News & Stories

Offenburg. Online since 2012, the Travelfruits online shopping club is now called "Travista" because the new name will be better understood in the upcoming TV advertisements.

Munich/Hamburg. There is a stalemate between the German Accor headquarters in Munich and its franchisee RIMC in Hamburg at the moment. Accor cancelled the agreements for three Mercure Hotels, RIMC names good reasons for its behaviour: it is all about franchise fees.

Brussels. Last Tuesday, the European Commission presented proposals that shall seriously shorten and simplify the procedures for those wanting to come to the EU for short stays, and induce more cost savings and less bureaucracy, whilst maintaining the level of security.

Geneva. While other segments of the hotel industry have struggled to grow during the recent economic downturn, the expansion of budget hotels in Europe has continued largely unabated. In contrast to North America, which has a saturated budget hotel sector, opportunities for expansion in Europe abound, especially in central Europe, Spain, Italy, and still to some extent in the UK, which is heavily dominated by the two main domestic operators, Premier Inn and Travelodge. The French market, however, is already well covered by the three main domestic operators, Accor, Louvre and B & B Hotels. In Germany, Motel One has become the big growth story and is expanding rapidly across Europe as well as opening a first property in New York.

Frankfurt am Main. As reported, the 2013 balance sheet has provided the French budget chain B&B Hotels with their best figures. The company of the American large investor, Carlyle, has otherwise produced no great headlines. A demeanour of Napoleonic grandeur is foreign to B&B; they do, however, plough through their markets with Prussian discipline. The series "A new hotel per month" will be also maintained for the "foreseeable future". Alongside France, Germany, as it is with Accor, has become the second-most important market and B&B Germany Managing Director Mark Thompson has nothing at all against the fact that Motel One has developed into an international chain. He has another perspective.

Berlin. FRHI Hotels & Resorts wants to grow during the next five years from 105 to around150 hotels and more. With this announcement, CEO Michael Glennie and Jennifer Fox, President FRHI International, brought themselves into the conversation of the latest Berlin industry events. A few details.

Stuttgart. "Luxushuetten" is the name of a new web portal: However, extravagant domiciles in the mountains are only one of the many five-star hotels, resorts and private villas that a young company from Stuttgart, Germany is now marketing online.

Berlin/Dubai/Delhi/Brussels. At the ITB, Dubai, India and three African states announced they would facilitate their visa regulations, which in turn makes it easier for many important markets to access their destinations. The European Commission in Brussels will have their visa regulations adapted by March 19, which is next week.

Interlaken. Swiss Victoria-Jungfrau Collection AG has had a new main shareholder, AEVIS Holding AG, for one week. They trumped the competing bidder Swiss Private Hotel AG with their offer.

Berlin. Significant countries such as the USA and Great Britain have been economically developing positively and the number of travellers from all over the world is rising. As a result, global players at the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin the last week were all looking optimistically into the future. They currently see their most important task in the optimisation of their distribution channels and loyalty programmes. The competition surrounding the best solutions is in full swing.