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HOTREC workshop on Hospitality and Security,
21 March 2018, Brussels
MEP Breakfast on online platforms, 10 October 2017,
European Parliament
2017
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2018 HOTREC ANNUAL REPORT
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15
CORE EVENTS
During the past 12 months, HOTREC organised high-level events aimed
at promoting the hospitality industry’s key messages towards European
policy and decision-makers and at facilitating debates.
HOTREC MEP Breakfast in the European Parliament on
transparency of online platforms
On 10 October 2017, HOTREC organised a policy breakfast in the
European Parliament on the role of online platforms in making the
digital single market fair and transparent to boost jobs and growth in
the tourism sector. The event, kindly hosted by MEP Isabella de Monte,
gathered High Level speakers from the EU institutions and European
stakeholder organisations, therefore allowing for a fruitful exchange of
views.
HOTREC pointed at a number of practices from major online platforms
which undermine transparency and trust in the online tourismmarket, as
well as competition.
The Commission’s views were presented by Ms. Veronica Manfredi
and by Mr. Werner Stengg (respectively Heads of Units at the European
Commission’s DG Justice and DG Connect), who have both worked on
the new EU legislative proposals which aim at increasing transparency
and fairness in online platform environments, both in B2C and B2B
relations. MEP Anneleen van Bossuyt, Chair of the European
Parliament’s IMCO Committee, and Mr. Guillermo Beltra from the
European consumer organisation BEUC also expressed their concerns
regarding the untransparent operation of platforms. ETTSA, the trade
association representing platforms in the travel industry, failed to bring
answers to the many concerns raised by HOTREC and the participants.
The concluding remarks highlighted the need for stepping up actions
at EU level to better regulate online platforms operations in order to
benefit both consumers and businesses.
HOTREC workshop to address Hospitality and Security
On 21 March 2018, HOTREC organised a workshop on Hospitality
and Security kindly coordinated by Mr. Paul Moxness, Senior Vice-
President, Safety & Security, Radisson Hotel Group, in order to
raise Members appreciation on the current state of play of
tourism and security in the UNTWO, the European Commission, and
also the OSAC (Overseas Security Advisory Council, U.S. Department of
State). The event provided HOTREC Members with the opportunity to
discuss with a team of 6 recognised experts in the field: Mr. Dirk
Glaesser, Director, Sustainable Tourism for Development, UNTWO,
Mr. Andrea Volkmer, Policy Officer, Counter-terrorism, European
Commission, Mr. Jonathan Dunbar, EMEA Director, Sibylline, Mr. Paul
Moxness, Mr. James Gooding, Director of Global Intelligence,
InterContinental Hotel Group and Mr. Dominique Couppé, Security
Director, Louvre Hotel Group.
First step taken by HOTREC will be the development of a library
of publicly available resources for its Members.
“There should be a level-playing
field for all actors in today’s digital
economy andmore transparency
both towards businesses and of
course consumers.”
MEP Isabella De Monte, 10 October 2017, HOTREC
policy breakfast in the European Parliament
“Meeting our duty of care”