News & Stories
Brussels. Hilton is jazzing up an old brand: The 4-star Conrad Hotels is advancing to a 5-star brand and the current 17 hotels are planned to increase to 50 hotels within the next 5 years. CEO Dieter Huckestein is working on the profile of the luxury brand. At the moment, only buzzwords are recognisable.
Toray. The French Taittinger family, the major shareholder, is receptive to selling its shares in Société du Louvre. First names are circulating regarding bidders for the 900 hotels incorporated in the group that has been operating under the name Louvre Hotels since March 2004.
Frankfurt/M. Worldhotels has come up with four breaking pieces of news in the last few days: Two new supervisory board members come from the tourism industry; the GDS code for individual members has now officially become WW; the group is planning to extend the training area and finally, with the Elysée in Hamburg, a further important German hotel has joined the group.
New York. Marketing expenses at U.S. hotels increased 6.1 percent in 2004 as hotels attempt to lure guests back and take advantage of a strongly rebounding lodging climate, according to a recent study published by PKF Consulting.
Ulm. According to news reports, the US investor Blackstone was interested in the Danish Legoland amusement parks. The management only denies this to a certain extent.
Frankfurt/M. China and India are in the centre of Marriott International's expansion policy in the Asian Pacific area. In both countries, the number of hotels is planned to double. In doing so, the company fully relies on resorts and city hotels.
Milan. The Italian Domina Hotel Group has ambitious plans. It's number of hotels shall increase fivefold from 49 to 250 during the next ten years. The four new brands Domina Inn, Domina Hotels, Royal Media Hotels & Resorts and Richmand Grand Hotels & Resorts are dedicated to support the growth.
Huettenberg. The region in which the Dalai Lama's Tibetan Centre is to be developed does indeed have a history of tourism with its forts and castles, however, at present, no overnight tourism exists in the area.
Joint for Tibet and Carinthia: (front, from left) Dr. Peter Ambrozy, Deputy Head of Regional Government of Carinthia, His Holiness Dalai Lama,Head of Regional Government Dr. Joerg Haider. Behind: Developer and Hotel opeartor Robert Rogner jr. and Rudolf Schratter, Mayor of Huettenberg.
Huettenberg. The Dalai Lama as tourism patron: In the green meadows sweeping down from the mountains of Carinthia, a structurally weak Austrian federal state, the first Tibetan Centre in the western world is to be established - in the name and with the help of the Tibetan spiritual leader. The project comprises a medical centre, a university and three hotel projects with a total of 1000 beds.
Vienna. Austria`s leading tourist company, the "Verkehrsbuero Group", now intends to extend expansion plans beyond top category hotels, a market sector it already occupies with Austria Trend Hotels, to encompass city and holiday hotels the middle class segment. Record turnover supports project development.