News & Stories
Munich. In future, Choice Hotels Europe will strengthen its individual brands. The umbrella brand name of Choice Hotels will move into the background. First task forces have already been founded. Before the strategy change was realised there were extensive guest surveys.
Atlanta/Abu Dhabi. With a press release distributed over a pay-PR channel in the US, an Arabian and Swiss company are stirring up opinion against the former Ritz-Carlton President Horst Schulze. According to the channel, he is said to have defrauded them of millions of British pounds. In New York, a speaker of Schulze dismisses the accusations.
Augsburg. The Asian Peninsula hotel group has invested 1.3 million euros in the redesign of the 660 sq m luxury suite in Peninsula Palace in Beijing. That sounds expensive, but it is not the maximum, as our short survey shows.
Pertisau, Lake Achen. Germany's only pure holiday hotel company Travel Charme Hotels will this weekend open their first hotel outside Germany. Two days before the opening the last paintings have to be done. Austria's Pertisau on Lake Achen, a two hour drive from Munich, is to be the location. As the only hotel situated directly on the lake edge, the move once again shows the prudence and selectivity in the group's expansion policy. More houses in Austria and Italy are to follow.
New York. Karmenu Vella, Chairman Corinthia Hotels International and Frank Orenstein, Chairman of the Hospitality Investors Group LLC, made a joint announcement yesterday about forming a world-wide strategic alliance to aggressively assist CHI in expanding its brand.
Berlin. Before German reunification, the Travel Charme Hotels were among the pearls of the "Reisebuero der DDR". Back then, they had the name "Travel Hotels" and were regarded as being special, among other things, thanks to their excellent locations. Today, the group is Germany's only pure resort hotel company and is still something special. With a new high-quality concept, the group generates top results unnoticed.
Singapore/Zurich. "The mood is very good on both sides." Meinhard Huck, managing director of Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts, is back from Singapore. The reason for his trip was the first talks at the parent company after Raffles announced the sale of its hotel business to U.S. investment fund Colony Capital last week.
White Plains/Paris/London. According to two consulting firms, Starwood Capital has acquired a 65% stake in Groupe Taittinger and its subsidiary Societé du Louvre. It has also associated itself with Lehman Brothers for the acquisition of the Le Méridien Group.
Eschborn. Seven hotels that until today were Queen Hotels will now join the hotel brand Best Western Deutschland. Of a total of 24 Queens Hotels in the country, 16 trade under the name of Holiday Inn, seven under the name of Best Western Queens Hotels with just one house in Hanover remaining a Queens Hotel - at least for the moment. Further brand changes are not excluded.
Sold: The famous Raffles Singapore
Singapore. The US investment fund Colony Capital, LLC, announced this week that it has entered into an agreement to purchase all of the hotel interests of Raffles Holdings Limited, comprised of 15 Raffles Hotels & Resorts and 26 Swissotel Hotels & Resorts in 35 destinations, for approximately one billion Dollars. With the Raffles purchase, Colony Capital is presented with the opportunity of solving a long standing problem - namely, the search for a management company for its own real estate interests.