May, 20 - 2024 - At the magnificant French Riviera, a group of friends gathered around a rustic wooden table, their faces lit by the warm glow of a fireplace. The air was thick with the scent of mulled wine and freshly baked bread, and the atmosphere buzzed with the excitement of an idea that had been simmering for months. They were hoteliers, B&B owners, and small business operators—people who had dedicated their lives to offering travelers a taste of genuine European hospitality. But they had a problem, a growing frustration that had been gnawing at them for years.   As the conversation flowed, stories emerged of their struggles with the dominant online booking platforms—how the high commissions were eating into their already slim margins, how the impersonal nature of these platforms clashed with the intimate, personal experiences they worked so hard to create for their guests.   They spoke of feeling powerless as their businesses were squeezed by algorithms and hidden fees, their destinies increasingly controlled by faceless corporations located far away.   Then, one of them, a tech-savvy entrepreneur, proposed an idea that caught everyone’s attention. “What if we created our own platform?” he suggested. “A place where guests could connect directly with us, where the essence of European hospitality could thrive without the interference of middlemen.”   The room fell silent as the idea took root. They envisioned an app, one that would embody the very spirit of Europe—diverse, authentic, and deeply rooted in tradition. An app that wouldn’t just list hotels and B&Bs, but would also serve as a hub for promoting regional tourism, local events, and artisanal products. It would be a digital marketplace where visitors could book their stays directly with the owners, browse local products from wineries to craft shops, and discover hidden gems that only the locals knew.   They called it Hotel.eu.