News & Stories
New York/Dallas. Private-equity firm Blackstone Group agreed to buy upscale hotel-and-resort chain Wyndham International Inc. for 1.44 US$ billion in cash and the assumption of 1.8 billion US$ in debt. Wyndham owns, franchises or leases 142 hotels and resorts in 10 countries. It owns 32 of the hotels and resorts. Since last year, Wyndham has been engaged in a “Global Hotel Alliance” with respect to marketing with European Kempinski Hotels, as well as with Pan Pacific, Asia, and Rydges Hotels, Australia.
Strasbourg. The consortia with the name "Exclusive Island Hotels & Resorts", founded as recently as December 2004, can already count 52 members. The finer details of their service spectrum are still being polished to perfection. Further sales offices in Dubai, Germany and Great Britain, as well as a central reservation system, are pending.
Bad Salzuflen/Frankfurt. By 2007, German Maritim Hotel Group plans to realise three imposing new large-scale projects with the new hotels in Berlin, Dresden and at Duesseldorf airport. The expansion, which was initiated by their partner HMS International Hotel GmbH, Cologne, with Maritim franchise hotels in the field of international resort, is also scheduled to be further developed. Apart from that, the rather diffuse expansion policy of the company is looking at solid operating results.
White Plains. The W Hotels of Starwood are getting a budget sister: "Project XYZ". This is its preliminary alias. Meanwhile, the looks of the new franchise baby and the costs for the second design birth are already known in detail. The creative minds of W are assigning the new Starwood brand to the hotels providing "selected service", whereas style and the lifestyle touch of the expensive W Hotels is still to be visible. W's heritage is to be seen, smelled, heard and tasted in every new XYZ room, due to design and material....
Rust. "SAM" didn`t come out too well this time. For the first time in the history of the awards, the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association Germany presented nobody with the coveted big prize. The Association is soon to open to Austria and Switzerland.
Macau. Macau, located in South China, a former Portuguese territory and today a special administrative region, is changing its outward appearance dramatically. The local industrial tycoon, Stanley Ho, is building "Oceanus" - a luxury cruiser with 600 rooms.
Palma de Mallorca. For 22 years, the Spanish hotel chain Iberostar, daughter of the Spanish touristic holding Iberostar, focussed on typical beach hotels for tourists. This year the group will change its focus and open the first Suites Hotel, followed by city and boutique hotels. For each location Iberostar also announced two spa resorts.
Cologne. One of the leading art insurance companies in the world is on good terms with hoteliers: When it comes to dealing with art, they had become significantly more professional over the past years. This also involves thinking about an art insurance. Some clues for the practice.
Augsburg. Art in hotels - how serious do hotel groups take this issue? The "quick survey" by hospitalityInside involving several hotel groups - without a specific art profile - sheds some light on the subject. Our three questions to all were: Is there a central art concept or a central art collection in your group? Are there any group-wide art events in your group? How much money does your chain spend for art and art events per year? / map
Hamburg. It's a perfect and unique constellation: Rock star Udo Lindenberg has not only resided for the last ten years in the Kempinski Atlantic Hotel in Hamburg, but also makes his own contribution to the artistic distraction of guests with his self-created "Likörellen". The intended marketing success has not failed to materialise.