News & Stories
Dubai. Special permits allow some hotels to be located in the midst of a national park. In Dubai's desert, it works the other way round. The Al Maha Resort convinced the ruler of Dubai to declare 225 square kilometres of desert to be a national "Desert Conservation Reserve". The reason: An ecologist is a member of the management of Emirates Hotels & Resorts. And he is the person responsible for the next big ecological hotel on the Seychelles. By 2010, 253 million dollars will flow into this resort, which will be located on a hidden property on the main island of Mahe. Both projects combine top-quality hospitality and environmental protection with the tourist demands of the destination. Today, hospitalityInside.com introduces Al Maha and the conservation project. In our next issue, we will report on the ecological approach in the resort that is being newly created.
Munich. For the first time since the merger, the luxury brands Fairmont and Raffles present themselves together in Germany. Since 1 May, the up to now only Raffles Hotel in Germany, the Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg, has flown the Fairmont flag. Ingo Peters, Managing Director of the Alster-side luxury hotel, has meanwhile become Fairmont Regional Vice President. He explained the new structures at the hotel road show in Munich.
Cologne. "Once again there are more people willing to pay for service. The motto "stinge is in" has done its time." Professor Birgit Mager points to the results of recent studies and encourages the hotel industry. Since 1995, she’s been teaching Service Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. The study course concentrates of the ability of designers to make everyday things, from the perspective of the client, useful and usable. And this isn’t only true for products, but also for services.
Wiesbaden. As recently as two years ago, hotel developers in Germany regarded patient hotels with scepticism. Meanwhile, the market has changed and one project announcement follows the next. Many renowned hotel companies already have agreements with the clinics. Nevertheless, experts are still warning of too much euphoria in this sector.
Moenchengladbach. German hotels suffer under the consequences of old leasing agreements. Many contracts are no longer in a position to bear the strain of the market. The old Dorint plc, the former Four Seasons Berlin and the earlier InterContinental Stuttgart are negative examples of dispute arising between owners and leaseholders on the negotiation of new or modified contract terms. A hotel consultant gives landlords a list of questions as guide in answering the question whether a change of operator would make sense.
Berlin. After World War II, Samuel Braun, an import and export salesman from Berlin, bought a share of his first hotel, the Savoy in Berlin. In the meantime, Samuel Braun Group has four hotels in Western Berlin, and its further activities successfully complement the hotel business.
Berlin. The hotel group Grand City Hotels & Resorts is expanding at a very swift pace in Germany. It is backed by a financially powerful investors’ consortium and an ambitious management team with likewise ambitious plans for the future.
Wiesbaden. A national smoking ban in all public spaces - in state offices, trains and buses - to enter into force as from January 2008 has already been decided in February this year. A similar ban for pubs and restaurants, however, falls within the legislative authority of the federal states, each of which will allow for their own list of exceptions. Now, many non-smokers are hoping to achieve a final and complete ban with help from Brussels. Yet while EU politicians' hands remain tied, the smoke seems to be clearing on its own back in Germany.
St. Christoph/Arblerg. The Arlberg Hospiz hotel wants to ensure ten-month occupancy at top rates with an elite training refuge in the ski resort of St. Christoph, Austria. Some big names stand behind this idea for further training at 1,700 metres above sea level.
Berlin. "A good economy is only partly able to cover the structural weaknesses of Germany as a hotel location," said Fritz G. Dreesen, Chairman of the Hotelverband Deutschland, in Berlin at the association's annual press conference on Wednesday. He denounced the irregularities that could once again or still call into question the 2006 upswing. This includes the continuously high VAT rate for the hotel industry, the scandalously high radio licence fees compared to the rest of Europe and currently, the upholding of German law in terms of contractual obligations vis-à-vis foreign guests. Dreesen appealed to the federal government to ensure that there will finally be more equal opportunities within Europe.