News & Stories
To date, Premier Inn has invested over €1 billion in the German hotel market. The Whitbread subsidiary has embarked on a 20-year marathon: High scalability and high profit are the goal. Various ideas are constantly being tested out: room, breakfast, OTAs. The trigger is real estate. Mark Anderson, Managing Director Property & International of Whitbread PLC, was in chatty spirits.
Rosewood Munich has officially opened. This marks the first time that the Chinese New World Hospitality brand has entered Germany, right in its most lively lifestyle city, where laptop and Lederhosen (leather trousers) come together to create fantastic rates. The future of the first ultra-luxury hotel in town began with an understatement party. Plus: an interview with Nico Nussmeier, co-CEO of Schörghuber Holding, which owns the property, about the hotel risk.
The new ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotel Munich will not open until mid-October, with 1,000 euros as an entry rate. Marriott's Extended Stay brand Residence Inn, however, also fills the till with 150 euros per night. Arabella Hospitality SE advances to white label operator, with luxury classics and fresh franchise brands. With Rosewood and Marriott at its side, expansion in DACH and Spain is underway. CEO Karl-Heinz Pawliziki on the new strategy.
Demographic changes and the increase in the number of people aged 60+ is undisputed, as is their vitality. These "best agers" are becoming sought-after permanent guests in the hotel industry. And as a result, offers geared towards their needs have expanded. There are now new forms of accommodation between senior residences and serviced apartments.
Full focus on Italy: The country becomes the pulse of Falkensteiner Hotel & Residences' expansion. The new (financing) mix: The planned Park Hotel on Lake Garda has more apartments than rooms. The architecture is by Matteo Thun. About the new plans.
In addition to the Italian market leader Alpitour, another tour operator is now venturing into the hospitality world: the Nicolaus Group is betting massively on its new hotel division under the Nicolaus Club and Valtur brands, as well as on its sub-brands Nicolaus Prime, as well as Valtur Escape and Italian Lifestyle Collection with authentic Italian flavours. The expectations are high.
The EU Parliament's invitation to Inge Huijbrechts came at short notice: As Global Senior VP Sustainability for Radisson Hotel Group - and representing the industry - she gave a speech there last week and took questions from MEPs. In the initial engagement with the European Commission administration, she learned - to her surprise - that the EU considers tourism as an eco-system as one with the textile industry. Inge Huijbrechts on her first direct interaction with the EU Members of Parliament.
Bob W. - the best of two worlds. The concept sounds as creative as the brand name. The Finnish group around co-founder and CEO Niko Karstikko belongs to the young, hyper-dynamic groups that want to conquer foreign terrain in a short time: A Bob W. can be anything from a mix of all serviced apartment types, of full-service hotels, rounded off with F&B, lifestyle, digitalisation all around and only one full-time employee on site. Is Bob W finally reinventing the hotel industry or is it just on the way to becoming a jack of all trades?
It was easy to become suspicious: Three times in a row, the Radisson Hotel Group has placed a long text ad in the online version of the German real estate trade magazin "Immobilienzeitung" with the first ambiguous headline: "prizeotel: sustainable, stylish, affordable". The garishly coloured budget chain has been fully owned by Radisson and therefore to the Chinese Jin Jiang Group since 2020. Rumours among insiders have long since been that prizeotel will be sold at some point. Is it now being made ready? We asked CEO Connor Ryterski.
The Italian Alpitour World group accelerates its development plans for its hotel brands Voihotels and VRetreats and continues to seek financiers, also for locations in the most important European cities. This is new. The holding does not lack financial strength: it will probably end this year with a turnover of 2.4 billion euros. It also wants to make greater use of the other divisions for its hotel expansion, including the tour operators as well as its own airline. The hotel business is one of the valuable pillars.