News & Stories
Vienna. The late snowfall led to abrupt increases in winter bookings in Austria at the turn of the year 2014/2015. Only a few locations are suffering from Russians staying away. Despite this, many interviewed in the latest "market" survey carried out by the tourism department of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber see a gloomy future for winter tourism.
Hamburg. Richard J. Vogel had asked for "100 days" free of interviews. Side to side with the major shareholder Horst Rahe, the new partner of DSR Hotel Holding in Hamburg now aims to secure systematic growth for the company's small hotel collection which includes the brands A-ROSA and a-ja. He will also push forward with the Jacob Group. Whether the former manager of TUI Cruises will succeed with what Rahe has failed to secure since 2008? With the four A-rosa resorts and the first a-ja resort, the start is good. A-rosa will have to continue to refine its resort profile though. And the recent addition a-ja has already taken the plunge with a new experiment, about two years after its creation. The concept of these resorts - module holidays - is now to be translated 1:1 in cities. This has never been done before.
Milan. A noticeable number of investment companies, including American Starwood Capital Group, Spanish Meliá Hotels and NH Hotels, as well as French Accor and the most important Italian tour operator, Alpitour SpA, have made offers to take over Italian UNA Hotels & Resorts partly or completely.
London. Consolidation amongst major hotel companies will be one of the key themes of 2015 as large groups seek to grow their business or risk being taken over themselves.
Paris. Accor and the Chinese Huazhu Hotel Group, also known as China Lodging Group, have entered into a mutual participation and close cooperation within the Chinese market. Accor itself has pledged the quick acceleration of its expansion within the country. Additional details were provided during a press conference also broadcasted live in the internet.
Essen/Cologne. The octopus with the red head stretches its legs from its body. This "octopus" does not particularly seek to swim in water – like an octopus – but rather prefers to take to the air. It is an octocopter – and is also commonly called a drone! It has nothing to do with delivering packages, but does deliver professional photos and videos from a bird's-eye view. And these are no dreams of the future, but reality. Professional Photographer Jochen Tack from Essen and his colleague have been the proud owners of such a flying robot for the past year. It flies over everything with a digital camera in its belly – landscapes and golf courses as well as hotels, pools and parks – and delivers impressions from an unusual perspective." The images contribute to the credibility terrifically," emphasises PR Professional Kaspar Mueller-Bringmann from Moenchengladbach. He has also recognised the opportunities of the "new media" and has been providing journalistic and content-focused videos for companies for many years. And this occasionally also involves a flying robot. This is the future – and likewise for hotel marketing.
London. When Starwood Hotels acquire an entire corporation – Design Hotels – and Accor purchases the small Mama Shelter group, IHG is able to acquire Kimpton, too. The current fusion slogan of the giants is: chain devours boutique.
Frankfurt/M. Starwood's brand Aloft - the "little sister" of the lifestyle brand W - is in full swing in Europe as well as in other markets outside the US. Now, the Extended Stay brand Element is set to begin its sprint. With flagship hotels in selected markets, it will soon have caught up with Aloft. As the number 1 for continental Europe, the Element Hotel at Frankfurt Airport was officially opened this week - the first hotel outside the US. Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President Speciality Select Brands at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and Thomas Willms, Senior Vice President and Regional Director East and Central Europe Starwood Hotels, gave an insight into the positioning and expectations for these two brands.
London. With the competition heating up for both hotel owners and for the brands, an evaluation of the costs and benefits of affiliations is a crucial exercise. Assessing the cost of a brand affiliation is not as straightforward as it might appear. Franchisees may benefit most from the enhanced distribution provided by the major chains but also by consortia like Worldhotels. Key money, unheard of in Europe a decade ago is gaining importance now – as this money has become key to securing deals or financing.
London. The Caribbean and Western Europe still top the list of "dream destinations" for travelling families from the USA. A new survey about multigenerational travel describes the increasing important role of grandparents who pay to play and kids who decide where to play.