News & Stories
Munich. In future, robots will be no unfamiliar sight in the hotel industry, yet in terms of competition, it won't be the number crunchers leading decision making, but the more creative talents. The European Hotel Managers Association convened two weeks ago in Munich for their annual meeting. The motto of the meeting was "brain and soul" with 180 hoteliers coming together to discuss the topics they themselves consider the most important. Whilst the brain was busy with discussions and lectures on IT, controlling and benchmarking and the expectations of investors, there was Bavarian beer aplenty for the soul. Keynote speaker among colleagues was Sir Rocco Forte.
Vienna. Mountain hotel and industrial architecture in Vienna, monastic refuge in Styria: The Verkehrsbuero Group is expanding its Austrian hotel portfolio from 26 to 29 pieces with three spectacular hotels. Under criticism: a hotel with serviced apartments in Vienna.
Neuss. The restructuring of the German Dorint AG was formally approved on Wednesday. At an extraordinary general meeting in the Dorint Novotel in Neuss near Düsseldorf, 99% of the shareholders voted in favour of the separation of the AG into two different independent corporations retrospectively as from January 1, 2007. The new corporations are "New Gen Hotels AG" and the new "Dorint GmbH". This strategy prevented the insolvency of the German hotel group at the end of the year. Despite this, the EGM meant five hours of criticism and questions from the small shareholders, who felt snubbed with respect to the decision process and, above all, reproached the former founder of Dorint, Dr. Herbert Ebertz, for the double positions he holds. One of the shareholders called the EGM a "first-class funeral".
London. Ecological behaviour is absolutely trendy. Therefore it's not astonishing that the Great Hotels Organisation also wants benefit from this phase: It announces the GHO's Eco Collection.
Madrid. Grande Jolly, the hotel company founded in November of last year and led by the Spanish chain NH Hoteles, now plans the 100 percent take over of Italy's Jolly Hotels. Grand Jolly placed its offer with Italy's stock exchange supervisory body Consob on Wednesday evening.
Cairo. The American management company from Boston is the biggest operator of Nile cruisers in Egypt. In April 2006, the youngest of the now five floating hotels commenced its service - a suites-only ship with 43 salon cabins and private balconies. By the way, every room on the "Star Goddess" built in Germany, is equipped with a plasma TV and wireless Internet access. In keeping with the style of a 5-star hotel, the ship has a spa as well as a spacious "infinity"-pool on the uppermost deck.