News & Stories

Duesseldorf. With openings in Vienna and Hamburg, Lindner Hotels AG is currently following a policy of strategic growth. But managing ailing hotels will be a sector of the team from Duesseldorf in future as well. Recent examples prove this.

Harz. As the hotelier Harald Doerschel arrived in Harz from Berlin in 1973, he certainly didn’t intend founding his own hotel chain. Meanwhile, Sonnenhotels plc with its twelve hotels in Germany and one in Austria has developed into a medium sized German hotel company. One of the recipes of success for the family firm is its unusual method of distribution.

Greenwich. Starwood Capital Group announced the creation of Baccarat Hotels and Resorts, a five-star luxury hotel brand inspired by Baccarat's global iconic status. Starwood Capital Group's controlled affiliate owns 86% of the shares of the Baccarat company. For more than 200 years, Baccarat has been synonymous with luxury, hand-crafted quality and the unending pursuit of perfection.

Augsburg. Thanks to SGS Italy, even a "7 star" classification has made its way into the world of hospitality. Officially recognised - worldwide - are 5 stars as the highest quality rating. What has one then to understand of the Italian 7 star rating? Associations, just like hoteliers, remain sceptical; a feeling that's only strengthened by the secrecy surrounding the certifying institute. The leading hotel associations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland give us their opinions, as do The Leading Hotels of the World as leading marketing association of 5 star hotels, a Ritz Carlton Manager and an independent Swiss hotel consultant.

Milan/Geneva. Up to now, Societé Generale de Surveillance SA located in Geneva and operating 1,000 branches in 48 countries has been known for technical certifications for major groups, for security standards, ISO 9000 inspections, wind energy, but also in the field of services. Now, SGS Italy is awarding seven hotel stars and throwing well-sounding names on the market to make the entire procedure more attractive. But these names dissociate themselves from this concept. The hotel associations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as renowned hotels are very sceptical about a 7-star certification. Five stars are recognised worldwide.

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.