News & Stories
Ruby in the USA! Michael Struck's dream of the first hotel in the United States has come true. The Ruby founder is happy. IHG too; the chain bought the Ruby brand in April 2025. But Struck keeps his thumb on the details - and at the same time learns a lot from the global chain and the new market.
An insolvency is not caused by the economic failure of a single player alone. It is the final symptom of a deeply rooted structural failure within the system. Greed and aggressive scaling without proper data controls will lead to the abyss. An expert dissects the current model using mathematical logic and sharply criticises all stakeholders.
Multi-brand operator Primestar is moving into the legendary Elbtower in Hamburg, but not with its own brand, rather under the Hilton franchise flag. 195 hotel rooms will be part of a major digital premiere: thousands of people live and work in the tower every day and can access (hotel) services. Primestar's tech-savvy owner, Roland Rausch, reveals the first details.
Revo Hospitality, Europe's largest white label operator, is working on consolidating the company after the wave of takeovers in 2024. Since Monday, Union Investment has been offering the Pullman Schweizerhof Berlin property for sale. Revo, the tenant, has been given notice to quit. It is fighting back in court and does not want to move out. But there is also some positive news.
The shrinking process for the hotel portfolio of the former Deutsche Hospitality (DH) will come to an end in 2027 and transition to healthy growth. This was announced by Dr. Stephan Hungeling in our interview on Wednesday. The Chief Transformation Officer is currently pushing synergies with the Chinese parent company H World Group. That is all part of his job.
Choice Hotels International was heading into 2025 betting that its next growth chapter would be written in EMEA. Of its roughly 7,500 hotels worldwide, about 1,400 sit outside the US and the company now calls international expansion, led by Europe, the Middle East and Africa, its biggest opportunity.
Norwegian budget brand Citybox Hotels was launched in 2006 and now has ten hotels with 1,880 rooms and more in the pipeline. All this is set to change as quickly and visibly as possible through expansion in Central Europe. Benelux, Germany and the United Kingdom are the first targets.
The Spanish hotel group Barceló is planning an extensive expansion in Europe. Over the next three years, 1.5 billion euros will be allocated. Raúl González, CEO EMEA, is currently restructuring the current portfolio, specifying the target markets and has found a JV partner for expansion. It’s ready to go.
Family offices are regarded as discreet, strategic investors. They manage the billion euro assets of entrepreneurial families and think in terms of generations, not quarters. But they also broaden their perspective: New asset classes, new regions and new topics such as sustainability are gaining in importance.
The desire for Branded Residences is growing. A business model that has existed globally for decades, mostly at luxury level. In Europe, private living now also falls into the lifestyle or premium category. Accor is now breaking Branded Residences down to midscale. Europe's wealthy young generation and Mixed Use make it possible.