News & Stories
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.
Wiesbaden. The long since announced expansion of Express by Holiday Inn of the InterContinental Hotels Group in Germany has finally got off from the starting blocks. Forthcoming openings and further acquisitions give Operations Manager Karl-Heinz Pawlizki reason for confidence that his three brands Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Express by Holiday Inn will soon push the 100 hotel mark.
Kitzbuehel. After the careless remark of a resigning tourism director, suspicion arose that Russians were not welcome in the posh ski resort of Kitzbuehel in Austria. Soon, words like "limitation" and "Russian quota" were making the rounds. Even though a survey reveals: "Russians? Nema problema."
Bern. So Switzerland can continue to profit from growth in tourism, the industrial association Hotelleriesuisse demands economic and political action. The conditions for tourism and the hotel industry in Switzerland are the worst in Europe, they claim. This year the association turns 125 years old - and marks its anniversary with a new quality offensive.