News & Stories

Frankfurt. Frankfurt-based Hotel und Management und Servicegesellschaft HMG, operator of nine Fleming's Hotels and four boarding houses, has been thinking about lease agreements lately. This was announced at a press conference in Frankfurt yesterday together with an explanation of its future strategy.

Hamburg. RIMC International Hotel Resort Management and Consulting GmbH in Hamburg, known in the industry simply as RIMC, will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. The operating company was established by Gert Prantner at a time when he was still Managing Director of Hamburg's luxury hotel The Vier Jahreszeiten. He made a legend of the top hotel before quietly leaving to concentrate his attention on the finance and real estate industry. It was here that he learnt and implemented the concept which he today describes as "tailor-made for investors". For RIMC, the operation of hotels stands in focus. The company views American-style management contracts as unprofessional. Meanwhile, RIMC has founded subsidiaries in six countries with national partners. Since 2006, Marek Riegger has been at Prantner's side as business partner. Riegger has about 30 years experience in the international hotel industry. Both men have known each other for 20 years. Marek Riegger shores up the RIMC philosophy in the long-term. Both have set targets: an even stronger presence in Germany, continued expansion abroad and more hotels under ownership.

Paris. The separation of the Accor division Hotels and Services is officially confirmed. Under the chairmanship of Gilles Pélisson, Accor’s Board of Directors approved the decision with one vote less.

Eschborn/Berlin. Best Western Hotels Germany has intensified its strategic partnership with Grand City Hotels. In a first step, eight hotels switch sides.

Munich. Accor currently operates eleven brands; the expansion of the low budget brand, Formule 1, will be suspended. The European market leader will in future orientate itself more towards target groups than to locations. Market leadership as budget provider will remain the utmost priority. Sofitel, on the other hand, doesn't show the same ambition. Yann Callière, Chief Operating Officer of Accor Hospitality EMEA and Chief Executive Officer of Sofitel Worldwide, explains the current approach taken by the French hotel group.

Berlin. The massive "yes" for the minaret ban by the Swiss population even surprised its initiators, the extreme right-wing party SVP. One day after the vote, Islamic websites launched first appeals to boycott Swiss products among others. The hotel industry and tourism fear negative reactions.

Moscow. Reports from Moscow in the last few weeks indicate that Heliopark Group has filed for bankruptcy. The Russian hotel group operates three hotels in Germany. In an interview with hospitalityInside.com, Aleksandr Gusakov, President of Heliopark Group, talks about the details.

Vienna. Arcotel is one of the small Austrian hotel groups - but one with great ambition. Four of its ten hotels are located in Germany. The ailing neighbouring market is even the primary target for expansion. Be it Vienna, Berlin or Zagreb, the "house artist", an Austrian artist and industrial designer makes sure that the hotels become a local personality. The younger the hotels, the more extraordinary their architecture. Concerning Europe, the chain wants to concentrate on the West, while it hardly sees any chances for growth in Austria.

Munich. The American hotel assessment platform TripAdvisor is now pushing forward with its own marketing: As of January, it will include hotels directly through a "Business Listing" so that travellers can now contact hotels directly.

Geneva. What started as two hotel groups has grown to become twelve today, and by 2012, it's to be 20: The Global Hotel Alliance is firmly on a course to growth. With the aim of filling existing geographic gaps, GHA is taking its name seriously. The marketing association, launched in 2006 by Kempinski and Omni Hotels, still has a very strong Asian bias. Expected new members will, however, be from Europe and southern Africa. The difference between GHA and other hotel associations is that the GHA concentrates on privately run hotel groups; individual hotels are not accepted into the group. With 243 upscale and luxury hotels, GHA can already boast a decent size and distribution will now be further extended. An interview with Christopher Hartley, CEO of Global Hotel Alliance.