News & Stories

Berlin/Newport Beach. Preferred Hotels & Resorts is continuously developing with new brands and specialisation on particular target groups. In February, a Residence brand newly arrived. President Lindsey Ueberroth reveals details about this in a conversation with hospitalityInside.com. "Our goal is to have 300 hotels per brand," she said assuredly. Although the company is still very far away from it, they are nevertheless pursuing their course doggedly.

Innsbruck. With a smartly formed online portal, the Tirol hotelier's daughter, Nadine Tschiderer, wants to kill three birds with one fell swoop: Industry communication, job exchange as well as trade with hotel real estate – and with a radius spanning the German-speaking realm. Since last November, 2011, several issues of the eMagazine have already intrigued and since the 1st of March of this year, the portal is fully functioning. The visual appearance immediately reminds of Facebook.

Amerang/Munich. In several trend reports by the ITB, families appeared as an engine for the travel economy. The numbers are now also indirectly confirmed by the German consortium, Familotel, which is also growing beyond Germany and registering rising revenues.

Munich/New York. The participation of US financiers in July 2011 was a first hint for insiders, Six Senses' CEO Sonu Shivdasani revealed first news at the IHIF in Berlin, and it became official on Tuesday: Six Senses Resorts & Spas no longer exists in its previous form.

Paris. Whoever thought Accor's brand Thalassa Sea & Spa will slowly disappear was wrong. The French group not only decided to maintain it but aims to develop more what he considers "as a profitable business unit, with high added value."

Miami. This story reads like a film script. The setting: the renowned luxury hotel The Setai South Beach in Miami. The parties: Operator GHM, owner Lehman Brothers and the Trevi Luxury Hospitality Group spearheaded by the former Rosewood CEO Atef Mankarios. The action: a surprising night-time hostile takeover of hotel management - accompanied by "armed guards and uniformed police officers". At least this is the claim made by GHM. The other side tells a completely different story.

Munich. For the first time, TripAdvisor initiated a global and large-scale survey among hoteliers incorporating responses from more than 9,000 accommodation owners and managers around the world regarding the industry's outlook, social media activities and the utilization of services and offers.

Berlin. With its expansion strategy abroad, the Spanish hotel group, Meliá, is leaving the crisis in its own country behind. The Arabian spring there is helping the resorts to grow again. Yesterday, Meliá presented a new valuation of its property assets.

Zurich/Berlin. The hotel company bearing a pigeon in its logo is approaching a new era. The deceased founder Ueli Prager would be happy about it, as his gastronomical heritage is to define the new age of Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts. The next milestone consists of four digits: 2015. As reported, the hotel group wants to expand its portfolio to 100 hotels by then. The regional player based on medium-sized structures will then finally become a global player of international character. Jean-Gabriel Pérès, who has been leading the company for 13 years, has silently modified the company's structure and management. Read more on Moevenpick's new acceleration skywards – latest details from ITB and background information resulting from a visit to the headquarters in Zurich.

Munich. Leonardo hotels will further diversify its brand portfolio. The core brand Leonardo, the 5-star Leonardo Royal and Leonardo Boutique brands are no longer enough. At the same time, the chief managers, David Fattal and European General Manager, Daniel Roger will intensify the expansion outside Israel and Germany. The first contracts are signed and additionally, the initial real estate has been purchased. Germany is a still highly attractive market in the eyes of Fattal and he will expand further – only no further in Berlin. Maria Puetz-Willems met David Fattal and Daniel Roger in Munich.