News & Stories

Wiesbaden. The B&B budget chain has a luxury problem: It has money, but too few locations. Since the takeover by Carlyle Group exactly one year ago, the goal has been to open a new 2-star hotel every month at best – at least in Germany. "The market can still sustain quite a number of budget hotels and B&B hotels," says Mark Thompson, Managing Director in Germany, who is heavily drumming up with respect to hotel locations in the forefront of Expo Real Munich. In contrast to other budget providers, B&B will neither build any XXL-sized hotels nor water down the product. An update on B&B.

Paris. Tuesday`s announcement from Accor Management caused share prices to fall on the Paris Stock Exchange. Investors appear to be sceptical of the new strategy to be implemented by Europe`s largest hotel chain. At its core is the bundling of economy brands: allseasons and Etap are to be swallowed up by ibis as the main brand from 2012 and renamed as "ibis styles" and "ibis budget". ibis is to remain ibis. At the same time, CEO Denis Hennequin is changing the strategy for the not-so-profitable Motel 6 in the US. He also announced a new investment plan and has categorised markets under new priority schemes.

Munich. Schoerghuber Unternehmensgruppe has changed the legal form of the Arabella companies documenting the definite detachment of its hotel area.

Augsburg. Apps improve concierge services and increase room service, guests will be choosing their restaurant meal via iPad and are invited to watch the cooks live in the kitchen ... New software brings more interaction with hotel guests. This is even true for meeting inquiries that can be personalized in the hotel`s own website design. Initial hotel groups and hotels like the Rocco Forte The Charles in Munich, the Kameha Grand in Bonn, as well as Moevenpick and Rilano Hotels, report their findings.

Innsbruck. The travel writers of the virtual world met in person for the first time the last week in Innsbruck at their first European convention. The Innsbruck Tourism and the Austrian National Tourism Office had used the premiere event themselves in order to direct focus onto their own destinations as well. However, about 100 travel bloggers discussed first their order of business: How can their achievements make money? Then, it became clear in the discussions that their portals - up to now – are also only the products of smart marketing experts and sponsors. Quality remains over in the distance, it is primarily about marketing. And here, clever tourism managers like those from Innsbruck see their opportunity to dictate the conditions.

Zurich/Cairo. A Cairo court threatened the Egyptian businessman Samih Sawiris with a fine and possible imprisonment last week. Sawiris is accused of breaching Egyptian capital market laws through his company Orascom Hotels & Development. Sawiris has lodged an appeal.

Mumbai. The first rumours about the sale of Amanresorts already occurred in April last year, now the owning company confirmed to sell the luxury hotel chain.

Frankfurt. The hotel management and service company, HMG, known in German-speaking Europe from its Fleming`s brand, plans further growth. Financial Year 2010 and First Half-Year 2011 results published yesterday are very satisfying. The focus of expansion rests on the boarding house brand Liv`in. At the same time, the company - which currently counts 19 hotels - is investing in state-of-the-art internet technology and customer loyalty.

Hamburg. Breathing lifestyle into containers is a fine art. 25hours knows it: a big Hapag-Lloyd container can easily accommodate a nice sauna or an unconventional conference room. After all, the reception also consists of sea chests and guests have breakfast on stacks of oriental carpets... The 25hours Hotel HafenCity in Hamburg is an absolutely authentic hotel experience – no trace of kitsch. Breaking convention, connecting functionality and style – all that has become well-accepted even among nameable investors, and it results in a good company record. The next success stories seem to be pre-programmed – in Austria and Switzerland. Managing Director Christoph Hoffmann on the small lifestyle group`s fifth hotel and the company`s new developments in Vienna and Zurich.

Amsterdam. In June, the Mint Hotel Group crossed UK borders opening its first hotel overseas. The Mint Amsterdam is a 4-star property boasting 553 rooms and suites located next to the train station in the city centre. Founded in 1995 by David Orr, his father, Sandy Orr, and Donald MacDonald as City Inn and rebranded as Mint Hotel few months ago, the group has grown steadily since the launch of its first hotel in Bristol in 1999. Now, the next targets are other key European cities, such as Paris, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid and Munich. Mint Hotel Group is looking for new financial partners, and one of them could be Blackstone.