Regulatory and Legal Affairs

📈 The Irish Hotels Federation welcomes the new five-year National Tourism Policy, aiming to boost economic and social contributions. Tourism supports 1 in 10 jobs, including 69,000 in hotels. The government targets €9bn overseas and €5.8bn domestic tourism revenue by 2031. Goals include 6-7% annual revenue growth, 9% employment rise, 45% emissions reduction by 2030, and 90% digital tool adoption by 2031. VAT on food services reduced in Budget 2026.

🏨 Dec 3, 2025, the HSMAI Europe roundtable reveals key insights into the hotel industry: OTAs maintain implicit power without formal parity clauses, impacting rate competitiveness. Booking.com faces gatekeeper obligations, unlike Expedia, due to quantitative thresholds. AI platforms risk commoditizing hotels, prioritizing price over brand. Social platforms like TikTok and Instagram emerge as direct booking channels. Hotels in mature markets, such as Mallorca, show better OTA balance, highlighting the need for disciplined channel management and direct booking strategies.

📱 IRIS reported a 42% year-on-year increase in mobile orders, processing over 4 million orders annually across 2,000 hotels worldwide. The largest mobile order was over $1,500, and a hotel processed more than 8,000 orders in a month. The biggest day for revenue was February 15, while the second was August 30. Guest wait times reduced by 10 minutes, boosting efficiency. Popular items include burgers and coffee, with mobile ordering in countries like the USA, UK, and Australia.

📚 ADA Cosmetics introduced EcoClassic, a sustainable accessory range, amid rapid changes in hotel amenities. Driven by anti-plastic laws, CSR, and guest demands, manufacturers now focus on quality, eco-friendliness, and efficiency. ADA's sustainability report highlights this industry's shift.

📝 HOTREC, Ceemet, the European Banking Federation, and WEC-Europe urge the EU to simplify and enforce the social acquis. One year after the European Commission's agenda to simplify rules, the social acquis now includes 70+ legal acts, creating complexity for SMEs, particularly in hospitality. They emphasize simplification should be ongoing and not deregulation, and stress enforcing existing rules over creating new ones. HOTREC aims to boost competitiveness and employment in Europe.

🛠 UKHospitality (UKH) welcomes the government's revision of the Employment Rights Bill, set for 2025. The update abandons the proposal allowing unfair dismissal claims from day one, opting instead for a six-month threshold; employees previously needed two years. UKH advocates against immediate statutory sick pay changes, citing impacts from minimum wage and business rates adjustments. Kate Nicholls, UKH chair, supports the revision for maintaining youth employment and reducing costs for hospitality businesses.

🚨 Trafficking affects all 50 U.S. states, with 80% of victims utilizing hotels. Recently, a Georgia hotel paid $40 million in damages. About half of U.S. states require trafficking awareness training for hospitality staff. Large events like the Super Bowl increase trafficking risk. Hotels should educate staff on signs, establish reporting policies, partner with law enforcement, and implement anti-trafficking plans. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888.

🛌 California, New York, Illinois, and Washington are shifting hotel amenities from single-use toiletries to refillable dispensers to reduce plastic waste and comply with regulations. Refillable systems lower costs, minimize waste, and require less housekeeping effort. They provide a modern, eco-friendly guest experience, gaining guest approval. Concerns include wall installation and hygiene, but modern solutions address these. Refillable dispensers are becoming the standard across US hotels, aligning with evolving guest preferences and regulatory demands.