Editorial
Today, we will steal several glances into the future: do you believe that guests need 500 or 1,000 TV channels in their rooms? It is said that this even pays off for the hotelier! The Mandarin Oriental in Munich is daring enough to take the plunge into the unknown, and that as a trial run for the entire group. Two weeks from now, the luxury hotel in Munich will receive interactive and personalised TV.
Lindner Hotels also "play" a bit with the future. They are among the partners of the Fraunhofer Institute in Duisburg, which is creating a laboratory of dreams on its premises for the hotels of the future. The institute's project manager explains the interesting background.
Another thrilling story is "Mr and Mrs Smith": some of you might know this clever, multi-level marketing concept from Great Britain, which brought a good many individual hotels a good many well-paying guests. On the continental European and German-speaking markets, the idea is still unknown, although it has existed for some time. This market also fascinated a American family, which opened up a stylish design hotel in conservative Bad Ischl, Austria. An emigrant story - this time, Europe is the goal.
The general equal treatment act has resulted in many different perspectives over the past twelve months. In many HR departments there is a great feeling of uncertainty about what formulations and questions are still permissible in legal terms. This is why a labour lawyer has gathered 20 "sample questions" that are meant to help you react correctly.
Today's news consists of a mixture of interesting staff issues, expansion announcements and concept changes.
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Your comments? maria@hospitalityInside.com
The flight attendant on the Air Berlin plane from Hamburg to Munich announced the snacks served: crisps - and popcorn "sponsored by Ibis Hotels"(!) .... Not a bad idea, advertisement in the clouds as it were; I had to grin at least .... The majority of the passengers chose the crisps.
The flights are full, the cities are full. It's the holidays. And it was accordingly quiet on the news front. Then came the reports from the battered stock markets and in the middle of the summer break, it all seemed a little more threatening. What the crisis means for the hotel industry and how it came to pass, is explained exclusively by Martina Fidlschuster. The Hotour Managing Director has done some extensive research into the topic and explains the complicated processes in plain English. A must read for all working in finance!
"A little too simple" is the impression provoked by the "Outlook" report by the Swiss Credit Institute UBS. The bank formulated its expectations of the hotel industry in a report, expectations which for an insider sound so banal that they're almost embarrassing. But obviously not all hoteliers have understood the core of their business, nor what the banks expect of them. UBS, at least, was taking the contents of its report very seriously indeed.
As it's the holidays, I took a small trip through South Tyrol's wellness hotels - through those implementing regional concepts with convincing authenticity. If you're already caught up in your wellness planning, I recommend the "colleague visits" in South Tyrol. The region and its wellness hotels lag behind Austria no longer. It's a shame therefore when such well founded wellness concepts are not convincingly and logically conveyed. And after a treatment à la Henri Chenot, my colleague Baerbel Schwertfeger was confused after being presented with appendix values for an appendix which she no longer has. Such moments often give me pause to contemplate what actually runs through wellness providers' minds after leaving their guests in such a state of unease. Whatever they think, it's certainly not professional.
Professional and light hearted are, however, the Hotel "CaricaTours". Take a little popcorn and just a moment for a little satire ....
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Questions? maria@hospitalityInside.com
Dear Insiders,
Investors are flooding the hotel industry: there are four times more buyers in the market than sellers. This remark and the most recent investment study by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels correspond to the general assessment of asset managers and consultants: real estate is changing hands ever more quickly. In the process, operators do not always topple, but the agreements are often adjusted. German hotel real estate obviously holds great potential for an increase in value. Today, two articles deal with investors, investments and assets.
Increasing a spa's value begins with choosing the right concept. Those who want to stand out in the wellness market by offering medical beauty require convincing products. An overview of 14 brands - keyword "cosmeneuticals" - is to provide some orientation.
Private hoteliers often face the agony of choice when they have to decide on a marketing consortium. Historic Hotels of Europe are now intensely competing for new members - in bulk. The association only accepts groups. In Italy, we are dealing with quantities of an entirely different dimension: Italian "alberghi" add up to the fourth largest number of beds in the world. A statistical game of numbers.
Immerse yourself, too, in the news in brief and in our hospitalityWhisperings. Let's see what proves to be true after the summer holidays.
Have a great week,
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Remarks? maria@hospitalityInside.com
Dear Insiders,
It's becoming increasingly difficult to attract and hold holiday guests. If this were otherwise, the Austrians wouldn't be building a visitor centre in a national park with a price tag in the millions of Euros. And Andrea Scherz, owner of the famous Gstaad Palace in Switzerland, is also not exactly swimming in Champagne. Both articles show from completely different perspectives what difficulties the tourism industry faces in its attempt to bring together innovation and amortisation. Whilst the Austrians have discovered nature as holiday potential, the Palace has no "exit" strategy should snowless winters persist.
In black and white, neither the hotel purchasers nor the hotels want to see the mutuality of their relationship. On the contrary, our article on hotel purchasing shows that the price is important, but isn't everything.
Dreams of high rates are spurned by the results of the Deloitte survey of European hotels. Every where is booming! Two digit RevPar increases confirm what the large chains have been announcing for the first six months of 2007 - once again the trend is upwards as current figures from Hilton, Starwood, Sol Meliá and the Hospitality Allicance also show.
Two interesting CVs: Rocco Forte has found a GM for his third German hotel and a well known Ritz-Carlton hotel manager moves to China.
We wish you a pleasant week!
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Remarks? maria@hospitalityInside.com
The "Harry Potter Hotel" in London burnt down on Wednesday - shortly before 100 million pound renovations were completed .... Here in the Midland Grand Hotel above St. Pancras, parts of one of the Harry Potter films were shot. Perhaps a certain demonic wizard was left behind?? Something not wished on the LSF Hotel Palmengarten in Offenburg. It will be home to several professional cyclists during the Germany Tour 2007 in August. Let's hope they find their way without the steroids.
Party chat .... In July, many celebrated the summer with informal get-togethers. At NewGen plc, on the other hand, things were a little more serious. Last Monday was their general shareholder meeting. After the ups and downs of recent years, in particular the integration and later split with Dorint, top priority in Berlin on Monday was to convey a feeling of "business as usual" to shareholders.
Just four days previously though, NewGen plc appeared before the county court in Moenchengladbach after a shareholder contested their recent decision. Judgement is expected on 9th August. André Witschi by the way, Board Speaker at NewGen plc, played no active role any more last Monday, but he was there. Yesterday, Accor officially confirmed that the top manager will leave the company.
The Varta-Guide intends to redefine itself on the hotel scene. It is now sending out interviewers to survey guests in hotels. The plan doesn't fill every hotelier with joy. In Dornbirn, Austria, one businessman has built and is now busy marketing quite a clever little hotel as a sort of motel. The idea is catchy. And the idea of hotel videos encouraging hotel bookings seems to be a challenging one .... .
The positioning of the luxury hotel group Four Seasons is meanwhile difficult to fault. Six months after taking on the new position, new Chairwoman Kathleen Taylor, Wolf Hengst's successor, spoke with hospitalityInside.com on the new owner structures, on expansion and her understanding of the brand. The core message: Four Seasons is to stay Four Seasons.
Submerge is the many big and small news reports, all of which show: The classic "summer break" is a thing of the past.
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Questions? maria@hospitalityInside.com
André Witschi will leave Accor. This is our insider information. Officially, this news has not been confirmed. But we are inside, as you know. Next Monday it will become obvious anyway, during the Annual General Meeting of the NewGen AG in Berlin. There, Witschi should appear as spokesman of the board. We will keep you informed....
The "locusts" are about to enter professional education in tourism. Last week's marginal note has become an interesting topic - we spoke with the new owners of the Internationale Fachhochschule Bad Honnef near Bonn. The takeover of this private school is planned to be just the first of many for the private equity company located in Munich.
Capital will flow for Park Plaza as well - since last week, the hotel group has been quoted on the stock exchange. Susanne Stauss provides an outline about the group's current expansion plans. The Feuring consultancy is also entering large-scale real estate deals with Vivico due to sales of unused railway areas.
There is still a lot of room for hotels backed by the financial power of foreign investors in Germany - mainly in the resort segment, says Martina Fidlschuster of Hotour in Frankfurt. Her consultancy has been observing the development of the domestic holiday destinations for ten years and considers resort hotels in Germany to be part of a profitable niche! Cast a glance at this interesting analysis.
Not a resort hotel, but a niche - that's what the meerSinn health centre on the island of Ruegen decided. Last November, it turned away from the classic resort hotel concept with wellness and took on a new health philosophy, which is unique in Germany so far. Here, only people who want to recover from diseases are allowed to go on vacation. The start has been difficult, but there is considerable confidence in the project. It is just another example of how the vague term, "medical wellness", can be realised in a serious and professional way.
If one takes the multi-million plans of Beberbeck with multi-hotel plans, there is still a lack of confidence... Five hotels in the middle of nowhere? A single expression of interest by Kempinski - and a mayor already considers himself to be the communal Redeemer. This will probably become an episode of the series: "How politicians create a monument for themselves...."
In Villach, Carinthia/Austria, the former Dorint board member Alfred Weiss officially reappeared. He will manage a new Holiday Inn there....
Enough of these meaningful tidbits - form your own opinion.
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Your comments? maria@hospitalityInside.com
Dear Insiders,
You can expect an issue filled with staff decisions: top managers move on or away - Jennie Chua from Raffles to Ascott, Martin Elsner from Munich to Rome, Natale Rusconi from Cipriani to retirement. And there will be even more new names - even in new markets: Shangri-La has secured itself a choice part in Vienna, InterConti wants to participate in the Dresden boom. And Park Plaza is aiming for the top of the financial world. Going public is obviously imminent.
In Germany, there has been a rumour concerning top manager André Witschi of Accor. But read for yourself.
Everybody should have a healthy relation concerning his own health. New studies could help to "heal" a few hotels in the Alps. A short trip into the mountains has been proven to be healthy! Now it is up to you, dear mountain hoteliers, to take on a healthy course with your offers!
Well, when inhaling hotel evaluations on the Internet, hoteliers should not give up a healthy critical attitude. The more travellers/guests that evaluate your hotel, the greater the chance that there will not only be negative comments. Our own research and two discussion panels about online hotel review platform have shown: even the providers have their problems. A hotel representative even managed to manipulate a provider in a test. Immerse yourself into this thrilling subject including tables and a hotel survey. So that you can relax and exhale again without tension.
Steigenberger has now taken a deep breath and decided against its distribution partner Worldhotels and in favour of Pegasus. This means Worldhotels is losing its strongest member. Lindner is looking for more partners - not only on a classic operative level, but also as a provider of know-how for ailing private hotels. The operating company is increasingly making a name for itself as a restructuring company.
Accor's 4-star brands are also undergoing a type of correction. Fred Fettner, our correspondent for Austria, learned a lot about new brands and planned sub-brands - even in the 5-star segment - in Paris. The great number of nuances gives rise to suspicion that Accor is slowly but surely turning away from its concept as a creator of standardised brand profiles. Established brands are under the gun at the moment anyway.
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Questions? maria@hospitalityInside.com
Dear Insiders,
What will come after the Hilton deal, and who will pay more than 26 billion dollars for a hotel group? Insiders say: the company is perfectly suited for being broken up despite all assertions by Blackstone. There will surely be clever minds and concepts for selling the values within the company for even more money in future. This is the way profit maximisation works. Marriott was in the hotbed of rumours for a long time, while Hilton was hit "overnight". Now Blackstone is the undisputed "locust" no. 1 in the hotel industry. But there is a lack of trust in order to bring this company on to a level with Prinz Al-Waleed and his strategic investments. Hilton's shareholders can already rub their hands.
It seems that clearances were on the order of the day this week. Eric Lassiaille has doubtlessly rendered outstanding services to the Dorint resorts in the past few years, but now he steps down. Elke Schade, who is now sole Managing Director of Neue Dorint GmbH, will get the group with the big old name and the many worries back on course again. Discussions in the company management have been cleared up for the moment.
The structure of the Falkensteiner hotel group seems to have gained a bit more composure. Edgar van Ommen, Managing Director, said quite honestly in the course of the official receptions: the group had to become trustworthy! It seems to be well on the way. One year ago, it was not issuing open statements about figures, weaknesses and difficulties.
Our article about the top leaders of Moevenpick Holding and the Moevenpick hotel group as well as our article about the ultra detailed online database with regard to conferences, seminars and incentives by a company in Frankfurt are less "exciting", but certainly no less interesting from a strategic point of view. Another interesting topic for our sales-oriented readers: the history of Sonnenhotels AG.
You will find further big and small news in the "news" column...
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Questions? maria@hospitalityInside.com
Our six-month survey among major hotel groups revealed: Germany's upswing seems to be stabilising. At the conference of the German International Hotel Association in Travemuende two weeks ago, I met cheerful hoteliers exclusively. Nevertheless, German hoteliers have to continue their struggle, e.g. against rising energy costs and incredible legislation. To top this off: In the middle of the upswing, the mega problem of the future is slowly evolving: The first hotel companies are calling out loud for qualified employees!
I prophesy the newly opened Graeflichen Park Hotel & Spa in Bad Driburg a bright future. In the middle of the classic health resort, it demonstrates an amazing potential: The timbered buildings are uniquely located and they provide a stylish historical ambience and existing links to medical wellness and sports. Behind all this, there is an agile family of entrepreneurs with a long tradition and long-term visions. Accordingly, the aristocratic family celebrated the reopening of the hotel and the 225th anniversary of the spa with legitimate pride last weekend.
Another article provides insight into the future strategy of Emirates Hotels and Resorts. Long-term thinking and courage to invest can be found as well. Emirates will build its next resorts under strict environmentally friendly aspects and wants to force other developers to change their views in the long term.
The planners of the Rigi Kaltbad in Switzerland have to think over their plans as well, as the newly planned wellness temple of the star architect Mario Botta runs the risk of falling apart. And some timeshare providers have to think over their strategies as well, should the new EU regulation come into force in 2010.
Immerse yourselves in the world of news in brief that reflects plans, success and disappointments. Please, also see our new story about Micros-Fidelio's new software to improve your customer relationship management, look at our sub-website hospitalitySolutions today!
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Questions? maria@hospitalityInside.com
Dear Insiders,
Some ideas sound like "fakes", like copies of an original to which they can hardly be compared. For instance, medical wellness: some would be happy to see it stamped as "true" wellness and only confuse the public with empty definitions. In practice, however, a huge spectrum within "medical wellness" can be observed. A talk round at the annual conference of the German Hotel Association was attended by top speakers and brought sober, real, "original" details to the fore.
As regards wellness and medical wellness, the suspicion may well arise that individual certifiers are out only to swindle the hoteliers through their expensive seals. So, questions are overwhelming while discussing the "7 star" certifier. The Swiss SGS has a good reputation in fact. Their office in Milan, however, is currently in the process of causing confusion with its 7 star explanations and outs itself as "fake" as a result. Confusing research balanced by the opinion of the 5 star makers.
Horst Schulze, the former Ritz-Carlton Chairman, was very much reserved at the opening of his first Capella Hotel in Europe, as our Austrian correspondent Fred Fettner reports from the official press weekend at Lake Woerther. For that, the banks put the list of superlatives and superlative capabilities in perspective: No, the hotel doesn’t have to be a profit machine! Minor troubleshooting with the original. And the bank: it’s making headlines all of its own in recent days.
Last but not least, Marriott announced its 14th brand last week. We were made privy to the first details on Marriott’s new design brand by Ian Schrager. All of this and of course a whole range of interesting news today… Original and completed with original details by hospitalityInside.com.
The story about the Emirates Hotels' eco-concept, announced for this issue, will be published next week.
Yours, Maria Puetz-Willems
Editor in Chief
Questions? maria@hospitalityInside.com