News & Stories

Amsterdam. Following the trend for hotel chains to own a lifestyle brand speaking to "Millennials", Steigenberger Hotel Group has recently launched "Jaz in the City". The first property under this flag opened last November in Amsterdam. It's quite special as our correspondent in Amsterdam, Sarah Douag, checked out. She also met with Joost van Beek, the General Manager, who calls himself "the band leader" because at the Jaz Amsterdam, it's all about music.

Berlin. Three weeks after the start of the industry's award for start-ups in Germany, the German Hotel Association gets support from other industry investors.

Berlin. On the internet, quality appears to be growing in importance: For the first time ever among German internet users, more people are willing to pay for services than expect them for free. There are more buyers than non-buyers. The tide is turning for Paid Content.

Rockville. More gifts, more flexibility, more points, more time to spend them… Choice Hotels has revamped its loyalty program for the guests' personal benefits. On the other hand, Hilton is spending on advertising like never before.

Paris. AccorHotels is buying into two start-ups again, in order to advance from a hotel group to a travel group. Currently, the hotel group is participating in a service provider in Argentina as well as in a digital platform for upscale private properties in resort destinations.

Vienna. With a signature on January 30, 2016, the Falkensteiner Michaeler Tourism Group brought a difficult chapter to an end: The debt-ridden resort Punta Skala in Croatia has a new and renowned majority shareholder, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing. More is to come of this partnership, the joint statement with FMTG CEO Dr Otmar Michaeler declared. At the same time COO Jan Hein Simons is working on the hotel group's image. In future, it would like to position itself more as resort hotel group in the premium segment. To achieve this, the COO is also clearing up behind the scenes.

Eschborn. Best Western Central Europe GmbH, a German-based company launched in January, has big plans. in Austria, Switzerland and in other central European countries, the number of hotels is to be doubled. In Germany, the pace of expansion is currently moderate.

Paris/Shanghai. Acting through a subsidiary, the Chinese conglomerate Jin Jiang International has acquired a stake of 5.50 percent in the French hotel group AccorHotels.

Nuremberg. Paris has pushed London off the top spot to win back the number one place as the highest rated city in 2015, out of a total of 50 cities. Berlin and Amsterdam managed to move under the most popular top ten metropolitan cities. Sydney, which had been in the top three since 2011, falls back to fourth place, overtaken by New York as well as Paris.

Berlin. A publishing company has bought itself Special Content and entered the metasearch world: The Escapio price comparison platform has been 100 percent taken over by MairDumont in Ostfildern near Stuttgart, Germany.