Regulatory and Legal Affairs

💸 30 July: The APPG for Hospitality and Tourism released findings on a proposed 5% visitor levy on English overnight accommodations, warning of risks to tourism spending, investment, and employment, especially in coastal and rural areas. Recommendations include a full regulatory assessment, reducing VAT to 10%, consistent national regulations, and a minimum 12-month implementation period. It stresses fair engagement with the industry and transparent reinvestment of levy revenues for economic growth.

🏡 In 2026, vacation rentals face the critical challenge of double-booking prevention. A channel manager is essential to avoid overlapping bookings, which can lead to refunds, cancellation penalties, and negative reviews. This tool is crucial for property owners to manage reservations effectively and enhance guest satisfaction. As the demand for seamless booking experiences grows, opting for a reliable channel manager becomes vital for efficient rental management.

📱 Last week, the European Commission issued binding measures to Google under the Digital Markets Act. Google must provide equal AI service access on Android and allow third-party search engines to access Google Search data. APIs must enable third-party AI to function like Google Gemini, with extensive device access. Google can charge fair fees for search data access. Compliance could lead to potential privacy issues and device performance impacts. The guidance imposes significant demands, aiming for a level playing field.

📈 Cheval Collection has appointed Alyona Antonenko as general counsel. Antonenko, with over 20 years of cross-border hospitality experience, joins to support company expansion in London and Dubai. Cheval Collection, managing over 950 units, opened Cheval Maison – Expo City Dubai in March 2025, and plans openings in Riyadh and Sulaymaniyah in 2027 and 2028, respectively. The company aims to leverage its 45-year heritage for growth. Mohammed Alawadhi, Managing Director, welcomes her expertise.

🛅 Peak-season Saturday chaos: double-booked rooms due to a sync lag, mismatched website and wholesaler rates, and five incompatible tools. The scenario underscores challenges in hotel distribution systems. 📉

💸 Jul 29, 2026: Google fined €460 million under the Digital Markets Act for hotel search issues. Parity clause removed across European Economic Area, allowing hotels to price rooms cheaper on their own sites. Despite this, hotels often maintain previous pricing behaviors. In contrast, airlines retained online customers with only 13% of revenue through OTAs in the US. Attempts like Travelweb and Room Key failed due to inadequate marketing budgets. Long-term guest loyalty remains key in the hotel industry.

🏨 Dallas leads the U.S. hotel construction boom as of Q2 2026 with 183 projects and 22,840 rooms. Atlanta is second, featuring 157 projects with 17,423 rooms. The data comes from the Lodging Econometrics' United States Construction Pipeline Trend Report. Released in Portsmouth, NH, on July 27, 2026, this report highlights the cities experiencing significant growth in the hospitality sector, marking a vibrant trend in new hotel developments.

🏠 Micro-resort operators often mistake homeowners insurance for sufficient coverage, yet these properties operate as businesses. Jessica Villarreal, a commercial insurance expert, advises on essential coverage: commercial property, liability, business interruption, and workers' compensation. For unique amenities like hot tubs and saunas, underwriters evaluate safety measures. Remote locations can impact insurance availability and cost. Growth necessitates coordinated insurance strategies, and legal structures like LLCs help protect personal assets. Choosing a broker over online quotes offers tailored advice and comprehensive protection.

🛌 The House of Lords has debated an amendment to the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which would exempt hospitality businesses with fewer than 500 staff from mandatory reporting. The amendment aims to ease administrative burdens for multi-site operators. It focuses on the hospitality sector's unique model and seeks to address rising employment costs, inflation, and recruitment pressures. The proposal does not intend to weaken equality but to adapt regulations to the sector's structure, with government backing required for final adoption.