News & Stories

Kiel. The Austrian Hotel Development Company Rogner International plans the construction of its first German hotel complex in Westensee Nature Park, Schleswig-Holstein.

Toronto. Canadian Four Seasons Hotels Inc. has confirmed that the shareholders of 795 Fifth Avenue Corporation, the owner of The Pierre, have approved a new operator.

New York. The contract remains to be sealed either today or at the end of this week: The Four Seasons Hotel The Pierre in New York will then become a Taj hotel. In Chicago Four Seasons will cease management for The Ritz-Carlton.

Moscow. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company will open its first property in Russia mid-year 2006, a 332-room hotel in Moscow. The 11-story hotel replaces the old Intourist hotel which was demolished in 2002.

Berlin. The number of new hotels opening in Berlin seems endless: The day before yesterday Marriott celebrated the opening of its 267 room Courtyard and Accor yesterday swiftly followed with its 274 room Dorint Sofitel. Accor announced, however, the Dorint Sofitel would be the last of the new hotels to be opened in Germany for 2005.

Innsbruck. Innsbruck in Tyrol, Austria, shows how difficult it is even for a two-time Olympic city to attract international hotel brands. Four new hotels with 500 rooms are planned and under construction, respectively, but only two of them have already found an operator.

London. During the last years tourism in the resort destinations of Asia was rather successful. On most of the regions the Tsunami catastrophe won’t have any longterm influence. Experts from HVS International researched the development of Five Star Resorts in this region. The result of their “Asia Hotel Watch”: The growth will go on.

London. 2004 was overall a positive year for most of the Asian nations. While the economy seems to recover quickly hotels profit from the positive development, except for Taipei in Taiwan. HVS gives an outlook on important asian cities.

Ditzingen/Stuttgart. The German travel business sees itself confronted with a whole host of new challenges. Some, such as the weak economy and high unemployment, affect all commerce. Others, such as the internet, dynamic packaging or fast growing low cost airlines have direct ramifications mainly for tour organizers and/or travel agents. The outcome of a recent study gives information about the most important trends and offers solutions.

Munich. The Honorable Sir Rocco Forte was the only one who made the gentlemen in grey laugh during the foundation stone laying ceremony of his third German luxury hotel in Munich last Friday. "I am not a Heuschrecke", said the courageous hotel operator from Great Britain alluding to the most recent lapses in German economic policy.