News & Stories

Hamburg. Wealth begins with happiness. 67% of all Germans would prefer to be happy than to be rich; only 46% aspire to becoming the latter. These are the results of a recent survey undertaken by the BAT leisure research institute in Hamburg. The survey asked 2,000 participants what wealth meant to them personally.

Berlin. In 2005, the 4 and 5-star segment of the Berlin hotel market did not share the success of the markets in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Duesseldorf and Cologne, even though the German capital has far more overnight stays compared to the other cities.

 

Interlaken/Bern. A few hours after the presentation of the 2005 business figures and the close of the market, Victoria-Jungfrau AG announced on Thursday that it would take over the Bellevue luxury hotel in Bern. It belongs to the Swiss Federation and is located next to the Swiss federal parliament building. In fact, the hotel is a Swiss state hotel.

Kiev. International Business Centre and their wholly owned subsidiary Hotel Business Development Company have signed agreements with Hilton International to operate a 5-star luxury hotel in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev.

Madrid. Spain's two principal urban destinations, Madrid and Barcelona, are suffering of indigestion due to the rapid growth in supply, while Valencia is rapidly becoming the country's `hot' hotel market. Besides the two major international groups Sol Melia and NH Hoteles, there are a number of smaller chains, including new boutique concepts which are focusing successfully on urban locations, also in secondary and tertiary locations.

Amersfoort. Golden Tulip retained the American-based Hospitality Consulting Group to study the US market potential and to develop a strategy to re-enter the US market. Some 25 years ago, its first attempt had failed.

Frankfurt/M. Smaller hotel chains are fair game for the take over ambitions of the global players. hospitalityInside.com took a closer look at a number of the small chains and found that most of them are doing extraordinarily well.

Krems. In autumn 2008 a novel health centre concept will be opened in Krems in Austria. InterContinental Hotels is to operate the hotel next to which a cardiac clinic will be opened.

Augsburg. The hotel real estate market is taking off, "it's almost spilling over", were the words of the British consultancy firm HVS International in their summary of European Hotel Transactions. Investment volume in 2005 was the highest it's been in the last seven years. "The hotel investment market for 2005 exceeded even the wildest expectations", Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels confirmed. This development is also reflected in hotel values. The average value of a European hotel has once again reached the peak values recorded in the top-year 2000. The market analysis in detail.

Budapest. The Italian Boscolo group are to convert the legendary Café New York in Budapest into a hotel. Behind the renaissance facade in the heart of Budapest, 107 luxury hotel rooms are to be built. The new "Palace New York" is to open in May 2006.