News & Stories

Wieselburg. Slowly but surely, over a 20 year period, Alexander Ipp has been implementing what he learnt at AccorHotels and from Motel One founder Dieter Mueller. At the very latest with his third brand I'm Inn, which from the beginning of the year adopted the motto Smart & Budget for Wieselburg, the Vice President of the Austrian Hotelier Association has become a national name.

Munich. Guests who communicate with the hotel by text message are more satisfied than those who choose e-mail. Once the booking is made, the guest also expects the initiative to come from the hotel.

Munich. Bloggers conquered the world of travel long ago. Instead of facts, they rely on personal experiences and nice pictures. When questioned, PR agencies say that they treat bloggers the same way as journalists and do not pay them. However, the number of unknown cases of covert advertising is, in all probability, high. In Germany, covert advertising is prohibited; in terms of media law, hotels as well as bloggers are frequently walking on a narrow ridge. In the mean time, the challenge lies in finding the flower in the bloggers' swamp. Here, the number of followers is not the decisive criterion. And the rest is gut instinct.

Stockholm. Scandic Hotels Group has signed an agreement to acquire Restel's hotel operations in Finland. Through the acquisition, Scandic will strengthen its position as the leading hotel company in the Nordic countries and become the largest hotel operator in Finland.

Hamburg. "We have to fight back and take action!" With this appeal to the industry and the members of the German Hotel Association, Chairman Otto Lindner commenced the annual meeting at the Hotel Grand Elysée in Hamburg on Tuesday. In the evening, IHA celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Munich/Tokyo. On Wednesday, Japanese Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. has announced the 100 percent acquisition of guest feedback platform TrustYou. The company's management will remain to be lead by the two founders, Jakob Riegger and Benjamin Jost, in collaboration with the global management team of Recruit, who is committed to stay on board on a long-term basis.

Bangkok. Global competition is not only driving hotel groups in Europe. In Asia too, family-operated groups must redefine themselves. Banyan Tree, based in Singapore, has brought AccorHotels on board as shareholder. Shangri-La Hotels, based in Hong Kong, and Taj Hotels, based in Mumbai, have formed a strategic alliance. Thailand's Dusit Hotels, on the other hand, will try its luck alone: For this, Chanin Donavanik, CEO of the hotel group up to 2015, has brought in a woman as Group Chief Executive Officer: Suphajee Suthumpun, formerly CEO of Thaicom. One and a half years after its launch, the new strategy is attracting interest. 29 hotels in operation stand opposite concrete plans for a further 48 – plus another 40 in China. The symbol for this move into a new era is the demolition of the legendary Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok  by mid 2018: The luxury group's original hotel will make way for a modern mixed-use complex.

Vienna. After Verkehrsbuero Hotellerie achieved a 5.1 increase in revenue, which was significantly above the industry average, revenue rose by another 8.2 percent in the first four months of 2017. The majority of the hotel business was generated by the 16 Austria Trend Hotels in Vienna.

Dubai. Ten years ago, Emaar Properties, one of the biggest land and real estate developers in Dubai, founded its hospitality and leisure business division. Full of confidence, the first hotel brand was called The Address Hotels & Resorts. Since then, Emaar Hospitality Group has seen several CEOs come and go – and delays in its plans, as many others have also seen in Dubai after 2008. On April 1, 2017, Olivier Harnisch took on the reins as CEO. Up to then, he was COO The Rezidor Hotel Group in Brussels. The man, a cosmopolitan to be sure, who speaks no less than seven languages, is to push forward the national hotel group, also across the Middle East. And for this he has plans – including a modified model for management contracts.

Amsterdam. The French travel more often than the Brits and Germans. Most still prefer to stay in hotels rather than in alternative accommodation. A new report about "multi-generation travel trends" also reveals the travel preferences of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Boomers.