Trendsetters don't only think digital

Berlin. The Chinese Plateno Group is already operating the first hotel of its brand 7 Days Inn in Ansfelden near Linz in Austria; the hotel in Puch near Salzburg is to open in April. The group wants to enter Europe only selectively; however, partnerships are desired – in both geographical directions. In China, the market leader has obtained more power through the participation of Jin Jiang, and the loyalty programme and WeChat have become influential tools for customer loyalty. The figures are staggering. At the hotel conference, the "ITB Hospitality Day", Plateno's Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer Eric Wu explained in a discussion with hospitalityInside's Editor-in-chief, Maria Puetz-Willems, the strategy of the Chinese hotel giant and the background for its rapid expansion course.

Berlin. Fighting hard to regain control over their distribution and most importantly over their customer data, even major players in the hospitality industry have lost ground over the years to OTAs and metasearch engines. Yes, hotels are resisting, but isn't it a lost battle? During last ITB' Hospitality Day, one session moderated by Wilhelm Konrad Weber, partner at Swiss Hospitality Solutions touched on many topics and what’s more, with two very talkative guests: Terri Scriven, Industry Head of Hospitality at Google UK and Peter Verhoeven, Managing Director EMEA at Booking.com. Both explained how dynamic and exciting the travel world was becoming, noting that many new disruptive players are entering the game. Consolidation, acquisition, innovation, disruption, etc. The distribution landscape is evolving and with it, mentalities and consumer expectations. So, who is fitted to win over the client?

Berlin. Seldom has a participant in a discussion at "ITB Hospitality Day" during ITB Berlin received such attention as was the case with Mario. Visitors would love to have hugged the 57 cm "tall" robot with mischievous eyes; at least, they all wanted to take a picture of him. The Japanese female robot ChihiraKanae seemed a bit more wilful although she had humanoid features and attracted a great deal of interest at the ITB Marketing and Distribution Day. There were many topics for discussion concerning robots and their impact on the work environment – with the sober recognition that the programmed beings are able to find their way into the hotel industry faster than anticipated. Fred Fettner provides a summary.