News & Stories

Berlin. People's needs are becoming more varied, more individual; and supply and demand in the "accommodation market" is responding accordingly. At the same time, cross-over areas are growing. A very current example is provided by the segment for student housing and serviced apartments. Reiner Nittka, Chairman of GBI AG, describes the similarities and differences in a guest contribution for hospitalityInside.com, and compares key ratios from both segments.

Paris. This week, ANF Immobilier completed the sale of a large B&B hotel portfolio announced in August.

Munich. According to the World Tourism Organisation, global travel will continue to grow at a rate of around three percent per year - and the number of hotels will also continue to rise. The large chains are not letting economic factors decide their course, but rather are busy following their own strategies. "There are no limits for growth," Rolf Huebner, Director of Operations Central & Eastern Europe at InterContinental Hotels Group, explained at the very beginning of the discussion round "Development without Limits?" at the Expo Real hotel conference "Hospitality Industry Dialogue" in Munich on Monday. The phrase immediately became one of the core statements of the entire discussion in which Accor and B&B Hotels also expressed their unbridled hunger for "more". Even the developer Fay Projects sees opportunities for expansion, particularly with international brands.

Munich. Right in time for Expo Real 2012, a new hotel investment and hotel management platform is launched with Munich Hotel Partners GmbH. A financially strong family office and three hotel/real estate experts will both invest and provide management services in future.

Bad Aussee. The rather small Salzkammergut region in Austria will by December 2013 not only acquire a new cure centre in Bad Aussee, but also several apartment blocks which could bring with them up to 500 beds.

Augsburg. The German real estate market is becoming ever more interesting for investors, especially in non-prime locations. As well as the B locations - which have already attracted the attention of some professional real estate investors - C and D locations also have potential. This wasn't the finding of a hotel insider, but of an "asset profiler", an online platform for commercial real estate investment, based on a joint market assessment with BulwienGesa AG. The trend can also be seen in the hotel industry: In the following table,13 chains present the criteria they use for choosing B and C locations and indicate which investors are interested in hotels in secondary and tertiary locations.

Frankfurt. The German hotel real estate market is attracting interest from across the globe. Yet some new large projects have been stopped through the course of the crisis and trophy assets, in particular in popular cities, are rare. By contrast, sales of smaller businesses and conversions are keeping investors and operators busy. This was clearly illustrated last week at a small expert discussion round. Whether this trend accelerates the shift from lease to management and hybrid contracts remains to be seen. A snapshot before the summer break.

London. Internos, the European owner-managed real estate fund manager, has held the first close of its Hotel Real Estate Fund.

Singapore. Subsidiary of Singaporean group Fraser & Neave, Fraser Hospitality aims to be the global leader in the extended stay market. With a portfolio of 50 residences in activity and 20 more in the pipe, Fraser extends its footprints in Asia, its home-base, but not only. Its focus is now on Germany and other European countries. Eager to reach a wider range of customers, the group just launched "Capri by Fraser" - its fifth brand customized for the young e-Traveller.

Bangkok. The Soneva Group by Sonu Shivdasani, the new company formed following the divestment of the Six Senses and Evason brands, has announced it is to focus on developing resorts with private residences.