News & Stories

Bonn. The Wirtschaftsfoerderung of Bonn will issue the 2009 annual economic report at the commercial real estate trade fair of Expo Real in Munich in early October. The report contains detailed figures about the city and its potential for tourism. Here are some facts at a glance, also about the hotel industry. In addition, the Wirtschaftsfoerderung commissioned a "hotel demand analysis for Bonn". Regardless of this, Bonn's most recent showpiece, the World Conference Center is hitting the headlines these days. According to media reports, Bonn's public prosecution is investigating, among other things, a case of suspected fraud and bribery in connection with the construction of the WCCB. Investigations are focussed on the Korean developer SMI Hyundai, the general contractor, and the lawyer who represented the city during the search for an investor. However, the construction of the conference centre is not affected by this.

Bonn. Since 2007, Bonn's object of prestige has been growing in the city's former government quarter: the World Conference Center Bonn, creating headlines in these days. And in the middle of it, the tower of the Ameron World Conference Hotel reaches up like a landmark. A good many hoteliers might envy the Althoff Hotel Collection for this location. For Thomas Althoff, the hotel is the biggest of his collection and poses a new challenge for him. Since his decision to take on operations of the hotel, he has unexpectedly got some competition, amongst others from the Grand Kameha Bonn, which will open up in mid-November. The former federal capital is considered a hotel location with great potential.

Frankfurt. The young Hamburg based company, Transmedic GmbH, has acquired the established Frankfurt based provider of health and wellness holidays, FIT REISEN GmbH. Both companies intend to shore up their market presence further and take advantage of attractive growth prospects "beyond wellness".

Athens. Currently, tourism in Greece is over-dependant on tour operators for the majority of holiday-makers, particularly at the lower end of the market. Nevertheless, over the past few years there is an upcoming market niche geared towards the higher end of the tourism industry, which has been particularly promising. This upcoming demand for quality accomodation is reflected by the particularly high occupancy and average room rate results achieved by some high-end hotels, which have been able to atrract clientele from differentiated distribution channels and therefore lessen their dependence on tour operators.

Athens. Hotel brands have been expanding their presence in Greece over recent years, yet their share still remains low when compared to other European countries. According to a Greek study, 4% of the country’s hotels - controlling 19% of the total room capacity - have an affiliation with one of 113 brands. Brands controlled by Europe’s large tour operators claim one fourth of all branded hotels in Greece. Nevertheless, home-grown brands have done their part in introducing new hotel concepts and more and more hotel owners are opting for consortium membership.

Berlin. In Berlin, a new trade fair trio for health will be established: At the beginning of October, "Wellness Plus" will join the five-year old fairs ""50+ aktiv" and "State Health Fair - Berlin Brandenburg" in presenting its products. All three trade fairs are geared towards the needs of end consumers and will offer a complete overview of health and wellness as well as of products and services for senior citizens. Numerous special events and trade fair shows will also take place.

Hamburg. Business travels are decreasing, while conferences and meetings are being rationalised. Companies are trying to curb costs and the hotel industry is suffering as a result. This is a well-known scenario in the meantime. What are the concepts developed by the conference hotel sector in order to overcome the crisis? What strategies will help to turn the wheel in the short and medium term? Last week, Ralph Langrock, author of hospitalityInside.com, analysed the current situation. Today, he introduces ideas and concepts for survival by international hotel chains - a lot of smart thoughts that bring additional business as well.

Erbach. The current trend towards holidaying at home is confirmed by the plan to build a large resort in central Germany's Odenwald - at an acceptable distance from Frankfurt. When it's finished, 720 beds are to compete with the Fleesensee resort in Northern Germany or the Club Aldiana in Southern Germany. Negotiations with banks and operators are underway; given the three-digit investment sum, firm acceptances have still to be secured.

Frankfurt. The InterContinental Hotels Group would like to enter the resort market in its "key country" Germany. The brand chosen for this purpose has, however, lost some of its shine over recent years.

Hamburg. Business travels are decreasing, while conferences and meetings are being rationalised. Companies are trying to curb costs and the hotel industry is suffering as a result. This is a well-known scenario in the meantime. However, not all segments are affected - there is still some business, but partly with different focuses. Medium-sized conference hotels, for example, are benefiting from the collapse of the top hotels. Or the pure incentive enjoyment is making way for demanding advanced training programmes. The professional conference hotel chains, however, have not consorted with the ranks of the moaners. Their business is humming. Ralph Langrock, author for hospitalityInside.com, has observed the market in a differentiated way. This is the first of two articles: the current situation.