News & Stories
Berlin/Mumbai. There will be two more hotels joining, while another four will follow by 2011. The Indian Leela Group is about to start the biggest expansion wave of its history. Since March, all Leela Hotels have been linked to Kempinski via a marketing alliance.
Moscow. With the acquisition of the Austrian Hotel Company, whose 20 hotels are located primarily in Germany, the Russian company Azimut Hotels takes its first steps on western European soil. Further takeovers are to follow.
Windsor/London. With a single effort set for three years, InterContinental Hotel Group will push about 4,000 renewed and new Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels onto the market by 2010. In this way, the group will renew its entire portfolio of both brands and strongly push forward expansion. The costs for owners and franchisees: almost one billion US dollars. Investors unwilling to support the new appearance and the new 
Neustadt in Hostein. The German "Das Traumschiff" TV series has become invaluable. Since 1999, the "MS Deutschland" belonging to Peter Deilmann Reederei in Neustadt, Schleswig-Holstein has been cruising across the TV screens making dreams come true for millions of viewers. The cruiser with an Art Nouveau appearance is Germany`s only swimming 5-star hotel, and the only luxury cruiser of the world sailing under German colours proud of Germany as a location - despite strict conditions, quality standards and charges. The shipping company has only ten boats. The river cruising segment has gained momentum over the past few years as well.
A new push
Berlin. The ”pipeline” is becoming bigger each year, Seán C. Worker says, Managing Director and Senior Vice President of International Operations for the Wyndham Hotel Group. Franchise development currently includes over 104,000 hotel rooms. The main focus is on the expansion of all tiers: on Ramada Encore in Europe and Asia, Super 8 hotels in Asia and Wyndham hotels in all major markets.
Rome. After four decades as Italy's leading hotel, Rome Cavalieri becomes the first hotel in Europe and the sixth globally to join The Waldorf-Astoria Collection, the luxury brand of the Hilton Hotels Corporation.
Munich/Paris. The Asian magnet now also attracts Relais & Châteaux: for the first time, the consortium is also represented in India and Singapore, event though with local hotels of a small size (photo: the Mahaua Kohti in Badhavgarh, India). This step makes the number of members increase by 34 to 467 individual hotels in 2008. The three annual "trophies" awarded by R&CH all went to German hotels this year. Europe remains in the focus of marketing for the originally French consortium. After establishing itself in London and New York, a "Maison" was opened in Switzerland this year. The next European "experience office" of this kind will be following in Munich.
