External Articles

The luxury hotel in a cabin: Norway's Fordypningsrommet | cnn.com

How do you squeeze a luxury hotel resort into a cabin? Norway's Fordypningsrommet, on the remote northern island of Fleinvær, has come up with the answer -- "deconstructing" everything you'd want from high-end accommodation into a cluster of beautiful buildings scattered across an outstanding Arctic landscape. The property consists of nine separate cabins, each serving a different purpose and all with spectacular views. There's four for sleeping (the resort accommodates a maximum of 12 guests) one for cooking, a sauna and a bathhouse.

Hotel booking sites face probe over ‘pressure selling’ tactics | telegraph.co.uk

Hotel booking websites including Expedia, Trivago and Booking.com face an investigation by Britain’s competition watchdog over the way they display information to consumers. The Competition and Markets Authority said it was concerned about the use of techniques such as "pressure selling", the way discounts are applied, and how hotels are ranked in search results. CMA chief executive Andrea Coscelli said around 70pc of people looking for a hotel last year used these sites and they should all be confident they were getting a good deal.

Airbnb Properties In Switzerland Growing In Number | tourism-review.com

The Valais Tourism Observatory estimates that by the end of the year there will be 3 million Airbnb overnight stays – approximately 8% of the 35 million hotel overnight stays.

Since 2014, the Valais Tourism Observatory (Tourobs) has been monitoring the development of the Airbnb properties in Switzerland and especially in Valais canton.

The analyses carried in 2015, 2016 and early 2017 showed a strong increase in the number of properties and beds and quite distinct territorial disparities. A new study provides an overview of the current Airbnb offer in Switzerland, based on the primary data collected by Tourobs at the end of June.

Beautiful bedrooms, perfect pints and delightful dining: The AA names the UK's best hotels, pubs and restaurants in its 2017 Hospitality Awards | dailymail.co.uk

They are considered the industry's gold-standard accolades – and, here, MailOnline Travel can exclusively reveal the winners of AA's Hospitality Awards 2017. The annual ceremony took place at London's Grosvenor House Hotel today after a panel of judges spent twelve months travelling the country, where they sampled the nation's ultimate pubs, restaurants and hotels. As part of their research they tasted moreish morsels, slept in sumptuous surroundings and consumed a cocktail of beverages across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

London Tourism Expects Further Investment And Promotion | tourism-review.com

It has become a tradition over the last four years: the mayor of London launching the autumn cultural season of the British capital in the presence of several hundred VIPs and the cream of the crop of London's cultural institutions.

On the 31st of August, Sadiq Khan upheld this tradition during a soiree held at the Museum of Natural History, in Hintze Hall, where a gigantic blue whale skeleton was recently suspended from the ceiling.

In the context of this pre-Brexit period, Sadiq Khan the successor to the flamboyant Boris Johnson – the current Secretary of State for foreign and Commonwealth affairs of Theresa May's Conservative government – spared no effort convincing patrons of London's appeal.

Top 10: England hotel deals | telegraph.co.uk

Browse and book our Top 10 exclusive hotel offers in popular locations including Yorkshire, Cotswolds, New Forest and Devon. These offers include exclusive rates on five-star rooms, fine-dining restaurants, weekend spa breaks, afternoon tea and complimentary tickets to a range of local attractions and events.

Report: Trump Couldn’t Find a Hotel Room in Hamburg - nymag.com

When President Trump lays his head to rest tonight in Hamburg, Germany, he will reportedly be doing so in a government-owned guesthouse. That wasn’t his first choice, but after the White House was unable to find a ritzy Hamburg hotel to host him, it was Trump’s best option. It’s unclear if Trump encountered so many “no vacancy” signs because his team is disorganized or because he’s reviled. BuzzFeed blames staffers who got a late start booking Trump’s travel plans. By the time they began searching for hotels in Hamburg, all the rooms were booked.

UK's Hospitality industry's rapid growth under threat without Government support, report claims - telegraph.co.uk

The hospitality industry’s stellar growth since the financial crisis could be halted and start to fall by 2021 if the Government continues to overlook it, a new report has suggested. Research by Ignite Economics, carried out for the British Hospitality Association, has predicted the sector’s workforce could begin to drop by 2021 with the contribution it makes to the economy also falling as cost pressures from wages and business rates bite alongside a potential labour squeeze once the UK leaves the EU.

Turkish court rejects appeal against ban on Booking.com | reuters.com

A Turkish court has rejected online travel agent Booking.com's appeal against a ban on its activities, broadcaster NTV and the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper reported on Friday.

An Istanbul court banned Booking.com on March 29 for an undisclosed period of time, ruling that the company had violated competition law.

Safestay moves into Europe with acquisition of U Hostels | thecaterer.com

Luxury hostel brand Safestay is to expand overseas following its acquisition of the U Hostels portfolio of three leasehold properties for €3m (£2.6m).

U Hostels comprises two sites in Madrid and one in Paris. The Madrid properties include a 226-bed luxury hostel with a 15-year lease and the adjacent apartment block made up of 14 one-bedroom and 20 two-bedroom apartments, which will open in 2018 following renovation.

Spiritual Tourism In France On The Rise | tourism-review.com

Whether tourists or pilgrims, more than 51 million people visit religious sites every year in France according to Atout France. Formerly practiced by pilgrims alone, spiritual tourism today attracts an increasingly large and international audience.

Spiritual tourism in France is unceasingly bringing new visitors to the country. Each year, more than 15 million visitors come to explore one of the seventeen shrine cities in France and the trend is on the rise.

Portuguese Hotels – Off-season Tourism Is Reaching New Highs | tourism-review.com

Off-season tourism in Portugal reports positive numbers – two million guests stayed in local hotels in January and February, which is an increase of 11% over the same months last year. The Minister of Economy regards the main impact of the growth on the employment rate. Usually, the first two months of the year are low-demand months. But the boom that is taking place in Portuguese tourism has already reached the off-season.

Chinese Tourists Spend More In Germany | tourism-review.com

Chinese tourists in Germany spend on average 513 euros per day in Munich, which is more than the Arab visitors (367 euros), according to a recent survey by the Bavarian Trade Association. Visitors from China do not look for luxury goods only, but also cover medium-sized shops and department stores.

The Bavarian Trade Association examined the purchasing behavior of the Chinese tourists in Munich for the first time and included only 153 Chinese visitors. The results however correspond to the experience of the local sellers, according to the association spokesman Bern Ohlmann.

Hospitality leaders hit back at Guardian article which highlights poor treatment of staff | thecaterer.com

A newspaper article that published personal accounts of debauchery, bullying, excessive hours and sexism in hospitality businesses does not fairly represent the industry and involves only a “tiny minority”. That’s according to industry leaders who have united in response to a feature in the Guardian on Saturday, which criticises the sector for its treatment of employees.

Winter Tourism Destroying The Alpine Landscapes | tourism-review.com

Alpine winter tourism is one of Austria’s most important economic sectors, but it is also one of the largest drivers of natural disasters in the countries’ mountainous landscapes. Reaching 30,000 kilometers in length, the ski slopes of the Alps cover almost three quarters of the earth’s circumference. 11,000 lifts and cableways are already available. Nevertheless, 164 new facilities are planned in the Alps, 82 of them in Austria. This will lead to further overload of the natural areas and increased ecological footprint.

Italian Tourism Destinations Popular Especially Among Europeans | tourism-review.com

A recent survey by the Bank of Italy on Italian tourism revealed that 2016 was a successful year compared to 2015. Italian travelers went abroad in greater numbers – 64.6 million (in 2015 it was 62.8 million people). In terms of foreign inflow there was an increase as well – reaching 82.9 million visitors compared to 81.6 million people in 2015.

In 2016, Italians spent 22,336,000 euros for traveling, which is the highest figure in the last five years. In 2015 they spent 22,012,000, while in 2014 about 300,000 euro less. Major peaks in the spending were registered in the summer season, mainly August, when Italians spent about 3 billion euros.

France Is Under-exploiting Its Cultural Heritage | tourism-review.com

A report delivered to the government pointed out that France's cultural heritage was often “too distant from important tourist routes” and calls on all players in the French tourism sector to work together for the common good.

France's cultural heritage, its museums and monuments, is still often too far away from the main tourist routes. With more than 14 000 monuments classified as historic and 42 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, France has at its disposal treasures which arouse great interest, but which often “suffer from a lack of notoriety”, was the summary given by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Marc Ayrault.

'Crane treehouse' rises above Bristol docks | theguardian.com

Bookings open for listed crane offering visitors a room with a harbourside view. Spending the night in “alternative” locations has become a travel trend in recent years (hotel rooms = boring, remember), with guests getting the chance to stay in unusual digs such as an Ikea store, a bookshop, up the Eiffel tower and, now, suspended from a crane.

Cyprus Tourism Announced Record Revenues In 2016 | tourism-review.com

In 2016, the Mediterranean island of Cyprus accrued its highest ever tourism revenue, taking advantage of, among other things, its popularity as a destination for British and Russian tourists – according to the official numbers published recently.

Located in the eastern portion of the Mediterranean, Cyprus tourism authorities recorded the revenue amounting to 2.36 million euros, an 11.9% increase compared to the 2.11 million recorded in 2015 – according to official statistics.