THIS year’s ITB Berlin will see the first all-day Hospitality Day at the ITB Convention Market Trends & Innovations, with a focus on the merits of low-cost hotels, energy costs, pricing in the hospitality industry as well as the merits of mega brands versus mini-chains.

To be held on March 9 from 10.30am to 5.30pm, Hospitality Day will focus on innovative strategies, marketing, concepts and technology and will be chaired by Maria Pütz-Willems, editor-in-chief, hospitalityinside.com.
’Pricing in the Hospitality Industry’ will be the first topic to be dealt with at the ITB Hospitality Day, examining where hotels could achieve considerable savings with their pricing structures. This seminar will offer numerous suggestions on the subject of pricing and will be introduced by Prof Dr Hermann Simon, chairman and founder of Simon, Kucher & Partners, Strategy and Marketing Consultant. Also participating will be: Jürgen Fischer, president commercial operations Hilton, Markus Lewe, regional vice-president Revenue Strategy Marriott International - Continental Europe, Kristie Willmott, Jumeirah International and André Witschi, chairman of the board, Accor Hotels Germany.
Other seminars include a focus on the subject of energy costs and the use of renewable energy in the hotel sector; ‘New Luxury and New Customers’, which looks at whether private hotels and mega-chains versus mini-chains, with Simon Cooper, president & COO, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Sir Rocco Forte, chairman of the board of Rocco Forte Hotels, and Claus Sendlinger, CEO & president design hotels; and a focus on the boom in low-cost hotels, chaired by Russel Kett, general manager of the consultancy HVS, London, with guests Stelios Haji-Ioannou, London, founder of the easyGroup and easyHotels, Michael Mücke, general manager Accor Economy Hotels Germany, and Philippe Weyland, general manager Motel One Germany. Also being discussed is the importance of the right location, under the topic, ‘Why is Berlin different to London?’