Live from Brussels | Newsletter | October 2026
Dear readers,
Europe’s hospitality sector continues to navigate resilient demand alongside persistent cost, labour and climate pressures. This edition brings together key developments and EU policy files that will shape the operating environment for hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés in the months ahead.
We open with an interview with Vanguelis Panayotis, CEO of MKG Consulting & Hospitality ON, who reflects on summer 2026, including resilient tourism demand, changing travel patterns linked to extreme heat and the growing pressure on profitability across different market segments.
Our highlight looks at hotel distribution and the evolving relationship with online platforms. HOTREC’s latest European Hotel Distribution Study confirms that the market remains highly concentrated, while the implementation of the Digital Markets Act continues to shape Booking.com’s commercial practices. We also provide an update on the collective action against Booking.com, which closed registrations with more than 15,000 participating hotels.
From the network, we share the main findings of HOTREC’s summer 2026 sentiment survey. Member input from 12 European countries points to a broadly stable-to-positive season, while also underlining the impact of rising operating costs, weaker consumer spending, labour and skills shortages, geopolitical uncertainty and extreme weather. We also point readers to HOTREC’s Crisis Resilient Guidelines, designed to support hospitality businesses in strengthening preparedness and resilience.
On EU policy, we provide updates on implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the proposed Affordable Housing Act and the Fair Labour Mobility Package. We also cover discussions on mandatory cash acceptance, simplified sustainability reporting, the European Digital Identity Wallet, psychosocial risks at work, the future Quality Jobs Act and the proposed revision of the EU Emissions Trading System.
Across these files, HOTREC continues to call for practical, proportionate and SME-friendly rules that provide legal certainty, limit unnecessary administrative burdens and reflect the operational realities of Europe’s hospitality businesses.
As we move into October, HOTREC is also preparing to bring members together in Vilnius for our 93rd General Assembly, an important opportunity to exchange on the latest developments affecting hospitality, strengthen cooperation across our network and look ahead to the sector’s priorities for 2027.
Enjoy the read,
The HOTREC team