News & Stories
Berlin. Reto Wittwer, President and CEO of Kempinski Hotels comments on the company achieving its best financial results in the group's history: "Our strategy is paying off and we’re now reaping the fruits of our labour."
Berlin. Wyndham and Grand City celebrated their future collaboration in the hotel of all places that was recently taken by Grand City from IHG, their franchise partner: the Wyndham Grand Berlin, originally planned as Crowne Plaza. With this, the two partners underline their goal of jointly establishing one of Wyndham's "Grand" flagships in each of the five largest German cities.
Tel Aviv. The power balance on the German hotel market has just changed significantly: Foreign brands are massively gaining in presence. The Israeli hotel chain Fattal Hotels has acquired 20 hotels from the Queens Moat House portfolio. This was announced by the company yesterday.
Vienna. Austria's skiing sensation Michael Walchholfer has proved a direct link between Alpine skiing events and the success of the tourist industry in his graduate thesis. According to his findings, ski racing events are a tourist motor.
Duesseldorf. The online advertising market in Germany grew to EUR 6.47 billion in 2012. Currently accounting for 21.8% of the media-mix, the internet is the second most popular advertising medium after TV and has increased its lead on the print media market for the third year in a row.
Munich. Dieter Mueller is deeply relaxed. In Munich, in front of him on the conference table there are Scottish whiskey candies in a bowl; they are a sweet symbol of the successful Motel One launch in Edinburgh in January. There, the egg chairs by Arne Jacobsen, which are typical for Motel One, have a tartan pattern; however, apart from that, the German low budget design chain wants to remain faithful to its chosen path, also abroad. The success proves the chain right, as shown in the annual report 2012 last week: the net profit is nearly 21 million Euro, which is six million more than in the previous year. Where does the founder and CEO of the Motel One Group see the saturation limit of a city, which micro locations is he aiming for, will he be able to maintain the fixed-rate model abroad, and when will he sell? Dieter Mueller and his wife Uschi Schelle-Mueller, responsible for marketing and design in the business, openly talked with hospitalityInside.com about the status quo and the tricks of the trade. "Before we feel the pain, the world has to be suffering really badly," says Mueller relaxed.
Berlin/Parsippany. The deal with Wyndham was obviously brought about with some haste - that Grand City Hotels would in one fell swoop terminate 14 contracts with three franchise partners in Germany came as quite a surprise though. There was confusion at Accor, InterContinental Hotels Group and Best Western last weekend as nobody behind the scenes could discern a sensible strategy. Then, news of the Wyndham deal trickled through. And the listed US chain, the world's largest franchisor, was forced to go public with the deal on Wednesday: As of March 1, 2013, thirty-three and from 2014 a further ten hotels will be rebranded. Overnight then, Wyndham has established a huge foothold in the much-praised German hotel landscape.
Paris. Very slowly but wisely, the Buddha Bar Hotels Collection is spreading accross the world, starting with Europe. After Prague opened in 2009 and Budapest last September, the French group George V Eatertainment, will open its third unit in Paris within the next 2 months. Stranded between the boutique hotel for cosyness and the palace for quality of service, the groups's target is to become a luxury hotel collection, with a dozen of urban resorts and up to 6 beach resorts.
Berlin. "The capacities in the Hostel, Low Budget and Budget segments are slowly pushing toward their limits. In any case, there will soon be a clear market settling." Sascha Gechter, still the Managing Director of Meininger through to April, forecasts this. Last week, the first German hotel group in the Low Budget segment was entirely taken over by its shareholders, the British tour operator Holidaybreak. In 2012, the group produced a revenue of approximately 43.3 million Euro with its hostel and hotel model. Approximately 50 million Euro is planned for 2013. Was this the right time, in the middle of the budget boom, to sell all shares? As a German company, Meininger was only 14 years old. What made its success, what mistakes did others make? Sascha Gechter casts his gaze on the market and the Meininger history.
Eschborn. In 2012, Best Western Hotels Germany was able to take up its 200th hotel and be happy about record revenues. Along with this, the group is always keeping the optimisation of their own reservation avenues in the forefront. Moreover, they are working at full speed on brand-wide staffing concepts in view of the menacing lack of professional forces.