News & Stories
Ascona. It seems as if a wind has caught the Swiss luxury hotels. The country's leading Grand Hotels are currently investing millions in order to regain access to the international elite. Be it Dolder Grand in Zuerich, Les Trois Rois in Basle, the Suvretta House in St. Moritz, the Resorts Bad Ragaz or the Tschuggen Group: All of them are in the hands of private patrons who give their real estate portfolios some splendour with these hotels. Three of the four Tschuggen Hotels owned by Karl-Heinz Kipp are currently being closed one after the other to receive a luxury renovation and enter the market again afterwards. Daniel J. Ziegler, CEO of Tschuggen Hotel Group and delegate of the President of the Board of Directors, Kipp, explain the strategy.
Berlin. On December 12, 2006, German Interhotel Holding GmbH & Co KG concluded an agreement about selling its 14 hotels including the operating businesses associated with them.
Lucerne. Last week the Rezidor Hotel Group opened their fifth hotel in Switzerland in Lucerne taking the group total to 274 hotels. Rezidor CEO Kurt Ritter, himself a Swiss national born of the countryside of Bern, gave further details about the group and about the initial public offer.
Munich. In a rashly called press conference, Schoerghuber's Arabella Hotel Hotels International and their joint venture partner Starwood Hotels & Resorts are to announce details of their new long term strategy on Friday. The conference has been expected for many weeks.
Augsburg. Bonus points are like a second currency for travellers. Their pleasure to exchange points or miles for room nights, food and beverages or other conveniences is unbroken. In vogue: the bonus card with a payment function. Brand new: InterConti's guests are able to use their bonus points at competitors. A current overview including a chart.
Worms. In the chain hotel business, bonus programmes with customer cards have become a widespread practice in the meantime. Even mid-sized hotels increasingly issue them. In 70 percent of all cases, CRM systems have not generated any operative increases, while some even exclusively generate losses. The discrepancy becomes even starker when one discovers that not even ten percent of the hotel managers are "highly satisfied" with the success of their customer relationship programmes.
Munich. "Bonus programmes are only suitable for business hotels and less appropriate for the luxury sector." The Munich based consultancy firm Toadt, Dr. Selk & Coll specialised in marketing technology describes how successful CRM programmes are designed. A short interview with Managing Director Michael Toedt on quantity, quality and the cost of the customer loyalty programme.
Berlin. The consortium of Top International Hotels now counts a further co-operation amongst its partners: the VCH, the Association of Christian Hoteliers. The group is Germany's oldest consortium, although almost unknown in the branch.