Hotels Across Germany are Filling Up for UEFA Euro 2024

Hotels Across Germany are Filling Up for UEFA Euro 2024

By Nithyakala Neelakandan

Published on June 8, 2024

With summer fast approaching, excitement is building for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, kicking off on Friday, June 14th. The tournament, set across various locations in Germany, is not only stirring up enthusiasm among football fans but is also significantly impacting hotel bookings throughout the country. Data from Forward STAR reveals notable spikes in hotel reservations aligned with match dates, indicating a busy season ahead for the hospitality industry.

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In the first two weeks of the championship, Cologne is experiencing the highest surge in hotel bookings. As of May 13th, the night of the Switzerland vs. Scotland match on Wednesday, June 19th, has an occupancy rate of 82.3%, with the night before showing 81.5%. Other high-demand dates in Cologne include Saturday, June 15th, for the Switzerland vs. Hungary match (79.6%), with additional matches on June 22nd and June 25th also seeing strong bookings.

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Leipzig is another hotspot, with bookings peaking at 79.3% on June 21st for the Netherlands vs. France match. Stuttgart follows closely, showing high occupancy rates for Hungary's matches against Germany on June 19th (76.2%) and Scotland on June 23rd (72.5%).

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Dusseldorf sees significant bookings for the Austria vs. France match on June 17th, with an occupancy rate of 74.7%. Munich is also performing well, with June 19th showing an 80.1% booking rate ahead of the Serbia vs. Slovenia match, and a 67% booking rate for the Germany vs. Scotland match on June 14th. In Frankfurt, the Denmark vs. England match on June 20th has driven occupancy to 64.0%.

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On the lower end of the spectrum, Berlin and Hamburg have not yet seen as significant an impact. Berlin's highest booking night is for the Netherlands vs. Austria match on June 25th, with an occupancy rate of 54.5%. The city is set to host the championship game on July 14th, with a spike in bookings expected once the finalists are confirmed.

Hamburg shows its highest occupancy for the Georgia vs. Czechia match on June 22nd at 57.7% and for the Poland vs. Netherlands match on June 16th at 53.2%. Interestingly, the night before the Poland vs. Netherlands match sees a notable increase in bookings at 72.3%.

Looking back, the 2021 championship held at London's Wembley Stadium saw significant hotel performance spikes, particularly on the nights of the semi-finals and finals. The semi-finals on July 7th, 2021, reached an occupancy of 84.1% with an average daily rate (ADR) of £143.79. The finals on July 11th saw the highest ADR at £154.13 with 83.0% occupancy. Similarly, the 2016 championship in Paris saw peak performance on the night of the finals, with occupancy at 86.3% and high ADR and RevPAR levels.

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Forty percent of June and July hotel stays in Germany are expected to come from international guests, with a 29% increase in total bookings compared to the same period in 2023, according to SiteMinder. The average daily rate has risen by 11% to €214. In Berlin, the average room rate has increased by 18% to €189, with bookings up by 28%.

The UK leads in international bookings, followed by the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, and the US. This influx presents a revenue opportunity for hotels to offer upgrades, extras, and tailored packages, enhancing guest experiences and maximizing profits.

The anticipation surrounding UEFA Euro 2024 is not only a boon for football fans but also a critical period for the hospitality industry in Germany. With strategic planning and dynamic pricing, hotels can capitalize on this event, making it a memorable summer for all.


Marriott Announces Dividend and Expands Share Buyback Plan

Marriott Announces Dividend and Expands Share Buyback Plan

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on August 10, 2025

Marriott International, Inc. has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 67 cents per share on its common stock, reaffirming its commitment to delivering shareholder value. The dividend will be paid on September 30, 2025, to shareholders who are on record as of August 21, 2025.

Alongside the dividend announcement, the hospitality giant also revealed an expansion of its share repurchase program. The board of directors has authorized the repurchase of an additional 25 million shares of its Class A common stock. This comes in addition to the approximately 7.4 million shares that were still available under previous authorizations as of July 30, 2025.

Marriott has already bought back 6.4 million shares this year, amounting to $1.7 billion. These moves reflect the company’s continued confidence in its financial stability and long-term performance, aiming to strengthen shareholder value through strategic capital allocation.


Chennai Postal Services Still Disrupted: Experts Call for Alternative Systems Amid Software Transition

Chennai Postal Services Still Disrupted: Experts Call for Alternative Systems Amid Software Transition

By Author

Published on August 4, 2025

In what was intended to be a smooth digital transformation, postal services across the Chennai Circle continue to remain disrupted even days after a scheduled upgrade to India Post's new IT 2.0 system. The software transition—part of a broader effort to modernize the nation’s postal network—was implemented on August 2nd and 4th across Chennai North and South divisions. However, officials have now confirmed that technical issues still persist, leaving customers and businesses grappling with delayed or inaccessible services.

Key services such as Speed Post, registered mail, parcel bookings, and money orders have either been significantly slowed or paused altogether in many branches. Despite expectations that systems would normalize post-upgrade, the rollout of the Advanced Postal Technology (APT) system has proven more complex than anticipated.

“We are still working on stabilizing the system. There have been unforeseen glitches post-upgrade, and our teams are actively resolving them,” said a senior postal official who requested anonymity.

The disruption has raised concerns across industries—including the hospitality sector—where timely document dispatch, license renewals, vendor payments, and customer correspondence are crucial to daily operations.

Experts and industry stakeholders are now calling on India Post to introduce alternative operational strategies or backup mechanisms during such large-scale transitions.

“In a digital age where seamless service is non-negotiable, a complete blackout due to a software update is avoidable. A fallback process, whether manual or cloud-based, should be in place to ensure continuity,” said a Chennai-based hospitality consultant.

The hospitality industry relies heavily on postal services for legal documentation, international communication, and procurement logistics. The ongoing delays have caused bottlenecks not just in operations but also in customer experience delivery.

As authorities continue to work toward a resolution, the broader question remains: Should India’s essential public infrastructure be this vulnerable to a single system upgrade? The answer may lie in future-proofing core services with hybrid digital models that include disaster recovery plans and parallel systems.


Hospitalitynews.in will continue to track updates as the situation evolves.


IPO-bound Brigade Hotel Ventures Raises ₹126 Crore from 360 ONE, Cuts IPO Size

IPO-bound Brigade Hotel Ventures Raises ₹126 Crore from 360 ONE, Cuts IPO Size

By Nishang Narayan

Published on July 5, 2025

Brigade Hotel Ventures Limited, the second largest owner of chain-affiliated hotels and rooms in South India, has raised ₹126 crore in a pre-IPO placement round, bringing a strategic investor on board ahead of its planned initial public offering.

The company issued 1.4 crore equity shares to 360 ONE Alternates Asset Management Limited (360 ONE) at ₹90 per share (including a premium of ₹80) in consultation with lead bankers. This placement, representing 4.74% of Brigade Hotel Ventures’ pre-offer share capital, effectively trims the IPO size announced in the DRHP from ₹900 crore to ₹774 crore.

The company intends to use approximately ₹481 crore from the IPO proceeds for debt repayment, including ₹412 crore for Brigade Hotel Ventures and ₹69 crore for its subsidiary, SRP Prosperita Hotel Ventures. Additionally, around ₹108 crore is earmarked to purchase an undivided share of land from its promoter BEL, while the remaining funds will support acquisitions, other strategic initiatives, and general corporate purposes.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Brigade Enterprises Limited, one of India’s leading real estate developers, Brigade Hotel Ventures owns and develops hotels across key Indian cities, with a strong focus on South India. The company operates nine hotels with 1,604 keys, holding the second largest portfolio of chain-affiliated hotels and rooms in South India, spanning Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Pondicherry.

With this pre-IPO boost from 360 ONE, Brigade Hotel Ventures is better positioned to move forward with a leaner public offering, a sharper focus on debt reduction, and strategic expansion in India’s growing hospitality sector.

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