Do we have to wait for the next desaster?

Paris/Berlin (June 10, 2022). "For the first time, we've reached real momentum, a sweet spot, as it were, on sustainability. And for the first time, all stakeholders are paying attention: Pressure now comes from all directions, simultaneously." The apparently depressing environmental situation is a huge motivation for Brune Poirson. As of May of this year, she has been Chief Sustainability Officer at Europe's largest hotel group, Accor. "And this is exactly the right time to make serious changes to business towards sustainability," she says, trying to motivate the hospitality industry. She herself is one of the politically relevant personalities in Paris on the subject of sustainability.

Editorial: Crime fever, bottlenecks and fears

Dear Insiders,

Hotels in Germany are slowly dying. And it’s in Berlin that it’s most visible. Conversions are in full swing, new projects are hardly possible. Construction costs make hotels unattractive. The fixed lease is coming under pressure. Renegotiations are taking place, with developers looking to kick out inconvenient operators. The merry-go-round has begun. And now, it's all blowing up in the industry’s face. Life is the best writer of crime stories. Read how investors and operators are responding to the acute pressure..

The Ukraine war has consequences in every country. That is why the EU now wants to help its member states. Unions are otherwise warning of the death of thousands of businesses this summer, including those in the hospitality industry. All companies with liquidity shortages are entitled to direct grants, guarantees, loans and credits with subsidised interest rates. Aid must be linked to increases in energy prices. We summarise the measures in France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Radisson CEO Federico González has no fears about the future. Business is picking up strongly almost everywhere in the Middle East and Europe - welcome back to 2019! González is also reviving old expansion plans, especially the 2019 co-branding with the Chinese parent company. The Jin Jiang and Radisson names will soon be emblazoned on 40 properties around the globe! The Chinese will flock again... It will be all right at Radisson... Will it? By the way, our conversation took place before the deal with Choice that was announced last week.

Meanwhile, individual news items show that the temperature is rising, especially in the financial and investment sectors: Accor just bought lifestyle creator Ennismore in September 2020, now it's already selling 10.8% of that same investment on to Qatar. The Student Hotels, previously perceived as a mini-group, secures €2.1 billion for international expansion.... And on we go with the 2019 hype...

The current summer season will make many hoteliers in many countries both sweat and shiver. We summarise the woes in Germany and Austria.

Heidelberg will become Europe's first circular city - finally a courageous project from this land of procrastinators. arcona Hotels, on the other hand, are looking for new ways in their microcosm: They now also motivate their employees with a new booklet that places emphasis on working together.

We round off this issue with our usual personalia and news from the market. On Sunday we’ll be off to Berlin and on Monday and Tuesday we are very much looking forward to our 5th HITT - another small anniversary in our 18 year history. www.hitt.world

It's set to be a hot one again this coming week; so keep cool.

Yours, Maria Pütz-Willems
editor-in-chief 

Your opinion? maria[at]hospitalityInside.com