News & Stories

Wiesbaden. AccorHotels has appointed Sami Nasser and Marc Descrozaille as COOs for the Middle East. Ulrich Heim is General Manager of Swissôtel Bremen and Markus Wölflik of Steigenberger Hotel Zingst. Tatiana Kaczmarska takes over the management of the Premier Inn Hotel in Munich-Schwabing, P. David Kurzböck and Sonja Holzhauer will represent Konen & Lorenzen recruitment in the newly opened office in Vienna. Stefan Menden left Secret Escapes.

Augsburg. Peter Verhoeven has discreetly left Booking.com. Ian Biglands finds new luck at a company specialized on nursing home properties, Chris-Norman Sauer climbs the latter at Premier Inn. Christian von Rechenberg is now second in charge at Baur au Lac Zurich. In Vienna, Gerhard Mitrovits hands over the Palais Hansen to Florian Wille. Robinson Club completes its leadership team again, and Christian Boell now develops the comprehensive cruise strategy for DER Touristik.

Wiesbaden. Michael Zager has left IHG, Dirk Führer Falkensteiner, Stephan Demmerle NH Hotels and Tina Froboese Hotel Affairs Consulting. Andreas Drobniewski became Cluster Manager at Victor's Residenz Hotels, Ralf Adamczyk is now Director of the Welcome Hotel in Bad Arolsen and Andreas Kriener manages the Welcome Hotel Frankfurt. The Achat Premium Walldorf/Reilingen is now managed by Franziska Kubiciel. At Hotrec, the Dane Jens Zimmer Christensen was elected as successor of President Susanne Kraus-Winkler.

Wiesbaden. At Rotana Hotels in Dubai, Guy Hutchinson succeeds Omer Kaddouri, who is moving to Europe, as President and CEO. At Hyatt, Joan Bottarini will succeed Patrick Grismer as Chief Financial Officer. Kerstin Gilbert is now Regional Sales Director at Premier Inn Germany, Ian Biglands will leave the group. And Björn Achstaller has taken over as General Manager of the Dorint Airport Hotel Zurich.

Wiesbaden. Financial expert Michael Kowalzik has joined Brera as Managing Director and shareholder. Tim Weiland becomes GM of The Alpina Gstaad and Susan Fahrnholz Director of Maritim Hafenhotel Rheinsberg. Dorint announced new managers in Bitburg, Bremen and Cologne Junkersdorf with Kerstin Kohnen, Daniela Mäckle and Jörg Senior.

Wiesbaden. AccorHotels promotes Chris Cahill and Jean-Jacques Morin. Constantin and Julia von Deines take over the management of the Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden in Austria. Christoph Grödel becomes host in the Schwabinger Wahrheit of Geisel family in Munich. Marion Gigl becomes Head of Marketing & Sales at Robinson Club and Kathrin Jung joins CBRE as Director for EMEA Hotel Investment Properties where Colin became Low Head of Hotel Investment Properties.

Wiesbaden. Duncan O'Rourke will join AccorHotels as COO Central Europe in addition to his duties in the luxury sector, and IHG will fill two new regional positions in Europe with Mario Maxeiner and Eric Viale. Nikolai Bloyd is moving to Geisel Hotels as COO, Salvatore Longo is the new GM of the Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte in Viareggio and Gianmarco Nasti became Managing Director of the Tambolo Talasso Resort in Tuscany. Steffen Seichter becomes GM of the Scandic Emporio Hamburg and Thomas Marusczyk runs the Welcome Hotel Euskirchen. Stefan Schwind is now director of the Hotel Kloster Johannisberg in Geisenheim. Christian Hinteregger became Managing Director at PKF tourismexperts and Philipp Kunz joins Union Investment.

Augsburg. With the complete takeover of Mövenpick by AccorHotels, Olivier Chavy has resigned as CEO at Mövenpick. Badrutt's Palace in St. Moritz streamlines its management. Achat Hotels appointed Philipp von Bodman as new managing director for the group; Wilhelm Kotter will retire. Erik van Kessel takes over operations at Maritim Hotels. Ruby CEO Michael Struck appointed six employees to the extended management board. Alltours founder Willli Verhuven makes himself chairman of the management board. Consultant Bernd Maesse and hotelier Edgar Lichter have joined forces to form a consulting company. And Lore König, an international marketing and sales professional, has joined Lobster Experience.

Augsburg. AccorHotels puts its own leader in place at South African Mantis Group: Philippe Baretaud. Axel Bethke has been appointed General Manager of the Kempinski Hotel Bahia, Estepona-Marbella, Spain. Chair-moving on the executive floor of the Dormero Hotels: Carsten Kritz becomes the new COO, the previous COO is promoted to CEO. In Bad Honnef, the former Avendi Hotel will soon be given a new brand name and Thomas Steger will lead the hotel into the next few years.

Wiesbaden. GBI AG restructures the company, Reiner Nittka and Markus Beugel take on additional functions. Developer Ulrich Demetz has moved from Motel One to Kronberg International. Developer Connor Ryterski is now managing director of prizeotel. Liam Doyle supports A&O as COO, Oliver Ramm as new Director of Marketing for Scandic Hotels Europe. Thomas Peruzzo builds up the group Artprojekt Hospitality as Managing Director, just as Harbr Hotels is setting up structures for its first hotel openings. Marc Guenther is now GM at Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea Jordan. Onyx Hospitality appointed Michael Gaehler GM for the Oriental Residence Bangkok. And with Chris Crowley, HRS has gained an expert in the field of corporate travel.

Augsburg. Kurt Straub has been appointed VP Operations for the MEA and Southwest Asia with Hyatt. Arab Central Hotels have found an internationally experienced man for their new property on Palm Dubai. And at Bayern Tourismus in Munich, an influential association in Germany, a hotel expert is now at the top.

Wiesbaden. The new CEO of Small Luxury Hotels, Jean-Francois Ferrett, comes from Relais & Châteaux. Kempinski has appointed Amanda Elder as Chief Commercial Officer, a new position in the company. In Arosa, Michael and Stephanie Lehnort take over management of the Tschuggen Hotel Group's Valsana Hotel & Apartment, and Christian Klein becomes the new group CFO. André Otto is the new Regional Director of Leisure Sales for Louvre Germany, Marko and Daniela Achilles will head the Romantik Hotel Der Adelshof in Schwaebisch Hall.

Wiesbaden. At The Lanesborough London, Marco Novella succeeds Geoffrey Gelardi as Managing Director. Thomas Brugnatelli has taken over the management of Raffles Europejski Warsaw. Until the end of the year, Yasmin Cachemaille Grimm and Urs Grimm will lead the operational activities at Schloss Elmau. Rolf E. Broennimann hands over the management of the Budersand Hotel on Sylt to Marco Winter, Janet Stache and Friedrich Infeld took over as general managers of the Living Hotels and Lindner Hotels hired a new Head of Sales.

Paris/Munich. With the impulsive slogan "Make Europe Even Greater" AccorHotels is once again changing its personnel structures, this time only in relation to Europe. An internal document hospitalityInside.com received gives the details. That Laurent Picheral will once again play a special role is just one of them.

Wiesbaden. Michael Gaehler becomes GM at Oriental Residence Bangkok and the Hilton Lake Como now has Alessio Colavecchio as GM. After 43 years at the German Maritim Hotels CEO Gerd Prochaska retires. Courtyard by Marriott Berlin Mitte welcomed a new GM, Julia Haupt is Resident Manager of the a-ja Travemuende and Sebastian Grenzer Pre-Opening Director of arcona Living Bremen.

Augsburg. Hard Rock International plans to conquer EMEA by Graham Kiy, German H-Hotels hired several new managers, in the Swiss Arosa Kulm Hotel and in the Alpina Gstaad there is a change of directors, A-rosa has hired new leaders for its two northern German resorts. News from Italy: Marco Boni now manages the Palenca Luxury Hotels. And the new Italian tourism minister himself comes from the hotel business. Seetelhotel Kaiserstrand Beachhotel Bansin on Usedom has a new director, as does Scandic Hamburg Emporio. Premier Inn has found a manager for the group's second hotel in Germany, and in Portugal a Swede is taking over Anantara Resort in the Algarve. The German procurement company Progros is adapting its management structures to growth.

Augsburg. Beat Sigg of the Victoria-Jungfrau Collection in Switzerland hands over the operation to a representative of the main shareholder. Best Western Central Europe has appointed Carmen Duecker as Co-Managing Director. The Austria Trend Hotel Schloss Lebenberg has a new director. Online Birds opens an office in Lisbon and Carlson Wagonlit Travel has appointed a new head of its Traveler Experience division.

Wiesbaden. Scandic strengthens its Executive Commitee in the digitalization and customer care division. Moevenpick COO Ola Ivarsson retires and Sabine Dorn-Aglagul becomes President Europe in the company. Meininger Hotels appointed Thomas Hagemann as COO and at Jumeirah, Michael Ellis becomes Chief Culinary Officer of the group. GM Franz Zimmermann leaves Schlosshotel Kronberg, Anika Wagner is appointed HR Manager at A&O Hostels, Cornelia Meyer now manages The Liberty Bremerhaven and Cem Yoldas Hofgut Georgenthal.

Vienna. In the Hotel Division of the Austrian Verkehrsbuero, three men now take over the management of the 28 Austria Trend Hotels in Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia. The reason for this is apparently a planned massive expansion spurt.

Wiesbaden. Booking.com and Ctrip are moving closer because of Gillian Tans' seat on the board of directors at Ctrip. Martin Rinck is responsible for Hilton's luxury brands now. Yvonne Urban Scherer and Martin Scherer are leaving the Schweizerhof in St. Moritz and moving on to Pontresina, Burkhard Wolter is going to be General Manager at Waldhaus Flims, and Madeleine Marx is becoming General Manager at The Westin Hamburg. Claudia Wieland is managing the arcona Living Munich now, and Jost Deitmar is taking over the traditional Hotel Lindner in Bad Aibling. Radisson appoints a new Senior Business Director for DACH, and at Aldiana a team of two takes over from Max-Peter Droll.