News & Stories

Augsburg. Airbnb is able to win over a top manager of Amazon Prime; Fabrice Collet is the new CEO at B&B Hotels. Karl Schattmaier has a new position – at Welcome Hotels. Hilton has a new Chief Information and Digital Officer. Matthias Niemeyer takes over Development Europa at Adina, and Dorint has hired an eCommerce specialist.

Augsburg. Former Starwood manager Michael P. Wale succeeded Gabriel Pérès becoming CEO of One&Only. Wolfgang Greiner left Mandarin Oriental Munich and the hotel group. Welcome Hotels CEO Christian Kettlitz also left the company. Roland Paar exited from Amedia Hotels as a Partner and Managing Director. Italian Valtur Group clarifies rumours about leadership. Ardi Goldmann, former 25hours partner, has to serve his sentence in prison due to a bribery scandal.

Augsburg. Four Seasons CEO J. Allen Smith will not renew his contract. Choice Hotels pushes its technology by appointing a new Chief Technology Officer, Wyndham has a new president for EMEA, Albeck & Zehden hires a new GM for the Crowne Plaza Berlin City Centre, Travel Charme gets a new lead for the Ifen Hotel in Kleinwalsertal, and arcona follows suit for the new Living-Hotel in Wetzlar. HRS strengthens its power for small and medium-sized business customers.

Wiesbaden. Steigenberger Dubai appointed Taras Ettl as new Managing Director for the region and, in Miami, Luis Riu is in trouble with the prosecution. Uwe Prein stepped up into management of alltours España, former head of Swiss Tourism, Juerg Schmid is now involved at The Living Circle, and Miriam Malzkeit is spearheading Forens Resort & Suites in Switzerland.

Wiesbaden. Karin Sheppard is appointed Managing Director, Europe for IHG, Leonardo restructures its top management and promotes Daniel Roger and Yoram Biton. Pascale Lagadère is new Vice President Human Resources at pentahotels, Michael Fruin joined Choice Hotels as Regional Vice President for the Northeast, and Martin Henning now runs the Design Hotel Zum Loewen in Duderstadt, Germany.

Augsburg. Moevenpick has a new president for the Middle East and Africa. Jan Hein Simons, COO of Falkensteiner Hotels in Vienna, left the company. Juergen Buellesbach is not going to renew his contract as CEO at Bayerische Hausbau in Munich. TUI Group created the new function of Chief Digital Officer.

Augsburg. Yesterday, Thomas Willms has been appointed CEO of Steigenberger Hotels AG. Rezidor hires a new expert on financial transformations; A&O Hotels also gets a Chief Investment Officer. NH has a new managing director for Southern Europe. Kempinski Hotels makes two German GMs running its flagships in Bangkok and Abu Dhabi. Novum gets support for its Leisure Sales department at the base in Hamburg, operator Odyssey strengthens his team of the AC by Marriott Hotel in Mainz, Georg Plesser at the Rocco Forte Hotel Villa Kennedy Frankfurt receives assistance, Adina hires a well-known GM for its new property in Copenhagen, and Christie & Co expands its teams in Frankfurt and Munich.

Wiesbaden. Moevenpick farewelled Andreas Mattmueller into his retirement and Jumeirah appoints Jose Silva as new CEO. With Thomas Hertkorn, A&O has a new Head of Online Marketing. Sascha Knese was appointed Regional Director of Revenue Management Europe at Pestana, and Axel Missner General Manager of the Pestana Berlin Tiergarten. Irmela Heinsius becomes Pre-Opening & General Manager of the Hotel Alsik in Sønderborg, for the second time Tanja Wegmann becomes General Manager of the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel and Michele Rinaldini holds the same position at Swiss Hotel Belvedere Locarno. Jan Hartwig leads the new Scandic Frankfurt Museumsufer, Andreas Drobniewski is now Director of Victor's Residenz-Hotel Berlin-Tegel and at Derag, Magnus Schwartze and Daniel Gust relocate but remain in their roles. Kay Plesse took over management of the Atlantic Grand Hotel Travemuende in December, Stefan Winistoerfer is now Director of the Sofitel Berlin Kurfuerstendamm and Holger Flory has taken on the position of Director Commercial at the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof.

Augsburg. The new board has taken over at Best Western's European parent company DEHAG; at the traditional hotel Raphael Altona in Hamburg, the director retired after 36 years. The long-time Managing Director Hartmut Pirl left Saminaris Hotels after 20 years. Martina Eggler moved from CWT to HRS. Gutheinz Family from the Austrian spa resort Jungbrunn promoted the HR manager to director. Novum is hiring more employees for its new nui brand. The Austrian Hotelier Association newly appointed its regional representatives. Munich Hotel Partners welcomes a new Chief Commercial Officer.

Wiesbaden. Armin Roedel is Head of Finance at Motel One, Carlson Rezidor expands the Business Development Division in Italy and Great Britain with Mauro Vinci and Adela Cristea. Nikolas von Olberg is appointed new Director Franchise-Service for Central and Eastern Europe at Choice Hotels in Munich. Pascal Rueegg and Ute Dirks take on new leading positions at Moevenpick in Switzerland. Eliza Artiaga becomes General Manager of Vida Downtown in Dubai. David Falter is now President of the Hotel-Division Roomlt by Carlson Wagonlit Travel, and Gerardo Solaro del Borgo is new CEO of Toscana Resort Castelfalfi.

Wiesbaden. Accor Paris has sent Laurent Picheral back to Munich; he will switch back from AccorInvest to AccorHotels. New CEO Europe of AccorHotels is a 40-year-old from outside the sector. Hilton has appointed a new Marketing Officer for global business. Moevenpick appoints Mark Willis to new President Asia, Martina Maly-Gaertner joins Arabella Hospitality as COO. At Warimpex, Daniel Folio follows in the footsteps of Georg Folian as new CFO and board member. The Steigenberger Hotels in Jena have new general managers, so do the Roomers Hotels in Baden-Baden and Frankfurt. The well-known Seehotel Krautkraemer in Muenster-Hiltrup is now led by Joachim Freche.

Wiesbaden. In view of the expansion plans, 25hours strengthen their management with Christoph Hoffmann, Britta Doenselmann is promoted to General Manager at Adagio access Muenchen, and Brian Staudenmaier takes the lead at Adagio Muenchen City.

Augsburg. Daniel Ruff left Wyndham and changed to Belmond. German Dorint Hotels expands management: After Karl-Heinz Pawlizki was appointed CEO in October, a former IHG colleague Joerg T. Boeckeler has also been brought on board as COO. The Kempinski Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten has surprisingly separated from Managing Director Axel Ludwig; in January Holger Schroth, up to now at the Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi, will take on the reins. Having left Nassauer Hof, Thorsten Sander arrived at Malta. Tour operator alltours has appointed Michael Kalt, an IT graduate, on to its management board.

Augsburg. prizeotel appointed a Chief Digital Officer. Becky Dimant assumes new responsibilities at Associated Luxury Hotels, a young manager runs the Comfort Hotel Ulm/Blaustein. Wolfgang M. Neumann has been announced the new chairman at Hotelschool The Hague.

Augsburg. Relais & Châteaux confirms Philippe Gombert as President. Robin Kornman becomes Head of Loyalty Marketing & CRM of Global Hotel Alliance. Joseph Chong, new Area Vice President of Peninsula Hotels, now also manages the flagship hotel in Hong Kong. Steigenberger Hotel and Spa Krems announces its new General Manager, while Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof welcomes its new deputy director. With Henk R. Oosterhuis, the industry has lost a highly active but amicable hotelier this week.

Augsburg. Christoph Mares becomes COO of Mandarin Oriental Hotels; in addition, further colleagues are promoted to executive level. After only nine months, COO Mario Pick leaves the rapidly expanding Novum Group Hotels; at the same time, there is a new face at the Novum brand niu. The new VP Sales and Marketing of Deutsche Hospitality comes from Moevenpick. Rosewood appointed an ex-Starwood manager as new Chief Development Officer. After ten years, Sabres Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Kennedy has left the company.

Augsburg. Moevenpick employs a new developer for Europe and North Africa in the London office. Sam Ioannidis builds up the new Four Seasons Athens, Gerhard Hecker joins the Shangri-La in Mauritius. Thomas Schmid has silently left the famous Dolder Grand Zurich. The German DSR Holding gets a new brand managing director, Carsten Rath leaves Kameha and Peter Mettler repositions the parent company, and at Dorint Hotels, two long-standing directors change seats.

Augsburg. New directors everywhere… Star Inn Hotels in Salzburg, Louis C. Jacob in Hamburg, the new Hyperion Hotel Dresden am Schloss, and GCH Hotel Schloss Schweinsburg close to Zwickau have welcomed new managers.

Augsburg. Pentahotels has a new managing director in Frankfurt, Deutsche Hospitality puts a new Key Account Management in place, the legendary Hotel Zur Tenne in Kitzbuehel, Austria will soon be taken over by an internationally experienced luxury hotelier. After 13 years, the top management of the hotel Schweizerhof in St. Moritz changes. nhow Berlin welcomes a new Spanish GM, The Adress Hotel Palace Downtown promoted its hotel manager. Microsoft plans to add two wellknown hotelier names to its Board of Directors. And Cushman & Wakefield appoint another hotel specialist of CBRE.

Wiesbaden. The Deutsche Hospitality and Best Western Central Europe expand their development team, GBI found a successor for Norman Sauer, and Mike Boehme is supposed to increase the brand awareness of Letomotel. Paul Roll assists Meininger in its expansion in France, Elena Guenther supports the Cocoon brand in development and operations. Last but not least, Frederico Oneto becomes Country Manager Italy at Sweet Inn, and with Carsten Seubert Adlon Kempinski Berli has a new hotel manager. Ameron Boutique Hotel Neckarvillen in Frankfurt welcomed a new GM.