News & Stories

Berlin. In a 50:50 joint venture with Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs Group, the European market leader in leisure and holiday home tourism in France, Accor will push forward with its long-stay hotel concept: the apartment hotel. The brand Adagio City Aparthotel was created in October 2007 especially for this purpose. After France, Italy and Switzerland, Germany is now the next expansion target. The first hotel just opened in Berlin, in a side-street off the famous West Berlin shopping street, Ku'damm. The most important criterion for Adagio is location.

Munich. The bosses were there in person: On Tuesday of this week, Kempinski CEO Reto Wittwer and his regional managers explained to 96 selected trainees what the luxury hotel group represents and what it demands of its future staff. On the fringes of this first internal "Career Day" in the Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten Hotel in Munich, Reto Wittwer and European President Gianni van Daalen took the time get an update on Kempinski's activities and on the background to the changed expansion focus from Asia to Europe.

Frankfurt. Members of the Romantik Hotels & Restaurants consortium have up to now felt little of the fallout of the economic crisis. Most hotels are benefitting from a high rate of repeating guests and from discerning individual travellers. Including the 16 new members, Romantik today counts 205 hotels in ten European countries. In the medium-term, the target is 300 members. The consortium's most important new addition is its intensive work with new media.

Madrid. Spain's second largest hotel group NH Hoteles will - as reported via "Breaking News" this week - assume the hotel management company Grupo Hesperia and with this will move closer to Spain's number 1, Sol Meliá. NH's expansion plans for Europe and Latin America remain unaffected by the deal.

Frankfurt. Things are in motion at Hilton. Only in early autumn did the company announce its renaming into Hilton Worldwide and present the new logo. Before that, the company headquarters had moved from Beverly Hills to Mc Lean in Virginia, USA. There is movement on the German market as well. Distribution was centralised in six offices and, by 2011, the hotel group wants to be present with four brands in Germany. Until then, the two new hotels in Frankfurt are supposed to be on the market.

Madrid. In the European hotel market, mergers and acquisitons continue. As reported minutes ago, Spain's second largest hotel group NH Hoteles acquired Grupo Hesperia.

Munich. The Arabella Hospitality Group has drawn a line under former sentimental decision-making. The hotel company, headquartered in Munich and joint venture partner of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, will now leave South Africa and focus attention on new projects. The company further intends to streamline management and the significantly extend the responsibilities of individual Arabella staff. At the same time, two new colleagues have been brought on board from his old team. Today, staff are provided with details of the new structure.

Munich. There are no remains of the former association of Accor and Dorint Hotels: NewGen AG, Moenchengladbach, was dissolved in the middle of October. The AG was dissolved and changed into Accor Hospitality Germany GmbH. Accor accommodation businesses still operate with two companies in Germany.

Munich. Accor selected the new Ibis Hotel City West in Munich as the demo property and for celebrations for the opening of the 100,000th Ibis room worldwide. The 208 room complex stands for the new generation of Ibis hotel. The new dominating red signals the end of the stop: After years of stagnation, Accor Deutschland finally wants to be in the running in Germany's economy sector. Accor is therefore pushing forward again, though its expansion plans and choice of location is much more cautious than before. Peter Verhoeven, new Managing Chairman for Accor Hotellerie Deutschland, and Michael Muecke, Managing Director and General Director of Accor's Economy brands, explained the details. Verhoeven also took questions on Accor Deutschland.Three months ago he took over from CEO Marc Hildebrandt who was dismissed by Accor Management in Paris after only one year.

Bern. Barwa Real Estate Company from Qatar in the United Arab Emirates transferred its Swiss hotel portfolio to another company making the Emirate of Qatar its actual owner.