News & Stories
Amsterdam. Choice Hotels Group operates a dozen brands, only four of which are present in Europe. But CEO Patrick Pacious sees a lot of potential for more brands in the region, e.g. for Econolodge, which comprises about 900 hotels, primarily located in the US. While other companies give birth to new brands multiple times a year, the franchisor continues to invest in its brands and relationships to its key partners. Technology is one pillar and 5G is the next big thing but all of it will not decide about the hotels' success in the future, he told hospitalityInside.com during Choice's recent European convention in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam. Empowerment to exceed. Choice Hotels' European convention theme was all about giving the franchisees the guidance and most importantly the tools to better control their products and distribution to increase their bottom line. On stage, in Amsterdam, in front of hundreds of European affiliates, a 'seductive' Mark Pearce, Vice President International Division, got the crowd's attention with a slack routine, praising Choice's strategy and its latest investments which led to "a spectacular growth in 2018". The completely refreshed Comfort brand adapted to Europe's demand promises a great future; guests' comments are already honoring the new identity. For Germany, the group is thinking about the launch of an extended stay brand.
Bethesda. The homesharing battle is on. On Tuesday, Marriott launched its homesharing platform named "Homes & Villas" which will start next week and it features over 2,000, non-exclusive highly curated homes in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Owners may not share the new approach as for them it only means one thing: more competition. Competition has even increased over-night: On Wednesday, India-based OYO acquired Amsterdam-based @Leisure Group from Axel Springer, the German media giant and technology company. It enters the market with over 85,000 homes and 300,000 rooms across 50 countries.
Florence. Italian Lungarno Collection makes no secret out of its plans. Its medium-term target is to renew the splendour of the old internationally renowned CIGA brand which was the iconic symbol of luxury hospitality in the world for many years. Lungarno, based in Florence, is still a small but ambitious hospitality company which has started to leverage its Italy fashion heritage. Especially with its super-luxury brand Portrait; the first two of these all-suite properties in Rome and Florence grant EBITDA margins exceeding 30 percent. The next one in Milan will break all benchmarks. Valeriano Antonioli, the CEO of the Lungarno Collection explains the group's concept.
Rostock/Vienna. On Tuesday at noon, Vienna House from Vienna signed the taking over of 17 German arcona city hotels and two projects. Among them are all arcona Living hotels and the five Steigenberger franchise properties. This way, the Austrian hotel group strengthens its position in Germany with an immediate increase from 21 to 40 hotels. At the same time, its Thai owners allow it to continue its development as owner-operator. The expansion plan goes far beyond this mini deal and is contemplating real estate acquisitions in the whole of Europe. In addition, the "small cap IPO" in Bangkok and Singapore is waiting. The background story.
Gurgaon. Forget about Airbnb, the new disruptor in the hospitality industry is now called OYO. Its young entrepreneur believes that the vast majority of independent properties around the globe don't deserve to be treated as poorly as they are, in comparison to branded ones. To solve the issue, OYO proposes a full-scale model through leasing, franchising or managing entire buildings using technology. The company vows to answer the need of customers who expect better quality at lower prices when traveling. Raising over 1 billion dollars in funding, the Indian unicorn is rapidly spreading. OYO is clearly a disruptor to legacy master franchisors such as Choice Hotels and others, yet they don't seem to care much about the newcomer… for now.
Berlin. Design Hotels AG will probably be delisted by the end of the year. The board of the consortium under the Marriott umbrella has approved the corresponding application. It has nothing to do with the costs, said CEO Peter Cole on request.
New York/Lisbon. Under its new parent company, the technology company GuestCentric, the consortium for MICE hotels, Great Hotels of the World, has embarked on a growth course. The focus is on Europe, but the company has also been reaching out to destinations such as Asia and the USA.
Hamburg. The white label operator RIMC Hotels & Resorts in Hamburg has undergone a number of changes in its corporate structure and personnel. The goal remains to expand the group in Europe from currently 35 hotels to 70 hotels.
Hamburg. At the IHIF in Berlin as well as at the MIPIM in Cannes, hospitalityInside.com noted the absence of the prizeotel logo from the brands pictured on the Radisson Hospitality stand. And there was indeed as reason for this.