Joris TOYE ESSEC IMHI 2005 has been promoted to General Manager Van der Valk Hotel Brussels Airport where he previously held the positions of Deputy Director, Director of Sales & Marketing and Revenue Manager. Prior to that Joris worked 4 years with Radisson Royal Hotel as Meeting & Events Sales Manager.
In line with its long-term strategy and turnaround programme Route 2015, the Rezidor Hotel Group further optimizes its organisation and announces a reshaped Executive Committee. Elie Younes, formerly Senior Vice President & Head of Group Development, has been promoted to Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer. Marianne Ruhngaard, Senior Vice President & General Counsel; and Eugene Staal, Senior Vice President Technical Development have left the company.
Different and exciting: More than French fries, chocolate and beer? But of course! The opening of the NEW pentahotel Liège now also delivers a convincing style statement. On 5th January 2015, the penta-style arrived at the former Hotel Mercure Liège Centre. The young neighbourhood lifestyle brand has transformed the 105-room hotel into a new hotel hotspot after a modernisation of 6 months.
Every year, the hotel experts and analysts at Horwath HTL worldwide produce a series of mini-country reports exclusively for The Hotel Yearbook. Each report focuses on just two things: first, a quick snapshot of the country’s current economic and hotel market situation, and second, the outlook for the year ahead, highlighting specific events that are anticipated to have an impact on the health of the country’s hotel business.
HOTREC, the organisation representing the hotel sector in Europe, opposes to any commitment by Online Travel Agents trying to maintain parity clauses in hotel room distribution in one form or the other. Complete entrepreneurial freedom of hoteliers shall be restored allowing them to set their prices for any kind of distribution channel according to their business purposes.
Maud DICK ESSEC IMHI 2004 has been appointed as General Manager for the newly opened 23-room boutique design Hôtel Des Galeries 4* in Brussels (Belgium) and the charming Hotel St-Christophe 3* in La Baule (France). Prior to that Maud was managing Nevaï and Kings Park hotels in Verbier (Switzerland) for two years.
Hilton Worldwide has signed an agreement which will see it convert a preeminent 224 room hotel in the city centre of Brussels under its flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand. The property is located in a prime location of Brussels, in close proximity to the Grand Place and the Square Brussels Meeting Center.Under the new agreement, Hilton will manage the hotel on behalf of owners HDI Brussels Management SA, a fully owned subsidiary of HDI Zurich Property SA, from 17 November 2014. Significant refurbishments will take place during the hotel's first year of operation.Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, development, Europe & Africa, Hilton Worldwide said, "As host to the European Parliament and diverse multinational and government institutions, Brussels is one of Europe's leading cities. Its role as an economic and administrative powerhouse, rich history and vibrant cosmopolitan energy is expected to attract 10 million overnight visitors by 2020. This signing strengthens the offering of quality hospitality to guests visiting Brussels and is a landmark agreement for Hilton Worldwide. We look forward to welcoming guests to Hilton Brussels Grand Place within a matter of weeks and the exciting transformation of the hotel in the coming year."Ms Svetlana Ledovskikh, director of HDI Brussels Management SA said: "We are delighted to partner with Hilton Hotels & Resorts to rejuvenate and reopen this significant hotel in Brussels. The commitment of this renowned hotel group, with its long and successful track record of operating numerous hotels all over the world, ensures hospitality in Brussels has a bright future."The refurbished hotel will offer 116 superior rooms, 72 deluxe suites, 28 junior suites, seven suites and one presidential suite, conference facilities to host up to 200 attendees, an executive lounge, restaurant, bar and private dining rooms. The site is ideally located for both business and leisure guests because it is beside the main city convention centre and well connected with the metro and bus networks, airports and international rail services.Rob Palleschi, global head of Hilton Hotels & Resorts said, "The hotel's location in central Brussels, minutes from the center of entertainment, shopping and business as well as convenient transportation, is ideal for business and leisure travelers seeking the best the city has to offer. The refurbishment and rebrand of the hotel as a Hilton Hotels & Resorts property will provide travelers with a reenergized new accommodation option, and the service, quality and trust synonymous with the Hilton name."Hilton Brussels Grand Place will join the two current Hilton Hotels & Resorts in Belgium: Hilton Antwerp Old Town and Hilton Brussels City, with Hampton by Hilton Brussels Louise expected to welcome guests in 2016.
The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the most dynamic hotel companies worldwide and a member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, has signed 11 new projects with almost 2,200 rooms in the second quarter of 2014. All new rooms were under fee-based contracts - supporting Rezidor's asset-light, profitable and sustainable growth strategy in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Following the flat economic growth of 2013, the economy’s projected growth in 2014 is expected to be visible in the development of the demand for hotel rooms in Belgium as well. The growth rate for national room nights is expected to remain relatively low in 2014, but to increase more in the following years. As a result, both occupancies and average room rates are expected to increase, in Brussels as well as in the rest of the country.
Pullman, Accor’s upscale international brand, announces the opening of its 80th hotel, the Pullman Brussels Midi. This hotel’s striking design by Jean-Philippe Nuel, its location in the heart of the Gare du Midi railway station and its ground-breaking technologies, guarantee guests a vibrant, cosmopolitan and in style stay. The Pullman Brussels Midi meets the expectations of hyper-connected, mobile, seasoned travelers.
Mr. Frydenberg has 20 years of experience with Starwood and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Operations and Global Initiatives for the Europe, Africa & the Middle East (EAME) division.
Rezidor, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide and a member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, has appointed Christian Hylander (53) as Vice President Sales. Christian Hylander, a Swedish national, is responsible for leading the Carlson Rezidor Sales function in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), for defining and implementing the company's sales strategy, and for delivering Carlson Rezidor's ambitious revenue objectives in EMEA. Carlson Rezidor put a strong focus on Revenue Generation and closely co-operate on a number of joint global activities. Christian Hylander is based at Rezidor's Corporate Support Office in Brussels, Belgium. He is a member of the Rezidor Leadership Team and reports directly to President & CEO Wolfgang M. Neumann. Prior to joining Rezidor Christian Hylander has worked 27 years for Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS); his last position was that of Senior Vice President Corporate and Agent Sales.
The pentahotels group will open five hotels with a total of 573 rooms in Belgium by the end of 2013, including its first airport hotel. The hotel group has signed an agreement to take over management of the current Mercure Brussels Centre Louise, Alliance Hotel Brussels Airport, Mercure Liège, Alliance Hotel Brussels Expo and Mercure Leuven Centre.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today announced that Roeland Vos, long-time President of Starwood’s Europe, Africa, & Middle East (“EAME”) region, will step down and be succeeded by Michael Wale, a 35-year Starwood veteran who most recently served as Senior Vice President and Director of Operations for Western Europe. Mr. Vos will transition into a consulting role with the company, effective June 1, 2013. Mr. Vos joined Starwood in 1982 and has held progressive management positions throughout his career, including President, Europe and SVP, Area Director of Italy & Malta. In 2001, he was appointed President, EAME, and under his leadership Starwood grew from 127 properties in the region to 243 hotels and resorts in 60 countries with an additional 64 hotels in the pipeline today. Mr. Wale began his career with Starwood as a graduate trainee in 1978 at what was then ITT Sheraton. In his most recent role, he was responsible for managing Starwood’s operations in Western Europe, leading 54 hotels across eight brands in 13 countries. Previously, Mr. Wale held progressive management positions, including SVP Global Operations for Le Méridien, VP Area Director for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and General Manager of several flagship Starwood properties such as the Sheraton Park Tower Knightsbridge and the Sheraton Grand Hotel Edinburgh. Following the acquisition of Le Méridien in 2005, Mr. Wale led the successful integration of 130 Le Méridien hotels worldwide into Starwood’s portfolio. Passionate about the development of leadership talent, he also created Vita Futura, an innovative graduate training program which began in the EAME region and has helped to shape the careers of many leaders throughout Starwood.
Ms Brighenti brings with her over ten years experience in luxury hotel sales and marketing and joins from Sheraton Rhodes Resort where for the past two years she was Director of Sales & Marketing. Prior to this, she was Assistant Director of Sales & Marketing at Le Meridien Beach Plaza in Monte Carlo. Ms Brighenti has also held previous roles in sales and revenue management at Le Meridien Chia Laguna in Sardinia and started her career in hospitality as a Group Sales Executive at Boscolo Hotel Leon d’Oro in Verona.
With over 26 years’ hospitality experience, Mr. Spagnol brings significant skills to the role, combined with considerable knowledge of the international luxury hotels market from an operational perspective. He joins Rocco Forte Hotels from the Lapa Palace in Lisbon where for two years he was General Manager. Prior to this, Mr. Spagnol spent four years as the General Manager at Orient-Express’ Hotel Monasterio in Cusco, Peru. A graduate from the Ecole Hôtelière Lausanne, Mr Spagnol started his career in Food & Beverage and has held roles at among others the Beau Rivage Palace Lausanne, Claridges in London, Negresco in Nice, and Grand Hotel Europe in St Petersburg.
Prior to his role as vice president of sales, Ahmed held the position of regional director of sales, Italy and Central Mediterranean where he was responsible for sales teams across more than 40 hotels in seven countries. In his new role, he will oversee strategic sales efforts for the division. He has been with Starwood since 2005.
Hospitality Solutions reports 5% growth in revenue for Best Western Belgium with a slight increase in direct online sales for the regional property portfolio. Michael Thiry, President of Hospitality Solutions, that provides strategic revenue management and distribution support to Best Western Belgium member hotels, successfully increased total revenue by 5% in 2012, regardless of the difficult trading conditions across Belgium.
What's more important to you when picking a hotel -- convenient location or cool factor? A new Belgian pop-up hotel with the racy name Sleeping Around is betting on the latter. The company has converted a number of old Chinese shipping containers into wandering boutique hotel rooms.
Blanche van Berckel has more than 20 years' experience in the luxury hotel sector and has held management positions in leading international hotels as well as being active in the field of hotel consultancy. Her roles have included a spell as Director at the Dutch hotel management and consultancy company Fairquest Group. She has also held an executive position at the company CHIC LTD in London, where she established a portfolio of luxury hotels for private investors. Prior to this, she was responsible for the opening and management of Blakes Hotel in Amsterdam. She spent eleven years building her career at the InterContinental Hotel Group in a variety of locations in Europe and North America. Immediately prior to moving to Steigenberger, Blanche van Berckel acted as the interim Director of the Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo in Brussels.