The end of November will see the opening of Scandic's first franchise hotel outside the Nordic region, Scandic Bari in southern Italy. This puts the hotel chain in 10 countries, and the company's Nordic head, Jean-Paul Herzog, is looking forward to seeing many more Scandic signs across Europe within a year.

In March this year, Hilton International unveiled its plans to offer its two hotel brands, Hilton and Scandic, to potential franchisees. The aim remains to develop the portfolio more quickly in selected markets. Scandic will now gain its first franchise hotel outside the Nordic region, in Italy.

"We didn't really expect many applications from Italy, but it turns out that they appreciate our product and see strength in the brand. What is more, there are only a few national hotel chains in Italy," explains Jean-Paul Herzog, Nordic head of the Hilton and Scandic brands.

Scandic Bari is planned to open at the end of November and is located in Bari, Puglia's largest city and southern Italy's most important centre of commerce. Bari is also known for its location on the Mediterranean, with ferry links over to Greece.

The hotel is owned by DE.GE.CO.S.p.a, which is a small but expanding hotel group in Italy with several well-known hotel brands in its portfolio. The hotel will have 88 rooms over 11 floors, as well as a restaurant, a bar, meeting rooms, a gym and a pool.

"The hotel fits in well with our profile and already feels like walking into a Nordic Scandic. This is possibly one of our most important hotels, as it is our first franchising venture. We have therefore carefully checked that the hotel matches our profile and that the management and owner share our commitment to sustainability issues," concludes Herzog.

Scandic Bari will be the hotel chain's first hotel in Italy, giving Scandic a presence in 10 countries. The hotel will be marketed as Scandic by Hilton.