Live from Brussels | Newsletter | September 2025
Dear readers,
C’est la rentrée. After a packed summer season for hospitality and a brief pause in Brussels, we’re back at full speed. Hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés across Europe enjoyed one of their busiest summers in years, with high visitor numbers and a vibrant atmosphere in both traditional hotspots and emerging destinations.
This summer, our members flagged three main challenges: labour shortages and skill gaps, rising energy and food costs, and geopolitical uncertainty. These issues were front and centre at the recent HOTREC meeting in The Hague with hospitality associations from the US, Canada, UK, Australia and more. A timely reminder that our sector’s challenges are global, from skills and digitalisation to sustainability.
In her State of the Union address, President von der Leyen announced measures that will directly shape our sector – from a Single Market Roadmap 2028 and the first Affordable Housing Plan to a new initiative on short-term rentals and a prospective Quality Jobs Act. A strong signal that hospitality is firmly on the EU agenda.
The months ahead will be eventful, with a Future of Restaurants policy lunch at the European Parliament on 24 September, followed by HOTREC’s General Assembly in Cyprus from 15 to 17 October, and culminating with our European Hospitality Day in Brussels on 18 November. Plenty to keep us busy.
In this edition, you will find HOTREC’s vision for the EU sustainable tourism strategy, an update on the landmark collective action joined by more than 15.000 hotels, our push to tackle fake reviews online, the debate on the proposed ETIAS fee increase, the European Parliament’s position on the Package Travel Directive revision, and why further EU legislation on subcontracting is not needed.
We also warmly thank Morten Dahlin, Danish Minister for Tourism and Urban & Rural Affairs, for sharing his insights on the EU Presidency priorities – sustainability, digitalisation and workforce development.
Enjoy the read!
The HOTREC Team