The deed is done. Brexit is begun. The United Kingdom is no longer a member state of the European Union (EU). And how did we recognize this historic moment? With the false chiming of Big Ben. So perhaps I could beg forgiveness and paraphrase a stanza in WH Auden's poem, Funeral Blues.
A nationwide study by Travelodge has revealed that Britons who work away on business have HAPPIER relationships than those who don't.
Britons need to ensure they take extra spends on their summer break this year as two thirds (67%) of holidaymakers will forget to pack two essential items, despite spending nearly a day packing. This absent mindness will result in Britons spending a collective spend of £1 billion on replacing their much needed forgotten items.
Marriott International announced that the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has communicated its intent to issue a fine in the amount of £99,200,396 against the company in relation to the Starwood guest reservation database incident that Marriott announced on November 30, 2018. Marriott has the right to respond before any final determination is made and a fine can be issued by the ICO. The company intends to respond and vigorously defend its position.
SiteMinder, the global hotel industry's leading guest acquisition platform, has partnered with Charme & Caractère Hôtels, a leading network of hotel owners, to elevate the guest experience created by luxury and boutique hotels and lodges across France and more than 80 countries. Under the partnership, member hotels of C&C can connect SiteMinder's distribution technology with their property management system to increase both their visibility among travelers online and understanding of their guests' booking journey.
Succession planning plays an important role for any entrepreneur and has become a central strategic component for company owners and managers. A recent study on Swiss small and mid-sized enterprises (SME) by a large Swiss bank highlights the importance of this topic. According to this study, 3/4 of managers have spent time and effort on succession planning. This is not surprising considering that some 70'000 to 80'000 SMEs will face a generational change in the upcoming years in Switzerland alone. This step is not only important for each individual company, but also for the Swiss economy as a whole as these companies account for about 400'000 employees.
Currently, if you are planning a trip to Russia for either tourism or business the application process is quite long and drawn out. Russia is big on obtaining details before they hand out a visa and as such you will need to complete an in-depth online form, print it, sign it, and present it at the Russian consulate or embassy with your passport and other documents. As you can imagine this take times. The good news is that a Russia Visa online application process is on the horizon.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is close to a deal to buy the B&B Hotels chain from PAI Partners for about 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), people familiar with the matter said. At that price, the Paris-based private equity firm will make a return of three times its initial investment, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private. Goldman Sachs is doing the deal through its merchant banking division, which includes private equity deals, the people said. No final decisions have been made and PAI may still decide against a deal, they said.
A UK study has revealed today that nine in 10 Brits rely on just one individual to organise their travel and ensure they make the most of their time away. With UK adults feeling obliged to attend 14 events annually - from birthdays and sports matches to hen weekends and family parties - these unsung planning heroes are being kept busy. The research, conducted by award-winning hotel brand and home of Real Travel, Hampton by Hilton, has also revealed that collectively the adult population spends £35.6 million and 2 million days annually travelling to and attending these so-called "obli-cations," outside of their hometowns.
In a further demonstration of the interest the British Government has always shown in British tourism in Spain, and particularly in the Balearic Islands, yesterday the senior British diplomat in Spain visited the headquarters of Meliá Hotels International, one of the largest Spanish travel companies with a longstanding presence in popular destinations for British tourists such as Palmanova or Magaluf.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) has announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into franchise agreements with an affiliate of Hesperia Hotels & Resorts to open Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid and Hyatt Regency Barcelona Fira. The hotels mark the entry of the Hyatt Regency brand into Spain and signify Hyatt's continued growth in the country.
Wrapping around a turquoise glacial lake and with snow-capped stretching across the horizon, Lugano, Switzerland is, like most other towns in the country, picture perfect any time of year. Interestingly, while we traditionally think of the nation as one of French and German-speaking cantons, a southern outcrop less than an hour north of Milan offers a third flavor heavily influenced by neighboring Italy.
After a five-day mega transport from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Badhoevedorp, the Corendon Boeing 747 has arrived in the garden of the Corendon Village Hotel this morning. There the plane will be converted into a 5D-experience about the 747 and the history of aviation later this year.
The number of hotels in the Krasnodar Territory that come under the category of all-inclusive has increased by 40 percent reaching 43 in 2018. Currently, the Black Sea resorts in Kuban have the greatest number of all-inclusive hotels in Russia.
Switzerland's history as a wealthy (and politically neutral) nation has resulted in more than its fair share of castles, palaces, and fortresses—some real, some of the hotel variety, but all magnificent. At the castlelike five-star retreats dotted throughout the country, guests can enjoy every luxury amenity imaginable in superb settings allowing Swiss precision and service to shine. With ski season now under way, these palatial stays have the winter wonderland vistas they deserve. Herewith, six of the country's most over-the-top castle hotels.
Just steps from the Ponte Vecchio, you'll find the Gallery Hotel Art. It's one of six properties in the Lungarno Collection, a group of boutique hotels all created by the Ferragamo family. The Ferragamo footprint runs through all the hotels - five in Florence and one in Rome - from the branded beauty products in every bathroom to the Picasso and Caravaggio paintings direct from the family's private collection displayed on the walls of a sister property. An epicentre of culture, heritage and design, Gallery Hotel Art has as its backdrop one of the world's most captivating cities.
The lakes of Northern Italy are a go-to vacation spot for the world's elite, and it's not surprising—the area is filled with luxurious hotels with equally beautiful views. From the iconic Lake Como to the underrated Lake Orta, these bodies of water are lined with villas, charming lakeside villages, mountainous landscapes, botanical gardens, and wineries. If you're looking to plan a trip to this popular Italian getaway spot, you might want to consider these nine beautiful lake hotels in northern Italy.
AHGZ belongs to Matthaes-Verlag and is the only weekly newspaper in the German hotel and gastronomy industry. Every year at the end of June, it traditionally publishes a table of the country's top 50 hotel companies in terms of sales. The list for 2017 shows that Steigenberger Hotels AG has retained fourth position in the rankings and is thus once again confirmed as a leading performer in this regard.
The last year marked a true consolidation of the serviced apartment industry, which has now found its place within the accommodation sector and in the investor community. This year's article includes the latest announcements in the sector, analyses the different operating models used within the industry through the review of the 2018 survey results, and looks at the future pipeline as well as the latest investment transactions in the market. HVS has conducted a survey to observe and understand the shift in trends in terms of the different operating structures and models used within the sector. The results show a real strengthening of the use of management agreements and the rise of franchises, providing operators with more flexible structures that enable the current expansion needs of brands and reduce the operator's risks. The results also give us no doubt that serviced apartment operating models and structures are increasingly moving towards the hotel sector. Hotel operators are keeping an eye on the rising competition and the serviced apartment sector is getting more and more crowded. Brands are benefiting from complete makeovers, being repositioned and new trendy concepts are emerging, such as Cuckooz Nest with its fusion of coworking spaces with childcare, and Cotels 7Zero1 fitness-focused serviced apartments.In terms of branded extended-stay product, yet another hotel group is jumping on the serviced apartments bandwagon, demonstrating the growing interest of hotel groups in this product type. Yotel has announced the arrival of Yotelpad, compact homes with clever design and smart technology, with already five deals signed. Others are adding new brands to their serviced apartment portfolio: Staycity has announced a premium brand, Wilde Aparthotels.The European serviced apartment pipeline has boomed compared to last year, approaching 20,000 units over the next five years. This is nearly double compared to last year's article, and thus it is safe to say that investors and developers see true potential in the sector. Brands are looking into consolidating their presence in those markets where they are already present, as well as expanding into new locations. The focus is not only on Western Europe; interest is starting to be shown in Central and Eastern Europe, in countries such as Austria and Poland, where further potential in the market can be found.There have been a limited number of serviced apartment transactions and there is relatively little transparency in terms of sales prices. However, recent transactions such as the acquisition of SACO by Brookfield are thought to result in an increase in awareness, security and transparency for the sector, as serviced apartments are starting to be perceived as an investor-friendly asset class.We would like to thank all of the survey participants for their generous input into the study. Your opinions and experiences are crucial in facilitating understanding of this thriving sector. We urge more operators in the sector to recognise the value of sharing data to enable serviced apartments to gain more attention from potential investors.Much has been announced in terms of product and brand expansion in the past year; we take a look at what has actually materialised.