News & Stories
Budapest. Budapest's hotel market is in motion. It is, above all, the 5-star sector that benefits from the rising demand. However, the competition among the top hotels is growing.
Berlin. GBI Berlin, Gesellschaft fuer Beteiligungen und Immobilien-Projektentwicklung is investing 20 million Euros in a new 4-star hotel at Lake Fleesensee in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania that will be operated by TUI and its Iberotel brand. The first sod will be cut this Friday.
Frankfurt/M. Basically, hotels always make the same mistakes when dealing with conference, seminar and event customers. This is the almost identical result of two studies that were recently presented at the VDR "Hotel Day" and the HSMA "Mice Day" in Frankfurt. From a positive point of view, the results can be used as an instruction for sales and banquet departments. There would be enough reason to treat this clientele with care: the profit margin that comes from daily business is roughly twice as high as from the "standard" hotel business.
Paris. IH&RA will cancel its 43rd Annual Congress and Human Resources Development Forum scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 26-29 October.
New York. 86 percent of all U.S. business travellers put high-speed in-room Internet connections on top of their priority list, followed by free local calls. The minority asks for minibar and pay-per-view movies.
Augsburg. It is easy to compare tour operators at the moment: in these weeks, they all present their 2006/2007 winter programme. Offers increasingly contain high-quality hotels. In the course of the popular "building-block philosophy", more and more operators come up with "hotel only" catalogues and products. An overview.
Frankfurt/M. The DER group has now launched a new online portal for hotel reservations during trade fairs. The new website allows company clients to book individual hotel stays or room contingents for over 100 national and international trade fairs.
Vienna/Hanover. With 6,147 rooms, Magic Life Club is and remains Austria's biggest hotel chain. All the same, the concept of 4 years ago with comprehensive all-inclusive service and 9,300 rooms was much better placed. That past times were better times, however, is resolutely denied by Magic Life CEO Andreas Karsten.
New York/Paris. The Blackstone Group and Pierre & Vacances have reached a formal sale and purchase agreement with the owners of the real estate of seven Center Parcs resorts located in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. At the same time, Center Parcs has announced two new facilities in France and expressed its interest in the German market.
Frankfurt/M. Two decisions of the German Convention Bureau serve to secure its future existence. Chains and conference centres may now join its present 200 members.