News & Stories
Paris. Accor completed the sale of the US chain Red Roof Inn to a consortium comprised of Citi's Global Special Situations Group and Westbridge Hospitality Fund, L.P. for 1.313 billion US Dollar.
Kuwait City. Christian Windfuhr from Germany, who had been working for Corinthia Hotels headquartered on Malta and was Managing Director of the German Maritim Hotels before that, recently started as COO of the Refad Hotels & Resorts hotel company in Kuwait. It operates hotels in the Middle East as well as a single hotel in Germany. Its expansion plans also include other countries and continents.
Munich. Medium-sized companies are also benefiting from Germany's upturn. Ringhotel, a consortium with 140 hotels in the 3 and 4-star segment in Germany, generated an additional one million euros in the first half of 2007. This corresponds to an average increase in turnover of 46,000 euros per member hotel. Demand significantly increased in the congress and wellness segment.
Cernobbio. The news hit like a bomb: If the reports of Italian media are anything to go by, a wealthy Sultan is interested in the purchase of Italy's most noble hotel, the Villa d'Este in Cernobbio. The Sultan is expected to make an offer of 280 million Euros; though a second potential buyer is thought to be waiting in the wings with more.
Paris. The main news didn't come until after the half-year figures: As Accor S.A, Paris announced two days ago, the Sofitel brand is to be positioned in the luxury sector - alongside Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt and the group will give new life to the Pullman brand re-establishing it in the first class sector. In addition to this, Accor is also preparing to extend its "non standardised" economy activity in a drive to push a new brand "All Seasons".
Berlin. The Austrian hotel company Arcotel AG is building another hotel on one of the last free spaces in downtown Berlin, right in the middle of the Friedrichswerder. It is the group's fourth hotel in Germany and already the second in the German capital. Arcotel considers Berlin to be a "big player in Northern Europe" and the most important tourist destination of Germany after London and Paris.
Madrid.
The Spanish hotel group Barceló is expanding to Great Britain to minimise risks on the home market. As of September 1, the family business located on Mallorca will take over the management of 20 Paramount hotels belonging to the 4 and 5-star segment of the British competitor Dawnay Shore Hotels.Felsberg. The Center Hotels cooperative and the hotel operating company Alemannia Hotels have initiated collaboration. Their common directory now contains 18 independent 3 to 4-star hotels in Germany. They are not operated by individual hoteliers, but by a total of four operating companies.