News & Stories

Munich/Vienna. The opening of the second angelo hotel in Munich last week provided an opportunity for an update on the strategic progress of the Austrian-based Vienna International hotel company. CEO Dr. Andreas Karsten, who has been in office since September 1, 2011, reported on the company's healthy financial state, stronger focus on mixed-use property and the intended expansion boost in Germany. On an international level, the company is concentrating on Russia and the neighbouring CIS states.

Vienna. The attention turned toward tourism policy was the most important benefit of the Austrian Hotelier Consortium. Both exiting presidents, Peter Peer and Sepp Schellhorn, emphasized this at the annual conference of the industry consortium in the Viennese Hofburg this week. For its 60th birthday, the OEHV has reached the highest peak of its history with more than 1,200 hotel operations. The appropriately self-confident OEHV was also in the presence of its guests of honour, the Austrian Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer and Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Reinhold Mitterlehner. "The policy unabashedly and deeply reaches into the purses of the enterprisers," criticised both hoteliers. However, the new presidential generation, the freshly chosen hoteliers, Gregor Hoch and Michaela Reitterer, also left no doubt in their political ambitions: "Jobs up, Taxes down!" they demanded with a firm voice.

Davos. During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, CEOs of two major hotel groups urged governments to move quickly to ease visa restrictions. Both Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton Worldwide and Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, explained how easing visa restrictions would stimulate global travel, create new jobs and spur economic development.

Munich. "It began with 1,000 hoteliers and 2,000 opinions," jokes Susanne Weiss, Managing Director of Ringhotels. Today, the consortium has all the reason for celebration: The consortium will be 40 years old on the 25th of January. Susanne Weiss herself is only the fourth "boss" of the mid-class consortium. The consortium with the symbolic-laden ring in the logo laid down a meteoric start in 1973: 98 hotels had already joined it within the first year and today, there are 130. Even then, the family-controlled operations foresaw the new competition by the US chains that pressed for the German market; today they move at eye level with them thanks to the central distribution and marketing efforts of Ringhotels. However, the private hotels are currently troubled by quite different problems. A look back and forward.

Berlin. Berlin wants to repair the housing shortage and falls to ruin again through inadequate measures. Holiday apartments should fall under the misuse prohibition regulation was made known this week. But the hospitality industry should not break out in cheers too early. Background facts.

Bad Doberan/Berlin. Instead of taking over the entire hotel, the Median clinics now wish to acquire only one building of the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm complex. As a result, there is a danger that a partial sale could all the more affect both the desired all-in-one sale as well as the search for a hotel operator.

London. Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. is looking for "associates" in order to gain further global brand power. The company stands behind hand-picked luxury hotels. The first associate comes from France. Further prospective associates are welcome.

Frankfurt. Puneet Chhatwal is now officially in the office. Nonetheless, the new Steigenberger CEO verbalised his thoughts during our meeting shortly before Christmas that allowed the well-entrenched Steigenberger GMs to sit up and take notice. In the first meetings in the weeks before, the Indian had apparently surprised some staff members not only with his fluent German. His present multinational work and his own multicultural experience have clearly stamped the now 48 year-old: He wants a hotel group that thinks exactly as he does, "out of the box" and knows the international competition as well as the German. At the moment, Puneet Chhatwal is questioning everyone and everything, even the up to now accepted strategic cornerstones like the Grandhotels. He does not assess the Steigenberger hotels through their own company glasses, but rather defines their value through their status within the entire market. A great deal of work has come upon Chhatwal.

Vienna/Delhi. In Austria, Austria Hotels International has finally found a purchaser from the real estate industry. The famous but lately rejected Amanresorts has been re-purchased by its founder Adrian Zecha.

Courchevel. The Oetker Collection has signed the contract for its eighth hotel: With a new ski resort in the French Alps and with this, the "masterpiece" collection of the German baking powder manufacturer is growing unexpectedly fast.