News

The Dorchester and 45 Park Lane named Five-Star hotels by Forbes Travel Guide

Dorchester Collection's iconic British hotel in the heart of Mayfair, The Dorchester, and new contemporary hotel 45 Park Lane of the same location, were awarded Forbes Travel Guide highest Five-Star Award, two of only six hotels in London to receive the recommendation, and only 82 in the world. This marks the first hotel ratings in Europe for Forbes Travel Guide, which has anonymously inspected and rated hotels, restaurants and spas since the company’s founding in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide.

IH&RA General Assembly At The 50th Congress Nominated Dr. Ghassan Aidi A Lifetime Honorary President

The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and IHIF are proud to announce Carmen Hui, as the 2013 Young Leader award recipient

The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and The International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) are proud to announce Carmen Hui, as the 2013 Young Leader award recipient. The award is given each year to a young and emerging leader who has great potential.

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Enters the United Kingdom with Acquisition of Sanguine Hospitality Management Platform

Strengthening its European presence, Interstate Hotels & Resorts– the leading U.S.-based global hotel management company – announced today its entrance into theUnited Kingdom as the first U.S.-based, third party management company with significant operating presence and a fully staffed team based in the U.K. Interstate acquired the management platform of Sanguine Hospitality – aLiverpool-based hospitality development and ownership company. Boasting a diverse U.K. portfolio, Interstate will gain a strong foothold in the country backed with the Company's industry-leading people, systems and relationships.

Carmen Hui Named Winner of IHIF Young Leader Award 2013

The International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) is delighted to announce Carmen Hui as the proud recipient of the 2013 Young Leader Award. The IHIF Young Leader Award is widely recognised and respected throughout the industry and is co-sponsored by the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC). Hui is SVP Acquisitions, Europe at Host Hotels Ltd. Her role is to oversee Host Hotel's European Joint Venture with GIC and APG and to source and execute new deals. Notable achievements over the past eight years since joining Host Hotels include the acquisition of a $3bn Starwood portfolio in 2006 which included 33 assets and leading the acquisition process of the EU Marriott portfolio in 2012. Hui worked on the Marriott acquisition from its inception. She lead the process which included bid stages, due diligence and eventual contract negotiation with Whitehall. After almost five years of tenacious work, the acquisition of five hotels comprising 1,733 bedrooms in two countries closed on 30th November 2012 for approximately €440 million. James F. Risoleo, Executive Director and Managing Director, Europe for Host Hotels said of Hui; "Carmen is a hard working individual who has thrived through the early parts of her career. Everyone within the organisation and key external stakeholders show a tremendous amount of respect for her aptitude towards work and the friendly and approachable person she is." The 2013 Young Leader Award will be presented to Hui on Monday 4th March 2013 by Andrea Belfanti, Deputy Executive Director of the ISHC in a dedicated plenary session taking place at 16.45 the InterContinental Hotel, Berlin. Tess Pearson, Event Director, Questex Media Group commenting on the announcement said; "for the first time the IHIF Young Leader Award was thrown open to all aspiring young leaders around the world. To have been singled out from this vast talent pool is a considerable achievement and one that Carmen should rightly be very proud of." Andrea Belfanti, Deputy Executive Director, ISHC said; "here at the ISHC, we are thrilled to be able to continue our support of the IHIF Young Leader Award through co-sponsoring. I am delighted for Carmen and feel her tireless work ethic and commitment to our industry is deservedly recognised". Speaking exclusively to IHIF, Hui said: "I am tremendously honoured to have won the IHIF 2013 Young Leader Award. It is particularly meaningful to be nominated and recognised by my team which I have great respect for and love working with, and very special to be selected as winner by a distinguished panel of industry leaders. I look forward to celebrating this achievement with my team in Berlin." ISHC coordinated the award screening process and the winner was selected by an independent judging panel comprised of 21 industry leaders. Candidates eligible for nomination for the IHIF Young Leader Award must fulfil the following criteria:

The Carlson Rezidor Group honored as Hotel Group of the Year at Worldwide Hospitality Awards 2012

The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has been honored as Hotel Group of the Year at the Worldwide Hospitality Awards 2012. At the gala event in Paris, Trudy Rautio, president & chief executive officer, Carlson, and Kurt Ritter, president & chief executive officer, Rezidor, received the prestigious trophy for the group's outstanding achievements in four complementing areas: development, innovation, human resources, and business performance.

World Ski Awards set for Kitzbühel 2013 launch

World Travel Awards, "the Oscars of the travel industry", is launching a new programme to acknowledge the finest brands in the global ski industry. The inaugural World Ski Awards will take place at the Grand SPA Resort A-ROSA Kitzbühel, Austria on 16th November 2013. World Ski Awards will be the first of its kind to celebrate the pinnacle of the wintersports hospitality industry. The exclusive awards programme will feature five categories: best ski resort, hotel, chalet/lodge, inbound operator and boutique hotel.

Rezidor Exits From Seven Leases In France

The hotels comprise a total of nearly 700 rooms and are mainly operated under the Park Inn by Radisson brand. They are located in secondary locations and have proven consistently unprofitable for Rezidor.

Steigenberger Hotels AG to Assume Management of the Future Steigenberger Grand Hotel Brussels

Brussels is the latest addition to the locations of the Steigenberger Hotel Group. The Frankfurt based hotel company is taking over a 269-room luxury hotel in the Belgian capital at the beginning of January 2013, and will run it in the future as Steigenberger Grand Hotel Brussels.

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Opens the Holiday Inn Express Utrecht Papendorp in the Netherlands

Interstate Hotels & Resorts today announced the opening of the 118-room Holiday Inn Express Utrecht Papendorp in the Netherlands. The hotel is the fourth to open of a nine-hotel portfolio being developed across the Netherlands. The portfolio is jointly owned by Interstate Hotels & Resorts and TVHG and operated by Interstate under long-term contracts. "By partnering with experienced local companies like TVHG, we are able to support our growth strategy in key markets where there is a demand for hotels from well-known international brands"

Court says no more Paris Hilton | connexionfrance.com

WORLD hotels giant Hilton has lost control of its only site in the centre of Paris, the four-star Hilton Arc de Triomphe, after a court battle with the owners. Property owner Société Immobilière et Hôtelière du Parc Monceau had complained that Hilton had "changed commercial strategy, leading to serious breaches of its obligations". A court agreed that this was enough to strip Hilton of its rights to manage the hotel, which it had controlled since 2004.

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Opens Third Netherlands Hotel

Interstate Hotels & Resorts today announced the opening of the 80-room Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam-South effective June 1. The hotel is the third of a nine-hotel portfolio currently being developed across the Netherlands. As previously announced, the portfolio is jointly owned by Interstate and TVHG Budget Group Beheer BV (TVHG) and operated by Interstate Hotels & Resorts under long-term contracts.

Rezidor Hotel Group: Kurt Ritter a New Member of British Travel Industry Hall of Fame

Rezidor's President & CEO Kurt Ritter is a new member of the British Travel Industry Hall of Fame. The prestigious award was presented at the Hall of Fame's Annual Dinner at the Savoy Hotel in London yesterday, and honours Ritter "for having created a major and highly successful leading organisation in the global travel and hospitality industry".

WTA reveals Europe nominees for 2012 programme

European organisations in contention include Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Kuoni, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts and Europcar. All will now go head to head at WTA's Europe Ceremony, which is set to take place at the new Conrad Algarve, Portugal on 6 October 2012.

EHL students won the 5th Annual IHIF Student Strategy Challenge

At last week's 15th International Hotel Investment Forum, a team of students from the École Hôtelière de Lausanne competed and won the 5th Annual IHIF Student Strategy Challenge. The Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne as well received a cheque for $30, 000 from Questex Media. The contribution signifies Questex Media Group's ongoing support of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne and their recognition of the contribution the school makes to the hotel industry.

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Opens the Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam-Sloterdijk Station in the Netherlands

"One of the pillars of success of our global management model is the Company's long and strong relationships with top international hotel brands," said Jim Abrahamson, Interstate's chief executive officer. "The Holiday Inn Express at Sloterdijk Station is now one of the newest hotels in the market and, with its convenient location at this major transportation hub and high value offering, will quickly become a magnet for business and leisure travelers."

Video: German Hotelier of the Year 2012 | HOTELIER TV

It's the Oscar of hotel industry in Germany: The prestigious award 'Hotelier of the year 2012' is given to Dietmar Muller Elmau, owner of wellness resort Schloss Elmau (www.schloss-elmau.de) near Munich and founder of Fidelio. HOTELIER TV International highlights the gala evening at InterContinental Berlin. Special award goes to Robinson Club (www.robinson.com) of TUI Group.

Bournemouth University Hospitality Students win the Master Innholders Competition 2012

The three winning Bournemouth University students, who are in their final year of the BA(Hons) Hospitality Management Degree, attended the Master Innholders Conference held at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, London following the announcement that their entry on 'Maintaining Sustainable Competitive Advantage for the Hospitality Industry' had been given top spot in the competition.

Meliá Hotels International takes over the luxury Villaitana resort in Alicante

Meliá Hotels International has announced at FITUR the addition to its portfolio of the Villaitana resort, consisting of two 4 and 5 star hotels on the Costa Blanca (Alicante, Spain). Both hotels will be operated under a lease agreement and will open shortly under the company's Meliá Hotels & Resorts brand.

Dedeman chief crowned CATHIC’s top hotelier

Turkish hotel veteran Murat Dedeman, Chairman of Dedeman Hotels & Resorts International and President of Dedeman Holding has been named the most influential hotelier by his industry peers, according to Jonathan Worsley, Chairman, Bench Events and co-organiser of the Central Asia & Turkey Hotel Investment Conference (CATHIC) in Istanbul next month (February 6-8 2012).