Sorell Hotels Switzerland will be transitioning its 17 Switzerland-based 3- to 4-star hotels to Trust International's hotel distribution services on a staggered basis, with the final hotels to be transitioned by August 2015.
Swissôtel Bremen appoints Sven-Erik Richter as general manager. Richter joined the company in 2000 at the Raffles Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Hamburg – today part of the Fairmont hotel collection – as duty manager. In 2008, Richter moved to the United States and became director of operations at Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle, until 2011. His most recent position was hotel manager, Fairmont Mayakoba.
Rita has more than 10 years’ experience in the hospitality market, finances and business development, holding different positions with International companies such as Sprachaffe, Vueling Airlines, Mango and Budgetplaces.com. Rita joins us from Availpro (Channel Management Platform) where she worked as Area Manager taking care of the German, Austrian, Swiss German, Hungarian and Croatian territories for the past two and a half years.
Verena NOSKE ESSEC IMHI 2010 has been appointed as Asset Manager for Steigenberger Hotels AG , based in Franckfurt. She started her career at PwC Hamburg as Consultant for two and Senior Consultant for two other years.
The Steigenberger Hotel Munich will offer 292 rooms and suites together with a restaurant and bar. A large conference facility extending over an area of 1,200 m² will provide plenty of space for meetings, whilst those seeking relaxation will very much enjoy the 300 m² health and beauty spa and gym area. "Munich is one of the world's leading destinations," says Puneet Chhatwal, CEO Steigenberger Hotels AG. "We had it right at the top of our expansion list as a site for a Steigenberger Hotel and Resort. The Bavarian capital is the ideal location for the very successful continuation of our national and international growth." Steigenberger operates the hotel under a Lease Agreement. The Lessor is Swiss Life Germany, a financial advisory and insurance company. "We are delighted to have entered into this partnership with the prestigious Steigenberger Hotel Group. The new hotel will be created in a special property, which was previously the headquarters of our insurance activities in Germany. The conversion of this office building into an appealing, state-of-the-art hotel is an exemplary project," says Stefan Mächler, Chief Investment Officer of the Swiss Life Group.
Your favorite drink ready and waiting as you arrive, your room lit just the way you like it and the pillow is exactly the type you prefer … A utopian dream? Actually, pretty much reality, thanks to Business Intelligence, a feature of the cloud-based hotel management platform hetras. And one of the first hotels to use hetras' Business Intelligence, the hotel chain Qbic, is already impressed with its effects.
Last week Top Hotel magazine, the leading journal for hotels across Germany, named ABreez by Mobile Simple a "Best Product" for 2015. The cloud-based mobile minibar management solution earned a "Silver Top Hotel Star Award 2015" in the IT category. More than 100 companies submitted applications for their products to be nominated in one of 12 categories; only three products in each category achieved a Gold, Silver or Bronze distinction.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry – and its German partner association VDR – the German Business Travel Association – today announced that they will be joining forces again for another record breaking European business travel conference. The joint event, which begins on 9 November 2015 in Frankfurt, promises to be the largest event of its kind in Europe.
With a population of around 3.5 million, Berlin is the second most populated city in the European Union. The German capital is home to numerous tourist attractions, historical sights and political infrastructures. Since its reunification in 1989, the city has undergone a dynamic development and transformed into the country's most important political, economic and cultural centre. The steady growth of overnight stays over the past decade has positioned Berlin among the top 3 European destinations for both leisure and business tourism. Our Hotel Market Snapshot provides a presentation of the German capital's current hospitality market.
Affordable boutique hotel with 176 rooms / First Moxy in conventional construction / 20-year operating agreement with SV Group / Top-quality technology equipment for new generation of travellers / Institutional investors voice interest
Jaz in the City enables its guests to embrace authentic experiences in a city hotel. Its target group comprises open-minded world explorers, weekend adventurers, foodies and "bizcationers" – modern business travellers and consultants who are seeking to enhance their commercial trips with elements of leisure. Jaz in the City offers an inimitable flair which captures local circumstances and allows guests to enjoy a truly intimate experience. 175 rooms and suites will set unique trends combined with state-of-the-art technology. A conference area will provide sufficient space for meetings and events, whilst health and beauty enthusiasts will find everything they are looking for in a dedicated SPA facility. A restaurant complete with a Day Bar will ensure that plenty of culinary delights are on offer, and the hotel will also feature a perfect space to chill out in the form of its own rooftop terrace. Breathtaking views of the city are, of course, included. "Our new Jaz in the City concept is perfectly in tune with the times and is an ideal fit within the structures of European metropolises," said Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of the Steigenberger Hotel Group. This is a place where innovation and creativity meet the highest level of service and the excellence for which Steigenberger is renowned. The overall package on offer constitutes a unique hotel experience." The hotel's public areas and rooms are being designed by the Stuttgart-based company GEPLAN Design. The "Cloud No. 7" residential and hotel tower represents a new landmark within Stuttgart's Europa Quarter. Investor Tobias Fischer, CEO of Schwäbische Wohnungs AG and Managing Director of Cloud No. 7 Projektgesellschaft GmbH, stated: "37 high-quality business apartments and 20 luxury flats will be constructed above the Stuttgarter Jaz in the City Hotel. The architectural standards of this new build tower to house both residential units and hotel facilities will make it a beacon project within the Europa Quarter. Cloud No. 7 is a visionary and unique undertaking which reflects the high quality of life and economic power of Stuttgart and the whole of the surrounding region like nothing else."
Developer GBI AG is going to thoroughly refurbish the former office building of the Gothaer Versicherung insurance company in Cologne, converting the property into a hotel of the Holiday Inn Express brand. With 323 rooms this will be the largest Holiday Inn Express in Europe. So far, the Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam Arena Towers, featuring the same number of rooms, has been the sole holder of this “title”.
The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), in partnership with the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), presented Greg Bows of African Impact with the 2015 Young Leader Award on 3 March. Celebrating its seventh year, the award recognizes the outstanding contribution to the industry by a young hospitality leader.
All good things come to an end. The International Hotel Investment Forum here at the InterContinental Berlin has culminated, but not before one last day of valuable sessions and networking. Discussing traditional versus next-generation business models was the theme of an afternoon panel composed of four young hotel executives: Guido Fredrich, VP of special property finance-hotel properties at Aareal Bank AG; Fred Hines, director and head of acquisitions at Queensgate Investments; Theresa Jaeger, director of of real estate and asset management for Hilton Worldwide; and Jacob Rasin, analyst-business intelligence at Pandox AB.
The final day of the 18th International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), took a new format this year with the introduction of new In-The-Round sessions. These were introduced following suggestions from the IHIF Advisory Board to facilitate more intimate and informative discussion platforms on specialist subject areas. Each session was guided by an industry expert who prepared information in advance to share with delegates to enable a worthwhile and useful conversation. The sessions covered a wide range of topics including assessing the reliability of hotel valuations, crisis management, the sharing economy, technology and improving RevPAR among others. The In-The-Round sessions also provided an opportunity for an in-depth focus on specific geographical areas and the hospitality and investment status within those countries. These included Italy, The Maldives, Scotland, Switzerland, Austria, Morocco, Brazil, Ecuador and Macedonia.
The mobile travel market is flourishing. This was illustrated impressively by Expedia Market Manager Arne Erichsen at the ITB Berlin Convention 2015. By 2020 there will be around 18 billion mobile devices in use. India and other Asian countries in particular are responsible for the high increase in numbers. They already rank second in the mobile device market and are 650 per cent larger than the third largest market. In Germany the market is growing too, said Erichsen. In 2016 mobile devices will be used to book one in every five overnights in Germany, twice as many as in 2013. "For Berlin's hotel industry, where over 5,000 rooms are booked daily, that means that 1,000 reservations are made with mobile devices." Good mobile device products and interfaces were now needed, he added."Customers on the move do not want to generate long pages of hotel reviews using smartphone keys or click on a series of links", said Erichsen. "Information must be easy and quick to obtain, relevant and fit onto one page." In particular, rather than just accepting online reviews one should use them to communicate with the customer. He called upon travel technology providers and developers to make an active effort to support this technological process.
Hilton Worldwide today announced that it has signed an agreement to open its largest Hampton by Hilton hotel to date, in central Berlin. With 344 guest rooms and a prime city centre location, Hampton by Hilton Berlin Alexanderplatz is slated to open in early 2018.
The second day of the 18th International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), opened with President & Chief Executive Officer, Questex, Kerry Gumas presenting Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) with a cheque as part of Questex's long standing support of the school. André Witschi, President of the Board of Governors at EHL accepted the cheque on behalf of the institute.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has announced the signing of its latest multiple development agreement (MDA) to develop 10 hotels in Germany by 2019 with first time franchisee for the company, Interstar. IHG's growth strategy continues to gain momentum in Germany with over 85 hotels currently either open or planned under MDA agreements.
Frankfurt, Germany and Orlando, FL –Trust International´s customers are off to a positive start in 2015 astride a wave of new technologies and specialized services that have spawned growth in new business and increased bookings across multiple channels.