Peter Häfner is still reasonably satisfied with the occupancy of his 39 rooms in the Hotel Trapp this summer.

But the Rüdesheim hotelier looks to autumn and winter with great concern.

Because in view of the signals that Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is spreading via the media with regard to the expected corona wave of the third pandemic winter, Häfner expects nothing less than “a flood of company closures”.

Oliver Bock

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Rheingau-Taunus district and for Wiesbaden.

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The hotel operator could live well with two extremes: either another lockdown in connection with state compensation payments or with measures that are largely the responsibility of citizens and entrepreneurs.

"Everything in between is difficult," says Häfner.

He fears that the warnings from politicians about the next wave of the pandemic will have a massive impact on people's travel behavior - and that restaurateurs and hoteliers will be left without guests, but also without support.

"We're on our own," fears Häfner, looking ahead to the winter.

Express helplessness

The hotelier and his wife are among the entrepreneurs hardest hit by the pandemic in Rüdesheim.

When they took over the Hotel Trapp in March 2020, which in retrospect was the worst possible time, it was 80 percent occupied for the upcoming season.

Days later, her business revolved around rebookings and cancellations.

Häfner has now written a "cry for help" as an open letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU), to the district administrator and mayor to express his helplessness.

From his point of view, there are many reasons why Häfner expects massive upheavals in the industry: sharply increased energy prices through to the impending gas supply stop, significantly higher food prices, delivery problems for many materials and a shortage of staff.

According to Häfner, the hotel is generating around 35 percent less revenue this year than before Corona.

He can confirm what the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) reported just a few days ago: According to this, food prices in July were up 26 percent on the same month last year, personnel costs were down 17 percent, electricity costs were down 42 percent and gas costs were down 66 percent percent increased.

According to Häfner, almost no day goes by when suppliers don't announce new prices, demand flat-rate delivery charges and increase the minimum order quantities.

The hotelier can only pass this burden on to the guests in small portions.

The prices "can't be as high as they need to be".

Also treated unfairly by the state

He now changes the room prices more frequently than before, depending on the booking situation and competitive behavior.

There are hardly any complaints from guests, but "there are simply fewer guests".

According to Dehoga, 62 percent of restaurants, hotels, cafés, bars and inns feel the consumer restraint of the citizens.

According to the observations, their behavior has already changed.

Many bookings come at the last moment, some directly on the day of arrival.

As if these worries weren't big enough, Häfner sees himself treated unfairly by the state.

As a young company, his hotel was not involved in the first aid package for the hotel and catering industry.

But when the state tightened up its offer, Häfner was also able to apply for bridging aid through the tax consultant, which was paid out after approval by the responsible regional council.

In the meantime, he has learned from his tax advisor that the state has retrospectively changed and specified the rules so that he may have to reimburse a third of the aid payment.

"Why is the state allowed to do that?" Häfner asks before he escapes the word "banana republic".

During the course of the pandemic, Häfner reduced the number of his employees in order to keep the small family business's personnel costs under control.

Each position is only occupied once, says the hotelier.

The result: he and his wife have to compensate for every loss.

That means a seven-day week with twelve to 16 hours of work per day.

That cannot be a permanent solution.

Häfner has formulated a long list of demands on politicians.

It ranges from opening up the German labor market to people from non-European countries to the nationalization of energy companies.

So far there has been no reply from the chancellor, but there was at least a brief dialogue with the prime minister.

Also with district administrator and mayor.

But Häfner already knows that he will have to face autumn and winter on his own.