News & Stories

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Good business with casual lifestyle

IHG presents a model for Staybridge Suites Europe and details on Indigo

11.4.2008

Windsor/London. A survey among 1,000 long-term guests in the US brought the five main points to light for the "Staybridge Suites" concept for Europe. After nine years, the brand has 122 hotels in North America belonging to InterContinental Hotels Group; the company has announced ten projects for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The first Staybridge Suites will open in Liverpool in June. As regards Germany, the first location will be announced within the next one or two months - just as for Indigo, IHG's lifestyle brand, whose pilot project is currently under construction in London. John C. Wagner is responsible for the two brands and their introduction in EMEA. In the course of the big re-launch of Holiday Inn in England this week, the Vice President gave a few more details for the first time.

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4,000 at one go

Global boost of renewal for Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express

11.4.2008

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

standards will be excluded from the franchise system by 2010 at the latest. This week in Farnborough near Windsor, seat of the IHG headquarters, the hotel chain presented to their investors and owners, general managers and marketing staff what the new products will look like. IHG's CEO Andrew Cosslett hopes that this decision will have helped to catch up to competitors all over the world in the middle-class segment.

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Long-term strategies will prevail

Global Hyatt's project list for Europe and Arabia is getting longer

4.4.2008

Berlin. Europe remains on the screen of Global Hyatt, even though a great number of new projects will be emerging in Eastern Europe and Asia. Accordingly, the American chain will be present all around the Mediterranean Sea as in Riga, Russia and Saudi Arabia. There are also further plans concerning Germany. Gebhard Rainer, Managing Director Development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, provides an insight into the project list of the chain that has been accelerating expansion over the past few years.

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Leisure cruising in vogue

Germany`s Deilmann Reederei relies on a single cruiser and 9 river boats

4.4.2008

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.

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A new push

Wyndham Worldwide with concrete plans for Europe and Asia

4.4.2008

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.

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Rome Cavalieri Hilton to become a Waldorf-Astoria

4.4.2008

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.

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Millions for a communication campaign

Relais & Châteaux also heading for Asia

28.3.2008

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.

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Orient-Express sets new strategy focus

CEO Paul White on all too industrious shareholders and the expansion

28.3.2008

Berlin. Last autumn, the threatened "hostile takeover" could be followed almost only by readers of English newsletters and recipients of the company press releases. Few paid due heed to claims made by the Indian Hotel Company that they were looking to increase their stake in the British listed Oriented Express Hotels. At a meeting in Berlin, Paul White, President and CEO of the Group, commented on these results to hospitalityInside.com. He made clear: "Orient-Express will remain an independent company!" For the next three years, big plans are on the cards. And the developers have already taken up position in the starting blocks.

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Global boost for art'otel

Park Plaza Hotels step on it - first results after going public in 2007

28.3.2008

Berlin. Last Thursday saw the first figures since going public in July 2007. They displayed a company on its way up. Going public poured 85 million pounds sterling onto the company account. "That's why our 'war chest' is filled and we are able to benefit even from the subprime crisis;" explained Erik van Kessel, Vice President Operations for Continental Europe, located in Berlin. "We are now taking a look at various projects." The subsidiary of the American Carlson Group, which also includes Rezidor, currently operates 27 lifestyle and art-oriented first-class hotels under the brand of Park Plaza and art'otel in eight countries. By 2010, the company wants to more than double its portfolio.

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Making use of their own strengths

Thailand's Dusit Hotels to prepare international expansion

28.3.2008

Bangkok/Munich. Thailand's Dusit Hotels are preparing for international expansion. Over the past few months, Chanin Donavanik, CEO of Dusit, has hired almost 40 managers for the head office and the regional offices, invested great sums in the company's IT structure, and 150 million dollars in the renovation of nine existing hotels. The current project list for the Middle East, India and Bali includes 18 hotels alone. Negotiations are underway in China and Thailand. The group that was renamed Dusit International last year completed repositioning of its brands. In Europe, it could well imagine its new spa concept.

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