News & Stories
Pragelato. In the Italian town of Pragelato near Turin a new holiday village now nears completion. Final construction works are to be carried out in November 2005, well in time for the Winter Games 2006. The building contract for 87 apartment houses with a total of 205 separate living units at a cost of 25 million Euros was awarded to a German firm.
Paris. No real breakfast, but flatscreens in the rooms. Accor is even equipping its Red Roof Inn and Ibis hotels with LCD flatscreens. 260,000 televisions have been purchased - nearly twice as many as were sold in the whole of France last year.
Munich. The exchange service for condominium owners RCI, a subsidiary of the US giant Cendant, has managed to hook an important client: the Vacation Club of the Spanish hotel company Sol Meliá.
Frankfurt/M. If a castle is for sale, it is almost certain to be converted into a hotel. Private investors let themselves be easily enthused by the idea of owning such a historic property. If there is no yield, they normally do not care about it. Only the heirs look for a financially satisfying solution. A consultancy has now analysed the economic perspectives of castle hotels.
St. Goar. Gerd Ripp, owner of Hotel & Villa Schloss Rheinfels, St. Goar, advanced from the Managing Director to the owner of the hotel two years ago. The old walls next to the Rhine bring in good money. An interview.
Brussels. Rezidor SAS Hospitality has signed a 35 million euro financial joint venture agreement with four Nordic government funds to expand its presence in Africa.
Munich. The Guerlain spa in Paris is still under construction, the new spa in Munich's Bayerischer Hof is with that a first for its designer Andrée Putman. The opening took place in her presence.
Frankfurt. A few days ago in the office suburb Niederrad of Frankfurt, Germany's biggest budget hotel went into business: Motel One with 271 rooms. A further six outlets are due to follow in the immediate future. With this, the group grows considerably in size within the German low budget market.
Lobby instead of shop: Lindner Berlin
Augsburg. The idea sounds good, but the realisation involves cost-intensive pitfalls. At what point could an empty office building be used as a hotel? The consultants strongly advise to be cautious, chains do not see any need for action, but some do it nevertheless.
Professionals know in advance: You can't convert all real estate into a hotel. Nevertheless, in these times many office buildings remain empty, their investors call for hotels. Still, hotels' reputation makes them an attractive, economy-promoting tool in a city. On the other hand hoteliers know that office building in top locations can be their only chance to operate a hotel in a good location.