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📱 Serenissima Informatica partnered with Planet and the protel Solution Partner Network at ITB Berlin, a key event focusing on advanced cloud technologies, digital tools, and innovative strategies for the hospitality industry. Alessandro Calligaris, Marketing Director, stressed ITB Berlin's strategic value for showcasing solutions and reinforcing partnerships. Nicolas Ongarato, Hospitality Solutions Specialist, highlighted the importance of industry dialogue to address the needs of professionals such as hotel managers and IT heads. The company promotes cloud solutions like protel Cloud PMS, emphasizing the shift toward more flexible, secure, and integrated hotel management systems.

🏖️ In Piemonte, 2024 saw a record tourism year with over 6.28 million arrivals and 16.89 million overnight stays, marking a 3.6% and 4.1% increase from 2023. International visitors, accounting for 53% of total overnight stays, rose by 5%, with a notable 12% increase from the USA and 36% from China. Domestic tourism also flourished, supported by a 57.3% increase in rooms and 55.1% increase in beds over the last decade. Tourist rentals surged by 42.2% between 2023 and 2024, while non-hotel accommodations grew by 4.9%. Piemonte's online reputation scored 87.6 out of 100, reflecting high-quality hospitality and regional efforts to enhance the tourism industry. Regional officials, including Marina Chiarelli and Alberto Cirio, emphasize the importance of training in the tourism sector and maintaining high standards.

📈 Italy's hospitality sector enters the post-luxury era, with opportunities expanding beyond exclusive 5-star accommodations. In 2024, the total transaction value reached approximately €1.8 billion, involving about 80 deals. Among them, high-value transactions (over €20 million) accounted for 80% of the total, numbering 30. Repositioning, which involves the acquisition and upgrading of existing hotels, dominated 65% of investments. Half of the investments maintained a luxury orientation. Investment interest is shifting from traditional art cities to areas like Lake Como (€180 million in 2024 with 4 operations), Sicily, Sardinia, and Puglia, indicating a gradual change in appeal and structure type. Hotel management agreements and owner-operator models represent 40% and 30% of the market, respectively.

🏨 JLL's Global Hotel Investment Outlook projects a 15%-25% increase in global hotel investments by 2025 compared to 2024. Despite complex macroeconomic conditions, the hotel sector shows resilience with global demand reaching 4.8 billion overnight stays in November 2024, 102 million more than in 2023, and a 4% RevPar growth. While Asia-Pacific is 10% behind 2019 levels, Americas, Europe, and Middle East have fully recovered with RevPar growth between 17%-26%. In 2024, global hotel investment volumes hit $57.4 billion, a 7% rise from the previous year but below historic levels due to fewer portfolio transactions and smaller deal sizes. Italy saw €1.7 billion (around €2 billion including property conversions) invested in 2024, with luxury hotel conversions in markets like Rome being key transactions since 2019. The 2025 outlook anticipates a significant investment increase, driven by debt restructuring, investment plans for competitive upgrades, and exit timelines for recent private equity deals. Luxury and service sectors remain most attractive to investors, with increased foreign investment expected, particularly from the Middle East and American private investors targeting Europe and select U.S. cities.

🏖 In 2024, Italy's tourist balance recorded a surplus of €21.0 billion, a 5% increase in foreign tourist revenue and a 6% rise in Italian spending abroad. Foreign spending in Italy grew equally from EU and non-EU residents (5%), while Italians spent 8% more in the EU. Vacation travel constituted 63% of total income and 47% of Italian expenditure, with work travel at 27%. Accommodations in hotels, B&Bs, and similar establishments accounted for 43% of Italians' stays abroad and 41% for foreigners in Italy. Rental homes represented about 25% of overnight stays for both groups. ????️

🍷 Wine tourism in Italy grew by 24% in revenue in 2024, despite 81% of the 237 wineries surveyed by the Movimento Turismo del Vino and the Lumsa University's Ceseo reporting cost increases. Margins are significantly impacted, with 29% experiencing 5-10% hikes, 16% 10-25%, and 8% over 25%. Most are small businesses (64% micro, 31% small), with only 9% exceeding €2 million in annual turnover. Wine Hospitality expertise is present in 38% of wineries, though 66% of producers personally welcome visitors, and 90% offer local products. Environmental appeal is strong, with 43% certified organic and 38% following sustainable agriculture standards.

💰 Jfc's tourism research estimates that each tourist costs a municipality at least €3. Italian destinations face annual costs of at least €20 million, while medium-sized locations like Perugia or Siena may incur up to €7 million. The average cost to manage overtourism is €2.9 per guest per day, rising to €4.7 in Venice and at least €400,000 yearly for small municipalities. Cinque Terre's daily cost is €4.5 per visitor, and the Dolomites' "hit and run" tourism costs municipalities about €3.5 per visitor per day.

🏖️ Gianluca Caramanna, consigliere del Ministero del Turismo per i rapporti istituzionali, highlights the importance of travel agencies despite commercial desertification and digitalization. He emphasizes the need for personalized advice post-Covid and protection against European regulations on tour packages that may benefit large digital platforms. Caramanna advocates for tailored travel experiences and confirms government support for the sector's unique and reliable services.

🔐 In the hospitality sector, personal data management is vital during check-in, adhering to privacy regulations and ensuring legal compliance. Key regulations include the GDPR (effective 2018), explicit consent, the right to erasure, Italy's Privacy Code (Legislative Decree 196/2003), and guidelines from the Italian Data Protection Authority. Best practices for secure check-in involve minimal data collection, informed consent, and digital security. Advanced technologies like digital check-in platforms and electronic signatures enhance data protection. Self check-in and remote check-in systems offer privacy-compliant data collection, minimizing physical contact and errors. Ok Home exemplifies secure self check-in through personalized passwords, integrated privacy polices, and GDPR-compliant platforms. Self check-in and remote systems are seen as the future of hospitality, offering efficiency, convenience, and privacy respect.

🏖 The beach resort sector employs about 60,000 people and generates over €2 billion in revenue. Many beach establishments extend their services beyond the summer months by offering restaurants, sports equipment rental, and accommodation. To manage seasonal fluctuations, personnel shortages, service integration, multi-channel booking, and to improve customer loyalty, beach resorts increasingly rely on integrated management software and cloud-based cash register systems, which allow for mobility, software integration, automation, and integrated payments.