News & Stories

Las Vegas/Madrid. Las Vegas Sands Corp. announced this week that it has chosen Madrid, Spain as the preferred location to build an integrated resort development for the European market.

Atlanta. Despite tepid economic indicators, record numbers of guests continue to occupy U.S. hotel rooms.

Wiesbaden. The keyword "News Mix" will bring to you tiny bits of news about considerable events of the past week(s): Carlton/St. Moritz, GBI/Frankfurt, Helma/Port Olpenitz, InterCity/Darmstadt, Kempinski/Vilnius, Golden Tulip/Vienna.

London. In many of the major economies over the past five years, the rate of growth in hotel supply has exceeded the rate of growth in hotel demand. The resulting low levels of room occupancy are jeopardising returns on investment, a situation that cannot be maintained for much longer. Paul Slattery, Director of Otus & Co Advisory, a London based investment bank, specialising in hotel chain transactions and advising hotel chains and investors on long-term strategies, has to cope with these issues on a daily basis. In his analysis, if investors in hotel real estate and hotel chains had paid enough attention to the economic structure of countries and to the economic policies pursued by governments then the excess room supply would not have been an issue. In the second edition of his book "The Economic Ascent of the Hotel Business", which was published in March, Slattery analyses the web of relationships between economies and the hotel business. In today's interview, he traces the developments in hotel demand and supply in France, Germany and the UK, based data from the Otus Hotel Brands Database. Concerning this subject, Slattery will give the key note in the discussion about financing at Expo Real's hotel conference "Hospitality Industry Dialogue" on October 8, 2012, in Munich.

Paris. Paris-based ANF Immobilier announced in its half-year earnings report that it is in talks to sell its 167-property B&B Hotels portfolio in France. Mark Thompson, Managing Director of B&B Hotels commented positively on the expected sale in a reply to hospitalityInside.com.

Wiesbaden. The keyword "News Mix" will bring to you tiny bits of news about considerable events of the past week(s): Atlantis Zurich/Qatar, Azimut/Metropol Moscow, Best Western/Riyadh, Davos/Clinic, Internos/MGallery, Louvre/Poland, Quail Lodge, Starwood/CIS, Taj Mahal New Delhi.

Berlin. The Germans spend most of their leisure time in front of the TV. The new media are on the fast lane. The countermovement with a desire for quietness and sociability is growing. Sporty, cultural or social activities outside the home are lagging far behind. Facebook and social media are less interesting than expected.

Hamburg. Hotel Atlantic Kempinski Hamburg finally caught up with international luxury standards. The renovation worth 30 million Euro was celebrated with 800 guests last week. But the property has not been sold yet.

Berlin. Vegan cuisine is finding more and more followers. Now, the Internet portal, VeggieHotels, on which more than 300 meat-free lodgings in 45 countries are already presenting themselves, has now also furnished a detailed search for purely vegan lodgings.

Berlin. Travellers from Germany are more modest in their choice of hotel than holidaymakers from the UK or Russia and prefer middle-class accommodation. The proportion of Germans who stay in luxury hotels has even declined and currently stands at 13 per cent.