Podcast
The Upgrade: EMEA Hospitality News
Hosted by CoStar News Hotels · EN
CoStar News Hotels' Terence Baker brings you the latest hotel news from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Kerten’s Marloes Knippenberg on hotel branding, experiences
Apr 2300:41:58Tap to summarizeOn this episode of The Upgrade, Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality, said her and her company’s goal always has been to bring a fresh approach to the hotel and hospitality scene, starting a little more than a decade ago when owners began to want something different from a long list of brand standards. In the podcast with Terence Baker, news editor, EMEA, Knippenberg said that owner sea change more or less came in parallel to new demands of guests for more experiences.
Transcribe →Cervus’ Chris Mumford on labor, C-suite hires in the hotel industry
Apr 200:31:13Tap to summarizeThe world of work is changing, with younger generations likely to have several careers, not just one linear one, said Chris Mumford, managing director at Cervus Leadership Consulting.
Transcribe →Christie & Co.’s Carine Bonnejean on European hotel transaction volumes
Mar 1900:30:24Tap to summarizeChristie & Co.’s Carine Bonnejean joins the podcast to discuss how Spain and Italy top the table of hotel investment appetite in Europe. Italian destinations beyond Milan, Rome and Venice are coming to the attention of hotel investors.
Transcribe →Global hotel market standouts from 2025 (with STR's Sarah Duignan)
Feb 1900:29:37Tap to summarizeSTR’s Sarah Duignan joined The Upgrade podcast to discuss global hotel performance highlights from full-year 2025 data, including the huge impact of Formula 1 races in markets such as Abu Dhabi.
Transcribe →How the UK budget will affect hospitality with Bridget Baker
Dec 2200:31:55Tap to summarizeVeteran hotel and hospitality consultant Bridget Baker, owner of Bridget Baker Consulting, joins the show to talk about how the U.K. government's November budget has put more pressure on hotel operations across the country.
Transcribe →CEO Oliver Winter on a possible new brand for A&O
Nov 2000:28:27Tap to summarizeA&O Hotels & Hostels has expanded its name to include hotels and is pondering the establishment of a premium or luxury hostel brand, so said its CEO Oliver Winter, with its newly acquired hotel, the former DoubleTree by Hilton, Docklands Riverside, likely to be the test case.
Transcribe →The return of the Chinese traveler to Europe (with China Daily's Mingjie Wang)
Oct 2300:25:29Tap to summarizeChina Daily's Mingjie Wang joins "The Upgrade" to discuss the full recovery of Chinese outbound travel demand and how hoteliers can get their market share.
Transcribe →Sustainability and hotel profitability, with HoCoSo's Katharine Le Quesne
Sep 2500:31:51Tap to summarizeKatharine Le Quesne, managing director at hospitality advisory HoCoSo, joins the podcast to discuss the state of the hotel industry's sustainability initiatives. Despite some pushback in certain parts of the world, sustainability remains a strategic focus of many hotel firms.
Transcribe →Oasis v Swift, and other trends across Europe (with William Anns)
Aug 1400:24:41Tap to summarizeSTR's William Anns joins the podcast to talk about why Southern Europe continues to shine in terms of hotel performance and dives into how hotels have fared during the recent Oasis tour compared to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.
Transcribe →How TUI continues to scale in-house brands TUI Blue and The Mora
May 7, 202500:18:16Tap to summarizeWesam Okasha, managing director of TUI Blue Hotels, joins The Upgrade: EMEA Hospitality News podcast to discuss how TUI has evolved from being solely a package and all-inclusive tourism firm to one with standalone, in-house hotel brands TUI Blue and The Mora.
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