News & Stories
London. Buy, build, retain or sell? A study has shown that investors are again becoming more confident. Around 35% of those holding assets in Europe are looking to buy in the short term. In Germany the Football World Cup has provided a special boost. German cities surprise with an increase in their internal rate of return.
Berlin. In Berlin hotel building and tourism are booming. The current situation is paradoxical, however: overnight stays are rising continuously while prices are slumping. On a national basis, in terms of room yields, Berlin comes third behind Frankfurt and Munich while European-wide the city has slipped from 13th to 18th . In the luxury sector the squeeze has begun but in the budget sector there would still be room for new hotels, says one of the city’s representatives.
Wiesbaden. Its name may be a little obscure, but for many hotels the hotel whisperer has been the secret of their success: The Wiesbaden based marketing expert and communication coach Tia Vassiliou develops tailor made solutions for private hotels.
Moscow. Marriott's middleclass-hotel brand Courtyard by Marriott, has opened for the first time in Russia, with a 218-room property in Moscow called the Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Centre.
Madrid. Hard Rock International and Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts will manage Europe's first Hard Rock Hotel in Madrid in a joint venture. The 202 room Reina Victoria Hotel, which is held by Sol Melia under a long-term lease, is in the heart of Madrid's old city in the western end of the pedestrianized Plaza de Santa Ana.
Frankfurt/M. With the start of 2006, Martina Fidlschuster has taken over the management of Hotour GmbH, the consultancy for hospitality and tourism located in Frankfurt.
Munich/Frankfurt. Juergen Baurmann will assume the position of National Director of the German section of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels as from 1 February 2006, following on from Christoph Haerle.
Augsburg. The deal of the year was made by Starwood Capital. A cunning investment specialist swallowed up Le Méridien and the hotels of the French Taittinger Group almost simultaneously. With billions on real estate, Starwood founder Barry Sternlicht changed the European hotel scenery over night. The take-over was more dramatic than ever before: The hotel industry is no longer led by hoteliers but by managers and investors from other industries. With a whole bunch of mergers, share buyouts and changed shares, the ending year lays the foundations for an even bigger wave of mergers and acquisitions in 2006.
Frankfurt/Eschborn. The new "Top Supply" congress is espousing the cause of all topics around "modern purchasing management in the hotel industry". It will take place in Leipzig on February 9, 2006.