News & Stories

Paris. Pierre-Frédéric Roulot is a busy man. On top of being the CEO of Louvre Hotels Group, he has recently taken over as head of the Chinese Metropolo brand for the management and development of Jin Jiang Hotels in Asia. These two networks represent over 2,500 hotels in 52 countries and boast 15 brands. In an interview with Sarah Douag, Pierre-Frédéric Roulot now explains why and how he successfully exports the French "savoir vivre" to China while trying to import the Chinese flair to Europe. Louvre's key European markets – UK, France and Germany – will certainly benefit from this approach.

Frankfurt/M. Once a week, Max Luscher calls a dissatisfied guest. In so doing, the Managing Director of B&B Germany responds to a negative review. And he wins each time – specifically, the guest back. In the era of the online check-in and social media hype, speaking to guests directly is obviously the best way of securing customer loyalty. And Luscher is just as sensitive in his approach to another challenge – in making B&B even more appealing and more profitable. There is news.

Salzburg. The Austrian national tourism office welcomes every opportunity to send Austria's pictures into the world. Now, the energy drink company Red Bull lends a helping hand by having those films, which Austria's tourism produces in tons, play on one of their online channels in the future.

Hainan. At the very latest as HNA acquired a 9.9 percent stake in Deutsche Bank, more and more insiders are asking themselves: Who's behind HNA and what objectives is the Chinese company pursuing? Over the past 20 years, the regional airline has developed into an international conglomerate which has set out to become the biggest hotel group in the world. With its investments in Red Lion, Hilton, NH, Carlson and Rezidor, it has begun to spin the first comprehensive network. The most recent victim of this strategy was Rezidor CEO Wolfgang Neumann, who officially stepped down last Friday. hospitalityInside.com spoke with him and summarises HNA's current ambitions.

Vienna. School children are convinced that they make a key contribution in deciding the family's holiday destination. Ask their parents though, and for them "security" has top priority when making the decision. But: 12-year-olds already research the holiday destination before booking online and form their opinion that way. The internet and colourful pictures have an effect. Various studies on how people decide on their holiday destination have questioned just how much influence children have. Vienna House Hotels are targeting the mini decision-makers of the family on 1 June at the International World Children's Day with a special marketing idea.

Dubai. Hilton is obviously not considering growth via mergers & acquisitions, as CEO Chris Nassetta said in Dubai last week. The chain prefers creating its own brands. That is cheaper. Tru by Hilton will soon be found around the globe several thousand times.

Nuremberg. Relaxation and recuperation, or active holiday? Over half of Germans surveyed prefer a quieter holiday. Only in the youngest age group, 15-19, in majority prefer an active holiday. The Italians, French and Spaniards prefer to fill their holidays with many activities.

Arlington. Interstate Hotels & Resorts is an institution in the US, though in Europe, not everybody knows the name of this third party manager. Since 2010, the US company has been interested in Europe, though only now has it begun to really push expansion in this part of the world. "Europe has become our strategic focus," Aaron Greenman said, Executive Vice President Acquisitions & Development of Interstate Hotels & Resorts Europe. With this, he specifically means continental Europe, as the company has long-since had a foothold in Great Britain, and from there he intends to push forward into Russia. In Europe, Interstate is mainly focused on Germany. In order to crack this market, the company has modified its model.

Rome. It's one of the great promises of Italian tourism: a professional accommodation, able to exalt destination experiences and story-telling. It's also a sustainable business model, focused on preserving the natural and cultural heritage of each location: Alberghi Diffusi - the perfect product for the contemporary market, boasting both experiences and immersion in local life. Travellers stay in historical, completely restored small towns or villages according to local culture and enjoy all hotel services. They literally inhale history. But the Albergo Diffuso model, although still viable, is not expanding at the expected pace. Some time ago, it was collecting international awards, including the 2010 WTM Global Award in London. Who is then to blame for the recent slowdown?

Paris. In France, independent hotels are frustrated after AccorHotels' acquisition of Availpro – a European leader in providing digital services to over 6,500 independent hotels. Their union now fears that the chain might abuse confidential data of independent competitors and asked the government for clarification.