbnb's appearance – but the platform is obviously making the situation even more problematic.