Tag: europe

Briefing: The opportunity and challenge of hospitality alternatives

Posted on by Guy Lean

A report by JLL has found that serviced apartments account for less than 10% of total room inventory in London – and in UK regions account for only 3.9%. This highlights that there is still a lot of opportunity for serviced apartments and other types of alternative accommodation to grow. But are these relatively new products less attractive to investors?

Four hospitality experts discuss the performance of hotel alternatives:

JLL’s report found that there are over 1,500 serviced apartment rooms due to open in London between now and 2019. This shows that the sector is only going to become more mainstream, and with that there will be more evidence on performance for investors.

As discussed in the above videos, some regions across the globe, such as the US, have a bigger alternatives market than others. JLL states that the number of serviced apartment rooms vs hotel rooms in Singapore is higher than in London with 10% of total room supply.

In Europe, the market is still developing. According to JLL, the key serviced apartment operators at the moment are AccorHotels, The Ascott Limited, BridgeStreet Global Hospitality, Frasers Hospitality, and Go Native. They also state that some up and coming operators are Staycity, Zoku and Starwood Capital.

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Political risk from ‘Brexit’

Posted on by Guy Lean

The EU referendum, which will take place in just under a month in the UK, has been the cause of much political debate. Fears have been stirred up about the potential negative impact of either outcome. But how has this affected investor sentiment and how would the UK’s exit from the European Union impact business in the hospitality industry?

Four hospitality and investment professionals discuss ‘Brexit’:

The referendum is just one example of how political uncertainty can affect business. Any potential disruption or change to regulations and the way business is done could be classed as a ‘risk’ that need to be factored into a business’s decision making at least in the short term.

Some examples of warnings arising throughout the campaigns, about the longer term effects of the decision, are that Leaving the EU would ‘spark year-long recession‘ and that Staying would increase the UKs population and put the NHS under “unsustainable” pressure.

Last year ICSA reported that 63% of boards said a UK exit from Europe could be potentially damaging to their company.

The European Union – often known as the EU – is an economic and political partnership involving 28 European countries. The UK’s exit from the EU has the potential to impact everything from immigration, to the environment, to procedure around working abroad, to law making itself.

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Ctrip and OTAs globally

Posted on by Guy Lean

In January Ctrip invested US$180m in MakeMyTrip Limited, India’s largest online travel company and also entered the UK market by buying a majority stake in Travelfusion, a UK-based meta-search website.

The words OTA and disruption have almost become synonymous in the hospitality industry. Ctrip is a major OTA in China and is now making an impact across the globe. Ctrip’s pricing methods are also relevant to rate parity discussions across the industry.

In these videos experts discuss Ctrip and the OTAs’ disruptive potential across the globe.

Constant deals and consolidation in the OTA market means that the powerful are getting more powerful, and as discussed above rate parity is not yet an issue the industry has put to bed.

Ctrip was launched in 1999. It’s net revenue for 2015 was US$1.7 bn. Accommodation reservation revenues increased 44% year-on-year, reaching US$713 m, and transportation ticketing revenues increased 51% year-on-year, reaching US$688m.

Ctrip’s agreement with MakemyTrip means that it “may beneficially own up to 26.6% of MakeMyTrip’s outstanding shares. Upon completion of the investment, Ctrip will acquire the right to appoint a director to the MakeMyTrip board of directors.”

Ctrip claim that its relationship with Travel fusion will “enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of [Ctrip’s] IT system by leveraging Travelfusion’s advanced technology” as well as “further extending [Ctrip’s] leadership in China’s international travel market”

Last Year Ctrip also acquired a stake costing $400m in eLong, its rival OTA in China.

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: OTAs vs hotels in the rate debate

Posted on by Guy Lean

Rate parity agreements, which have allowed OTAs to match any low price openly offered on hotel sites, have recently been a sore point between OTAs and hoteliers.

This year, regulators across Europe have been scrutinizing these clauses. In July, France passed a law banning rate parity. Before this in January, a German Court upheld a 2013 decision to stop an OTA using a ‘best price’ clause.

This briefing offers a variety of perspectives on the OTA/hotel relationship:

Regulators who have been looking at these agreements include the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK, as well as Competition Authorities in France, Italy and Sweden.

In 2013 in Germany the OTA Hotel Reservation Service was stopped from applying a rate parity clause on the grounds that it restricted competition and did not benefit the consumer.

One way hotels have been able to get round these clauses is by offering discount to loyalty members. Ibis hotels is currently advertising that its website prices are 5% cheaper than anywhere else, but reading the small print, this is only if you have a membership card.

The British Hospitality Association has supported the decisions in France and Germany and has encouraged the UK government to follow suit.

They have argued that rate parity is unfair because, according to BHA, when an OTA matches a low room rate it is also taking up to 35% of the rate as commission. The organisation say agreements between hotels and OTA’s are, “too costly and one sided at this point.”

This Summer Expedia and Booking.com both announced pan-European changes to their agreements with hotel partners.

These agreements can work both ways, and stop OTAs offering reduced rates, and can also apply to other distribution partners such as high street travel agents.

There is still debate as to how much the removal of rate parity clauses will ultimately affect the enormous power of the OTAs.

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Video clips produced by ybc.tv for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Guest satisfaction – Meeting expectations

Posted on by Guy Lean

A new study from J.D. Power has found that the overall hotel guest satisfaction score in the US has risen to a record high of 804 out of 1000 in 2015.

It is a different story in the UK. A survey by Hotel Info looked at guest satisfaction scores in Europe. The UK only scored 7.39 out of 10, which put them second from bottom in the list and far behind the top ranked Slovakia, which had an impressive score of 8.22.

So what makes the difference in these scores, and how important is guest satisfaction anyway? Our experts discuss how to ensure guests have what they want:

J.D. Power’s 2015 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study is in its 19th year and this is the first time the overall score has passed the 800 point, having risen 20 points from 2014. The factors covered in the score are; the reservation, check-in/check-out, guest room, food and beverage, hotel services, hotel facilities, and cost and fees.

The study suggests that there are two very important elements in achieving good scores. One is that staff anticipate needs and offer friendly service. The second is that the overall operation meets the guest’s expectations of that hotel. The expectation element will vary depending on the branding of the hotel, whether it is a luxury or a budget hotel, and the cost. Guests expect to get what they pay for, and seek out good value.

The survey put The Ritz-Carlton top of the luxury segment, and put Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham top of the Economy Segment in the US.

Hotel Info’s survey of six million guest evaluations compared guest satisfaction in cities in the UK.  Sheffield had the highest score in the UK at 8.03 whereas the UK’s biggest market and capital city, London, lagged behind with a score of 7.12.

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Video clips produced by yBC for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: Growth and opportunities in Russia

Posted on by pmalone

Russia’s hospitality market is young compared to other European destinations. It is growing as a destination and the number of outbound Russian travellers is also increasing. It is a unique market covering a vast space and has highly populated cities. Supply at the premium end of the market in the main cities has met demand. It is now the regional markets and midscale market that hold the opportunities.

In this briefing experts outline how they see the Russian economy, and what challenges Russia holds. Comment from:

  • Scott Antel, Partner, DLA Piper Rus Ltd  on the regional Russian markets

  • Robert Shepherd, Chief Development Officer – Europe, InterContinental Hotels Group on why it’s worth a visit to RHIC

  • Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on Russia growing as a destination and a source market

  • Aron Libinson, VP Development – Russia, CIS & Georgia, InterContinental Hotels Group on the opportunity for growth in Russia

 

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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: The recession has taught the industry about good deal making

Posted on by pmalone

There is optimism in the industry. Conferences are once again full of positive talk about growth and development. But while deals are flowing again, it is important not to take a growing economy for granted. So what should companies be thinking about when putting together deals? How has the industry adapted? What upsets might lie down the road?

In this briefing four experts discuss the post-recession environment. Comment from:

  • Clive Hillier, Chief Executive Officer, Vision Hospitality Asset Management on why deal-makers are avoiding risky gearing post-recession

  • David Fenton, Senior Economist, RBS on business never being easy

  • Gabriel Petersen, Managing Director, The Blackstone Group on Europe learning a valuable lesson from the economic downturn

  • Andrew Sangster, Editorial Director, hotelanalyst on the industry bouncing back and flushing out bad deals

 

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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interview from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: the future of Europe

Posted on by pmalone

An established market like Europe is one which comes with intrigue, pitfalls and opportunity. The harsh reality of the recession has allowed businesses to reassess and re-analyse growth strategies for their organisations.

There is no doubt that Europe is a complex environment with huge opportunities in certain markets, next to markets which you would struggle to understand any involvement at all. In this briefing we hear expert opinions on the European market and the optimism they see for the continent. Including comment from:

  • Majid Mangalji, President of Westmont Hospitality Group on the difficult times Europe has faced
  • Philippe Baretaud, SVP – Head of Development Europe, Middle East & Africa for Accor SA on exponential expansion for Eastern Europe
  • Patrick Sanville, Director – Hotels of BNP Paribas Real Estate on the silver lining the recession has bought
  • Nick Skea-Strachan, Partner – Hotels of Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP on Southern Europe continuing to struggle
 


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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: the time to budget

Posted on by pmalone

One of the latest developments in European hospitality is the very bullish view of the budget hotel sector. Consumers are willing to compromise on luxury if it means a fair price. This increased competitiveness is being seen across the European market leaving much of the mid-market sector being squeezed and having to reassess their hotel product.

What does the future hold for the budget sector? And how will hoteliers look to capitalise on this new wave of excitement? All these components are discussed in this briefing, including comments from:

  • Peter Verhoeven, COO – ibis Brands Europe for Accor SA on the sectors increasing competitiveness
  • Josh Wyatt, Director – Hospitality & Leisure for Patron Capital Advisers LLP on the booming sector in Europe
  • Patrick Dempsey, Managing Director of Whitbread Hotels and Resorts on the ingredients of a successful budget hotel
  • And Rob Gray, Director – Head of Hotels & Leisure – West Register Property for RBS Global Restructuring Group on the hotel product that is on the rise
 


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Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

Briefing: the potential for European growth

Posted on by pmalone

With the slow recovery from the global economic crisis in Europe and the growth in markets in the Middle East and Asia, it is likely that European countries and cities will struggle for some time.

What Europe does have on its side is maturity and some don’t believe the doom and gloom sentiment. The secure markets of London and Paris will always remain but picking further opportunities will be a bit more of a challenge.

Experts this week discuss the difficult task for the European continent and what needs to be done to get back to pre-2007 stability. Comments this week include from:

  • Rob Seabrook, Head of Hotel Transactions for Savills on the uncertainty seen in Europe
  • Nick van Marken, Partner & Global Head for Travel, Hospitality & Leisure for Deloitte on reasons to be optimistic about Europe
  • Patrick Sanville, Director of Hotels for BNP Paribas Real Estate on the continued growth of London and Paris
  • And Thomas Page, UK Head of Hotels & Leisure for CMS on provincial rates struggling in Europe
 


If you’ve been sent to this page but you’re not yet on the circulation list to receive these regular briefings and you would like to sign up, you can do so here. It’s free.

Video clips produced by ybc.hpgcms.wpengine.com for the Hospitality Channel, including interviews from industry conferences such as the most recent IHIF conference as well as specific Hospitality Channel shoots.

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