News & Stories

Berlin. Innovative, individualistic and winner of multiple awards - over the last couple of years, the 25hours Hotel Company has represented an extremely popular and never boring lifestyle concepts. Now, the 25hours Bikini Berlin is set to open, directly before the Zoological Garden opposite the Memorial Church.

Berlin/Madrid. In future, the Spanish NH Hoteles will simply bear the international name "NH Hotel Group" and will launch an entirely new strategy. Within the next five years, the hotel group plans to enhance its portfolio with 72 new hotels and about 11,200 rooms in strategically important markets. Moreover, millions will be invested in renovations, and brand profiles will be enhanced. Federico González, Chief Executive Officer, commented on these changes for hospitalityInside.com at the investment conference IHIF in Berlin

Cologne. How are Dorint Hotels doing? In the last few years, it has become very quiet around the German hotel group that is still one of the major players on the market with its 41 hotels and 3,000 employees. How is E&P doing? This was the second question after the management of both parent company and subsidiary maintained silence leaving room for speculation by the media. Now, Dirk Iserlohe, CEO of E&P Holding GmbH & Co. KG, has provided detailed information on the current situation of both the parent company and the hotel subsidiary. His pledge in the talk with hospitalityInside.com: "I'm not planning any insolvency of Dorint Hotels!" Certain sins of the past still haunt the group, but there is also light at the end of the tunnel.

London. It sounds like trading diamonds for brass: As of immediately Orient-Express will become Belmond. The new brand for the world-famous luxury hotel group will be officially introduced on March 10, 2014.

Turin. Tour operator Alpitour is using this period of economically difficult times in Italy for a new start. The business has an affiliated hotel company as well - Alpitour World Hotels & Resorts. Both businesses are headed by two hotel managers: the former CEO of NH Hoteles, Gabriele Burgio, and his former colleague at NH, Arco Buijs, who was last CEO at Steigenberger Hotels. Currently, both managers are reducing costs in the parent company and its subsidiary; in addition, the hotel group is to obtain a completely new brand appearance. The two managers give hospitalityInside's correspondent Massimiliano Sarti insight into this tough and time-consuming turnaround.

Minneapolis/Brussels. After five years of losses and a correction in its strategy, Carlson Rezidor now continues with its expansion: Two new brands will expand its portfolio and target group, and these will be in the luxury and the newly created "Lifestyle Select" segment. The licence contracts with Regent Hotels and Missoni were/will be capped. The same applies for hotel lease contracts. "The turnaround and the good balance sheet figures from last year confirm our path on Route 2015," President and CEO Wolfgang Neumann said on Wednesday in an interview with hospitalityInside.com. The details.

Stockholm/Oslo. Swedish Scandic has entered into an agreement to acquire Norwegian Rica Hotels. With the addition of 72 Rica hotels to its existing portfolio, Scandic further strengthens its position as the leading hotel chain in the Nordic region. After the merger Scandic's portfolio will encompass 223 hotels.

Eschborn. Best Western Germany has once again revised its expansion strategy in Germany after the painful loss of 25 operations in 2013. Alongside expansion within the known segments, also including expansion within the resort hotel segment, the group is now astonishingly placing focus on smaller operations with less than 50 rooms. This has been taboo up to now; there had to be at least 50 rooms. Apparently, the Wyndham deal with Grand City Hotels has clearly shaken the success-spoilt team at Best Western Germany. First, seven Grand City Hotels that had chosen Best Western as a franchise partner left the group and switched to the American Wyndham chain, the new Grand City partner. In the course of the year, an additional seven Best Western Hotels followed. Then came along the loss of four former Queens properties that were bought – in a package – from Fattal Group and are now operating under their Leonardo brand.

Paris. Accor, Club Med, Euro Disney, Pierre & Vacances and SNCF belong among the 19 members of the "Alliance 46.2, Entreprendre en France pour le Tourisme" that was newly founded in Paris at the beginning of February.

Delhi. Who better to buyback Amanresorts than the very founder Adrian Zecha? With Zecha having just bought back the chain from DLF, India’s leading land developer, the long speculation over who will own Amanresorts, is finally laid to rest, perhaps for good. But Zecha is back with a financing partner.