Category: Recent News

Beyond Green – a global portfolio of some of planet Earth’s most sustainable hotels, resorts, and lodges – has announced the addition of seven new members. These properties, spanning Africa, Europe, and Latin America, are committed to adhering to more than 50 sustainability indicators aligned with global standards and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Hampton by Hilton is famous for its baked-by-guests Belgian-style waffle and celebrated for its innovative breakfast menu, consistently delighting guests with delicious options. This success is driven largely by the creativity of Hampton by Hilton’s dedicated breakfast attendants and newly appointed Waffle Bosses. These exceptional breakfast hosts have been recognized for creating unique recipes with the brand’s signature and seasonal waffle flavours. Among them, Waffle Boss Chris from Hampton by Hilton High Wycombe stands out for his mastery in the art of waffle-making.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with César Pérez, Director of Quality and Sustainability at Vincci Hotels, for another episode of the Shiji Insights podcast. Our conversation touched on several critical themes in hospitality today—hyper-personalization, employee satisfaction, sustainability, and the role of technology. It made me reflect on how the industry is evolving and, importantly, what remains unchanged: the significance of the human connection.

Passengers screaming on airplanes and causing them to land, mad men throwing food at the drive-thru, ladies storming around stores and shouting about their rights… Who hasn’t seen a story like this recently? These types of incidents are a daily occurrence, and they often seem unavoidable, but are they really? Sure, customers can be a handful and sometimes their dissatisfaction can lead to epic blowouts. However, there are ways to deal with even the most difficult customer, but it definitely requires the superpower of emotional intelligence.

At an impressive €10.6 billion, European hotel transaction volumes increased by 123% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to our latest European Hotel Transactions survey.

As the curtains closed on the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Global Summit in Perth, Western Australia, the global tourism body announced the Italian capital of Rome as the host city for the 2025 WTTC Global Summit.

With the global tourism sector shifting towards greater sustainability, the meetings at the Organization’s Madrid headquarters advanced work around effective governance and harmonized measurement and monitoring.

LONDON – Leading travel marketplace Skyscanner, is today publishing a new report exploring the latest trends in global travel. Titled Skyscanner Horizons: 2024/5 spending, planning and destination insights, the report unpacks and explores a combination of consumer survey and proprietary search data to provide a unique view of how travellers are thinking about their plans for the next 12 months.

Swiss Life and B&B acquire 22 hotels in France from Grape Hospitality, Alchemy Step Hotel Group acquires FLI Group, Art-Invest acquires four B&B Hotels in Germany from Covivio, Nrep acquires Clarion Hotel Stockholm from Aspelin-Ramm, Extendam and Vicartem acquire the Atlas Hotel Brussels in Belgium, SCPI Comète acquires the AZ Orus Factory Hotel in Zaragoza, Spain.

Coming out of a high-inflation, high-interest-rate environment, which negatively impacted hotel transactions in Europe in 2023, transaction activity increased to the highest levels since 2019 in the first half of 2024. Reaching €10.6 billion, the total volume transacted increased by 123% year-on-year, already reaching the total volume for the whole of 2023. There were 20% more transactions this semester, with a decrease of 11% in the number of rooms per hotel, translating into a 30% increase in price per room over H1 2023.