A toast to the future!

Munich (October 15, 2021). The depressive phase is over, confidence prevails again. Expo Real 2021 has taken place! The hotel industry also had reason to toast to this industry emerging from a historic low. It laughed and celebrated again this week, among others with HospitalityInside at the networking event BRICKS & BRAINS. There were new and thoughtful discussions at the Expo Real hotel conference and with her many interlocutors at the two joint stands of the "World of Hospitality". We also captured everything in pictures... Your direct link to YouTube! More details…

Editorial: We've survived!

Dear Insiders,

I’ve never seen so many happy faces in a crisis! Expo Real made it possible this week, the "hotel family" was able to come together once again. The restart was a success. And the message from the hotel industry: We've survived! And we will live on!

With around 30 exhibitors - half as many as in 2019 - it held the flag high for the entire industry - and higher than expected. Hoteliers have already had their first positive talks with banks and investors. Exhibitors and visitors alike praised the quality of their discussions and the less hectic pace in the halls. And the trade fair was also pleased to welcome 19,200 participants - more than expected.

The aisles were very busy on Monday and Tuesday, even with many last minute appointments. Five minutes before the start of the hotel conference, the Forum was still eerily empty - by 10 a.m. sharp, all 80 seats were occupied and the last few were already lining up at the back. And it stayed that way the whole day.

In the magazine, Susanne Stauss and Sylvie Konzack have summarised the discussions about operators and creditworthiness, about hotel real estate in the stress test and the new diversity in hospitality following the pandemic. Both these contributions are a current reflection of market woes and market trends.

From everything, I discerned a new, unexpected background: Self-criticism. Hoteliers, investors and developers described their pandemic fears, their hesitations, their worries, their solutions. They were realistic descriptions and clear affirmations in favour of change.

How do you feel about the current market situation? Tell us! Visitors as well as subscribers will find access to the current hospitalityInside "Investment BAROMETER" in cooperation with Union Investment on our page 1 as well as here. How do you see the changes in the real estate classes directly after Expo Real? Take the survey here.

Today we are not only summarising Expo Real, but all our events in September and October (see page 1): from our HITT Think Tank in mid-September to our current impressions from our joint stand World of Hospitality, as well as the Expo Real hotel conference and of course our networking event BRICKS & BRAINS, which started with an “explosive atmosphere", quite literally:

One hour before the start of the event in the new Adina Werksviertel Munich, the 84m-high hotel tower had to be evacuated: An aerial bomb had been found on the neighbouring property. As well as overseeing the guest evacuation, the fantastic Adina team managed to move the entire set-up including food for our event with 120 guests to a safe alternative location 100 meters away within 45 minutes! 88 guests still managed to make their way through traffic chaos, roadblocks and police checks. The last ones walked the last mile, one switched from the taxi to an e-scooter...

What an appreciation for the event, what a cheerful mood, despite the hardship! The bomb was defused, the mood remained excellent and later everyone went to the Adina for a guided tour of the hotel... HospitalityInside says a big thank you to EVERYONE, but especially to the Adina team with Matthias Niemeyer at the helm (photo) !!! This industry rises to any challenge! We've always felt it, now we know it.

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief 

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com