The second day of IHIF 2014 started with a message of thanks to Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group from Kerry Gumas, Chief Executive Officer, Questex Media Group LLC for hosting the African Extravaganza themed opening night reception on Monday night at the Radisson Blu Berlin.
Wyndham Hotel Group, the world's largest hotel company with approximately 7,490 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today announced the groundbreaking of its first Super 8® hotel in Germany, the 160-room Super 8 Munich. Developed by GS Star GmbH, the hotel is the first of 10 Super 8 hotels to be developed in the country as part of a previously signed multi-year agreement between Tristar Hotel GmbH and Wyndham Hotel Group. "As the largest U.S. based economy hotel brand in the world with nearly 2,400 hotels across the U.S., Canada, China and Brazil, Super 8 has proven popularity among both hotel guests and developers alike," said Rui Barros, Wyndham Hotel Group's senior vice president and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "We are delighted to pass this significant milestone in launching the Super 8 brand in Germany and look forward to growing the brand's presence right across Europe, the Middle East and Africa where we continue to see buoyant demand for more affordable hotel accommodation." Expected to open in autumn 2015, Super 8 Munich will be a six-storey, all-new construction hotel and the first in Europe to feature the brand's newest design concept. This innovative design includes a multi-functional lobby and guest rooms which meet the needs of modern travellers while enabling more economical construction and operation. Upon opening, Super 8 will be the fifth of 15 Wyndham Hotel Group brands to have a presence in Germany. Earlier this year, the company announced that its portfolio in the country had surpassed 100 hotels under four brands. Through the upscale offerings of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand, the established midscale TRYP by Wyndham and Ramada hotels and the recently introduced economy brand Days Inn, Wyndham Hotel Group is able to offer a hotel solution in Germany to suit virtually every travel purpose and budget.
The 17th International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) opened to a delegation of close to 2,000 this afternoon. Kerry Gumas, President & Chief Executive Officer, Questex Media Group LLC and Jonathan Worsley, Chairman, Bench Events welcomed all delegates from across the complete range of the investment community. Worsley thanked the 52 members of the advisory board and the 200 participants scheduled to speak, present and moderate over the next three days.
This week, Hotel Management is in Berlin for the 17th annual Hotel Investment Forum. Events kicked off today with nearly 2,000 delegates from all over the world in attendance. Editor in chief Stephanie Ricca shares some highlights of the first day on video, including a recap of European hotel performance in 2014 and some forecasts for the investment environment in 2014.
Innovations set trends in the tourism industry too, which is why ITB Berlin is devoting a part of its show to these products. From 5 to 7 March 2014 in Hall 7.1b, visitors can find and take a look at tourism innovations and also try some of them out themselves. In collaboration with Multivisio and the experts from TrendONE the world's leading travel trade show has gathered 100 tourism trends which visitors can vote for online at www.itb- innovators.de until 5 March. At the ITB Berlin Convention Nils Müller, CEO of TrendONE, will host a live multimedia show presenting forward-looking innovations in the tourism industry. Admission is free for trade visitors and exhibitors.
Hilton Worldwide has signed an agreement which will see it rebrand a 389-key hotel within Munich Airport under its flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand. The property is the only hotel with a direct link to the main terminal building and is the latest addition to the company's expanding portfolio of hotels at European transport hubs.
Gay & Lesbian Travel Pavilion with first-time exhibitors from Mexico, ITB's partner country, Slovenia, Majorca, Madrid and China – show debut for media networking event – ITB Berlin Convention programme features discussion round – popular ITB TomOnTour Party on 5 March
Maintaining its position as a leading conference for the global hospitality industry, the 2014 International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), presented by Questex Media Group 3- 5 March at the InterContinental Berlin, will feature tourism ministers from emerging and developed countries offering their perspective on key issues affecting hotels and resorts.
Even before the expiry of the present agreement (which runs until 2015), Professor Peter Thuy, Managing Director of Career Partner GmbH, and Matthias Heck, CFO and Director of Human Resources at the Frankfurt-based hotel group Steigenberger Hotels AG, have set the seal on a new five-year arrangement. Steigenberger has established a genuine sense of tradition by working together with the Bad Reichenhall Academy since as long ago as 1972. This extensive period has proved an enrichment for both parties. The Academy and other local Steigenberger trade and technical schools provide a wide range of training services. These enable employees of the Steigenberger Hotel Group to take part in practically oriented "Career Camp" seminars, in courses leading to the qualification of master craftsman, in trainer aptitude examinations and in special one-week "service intensive courses". There is also the opportunity to study via distance learning for a Bachelor or Masters degree at the Bad Honnef School of Business Management. Those studying at the Academy are able to gain practical experience to add to the academically based knowledge they have acquired by applying for internships in various areas within the company. This is an ideal way of supplementing training and enables important career plans to be made whilst students are still studying. Career pathways are also a main focus of the annual "Fireside Chats", at which representatives of the hotel group and the Academy answer questions posed by young talent starting out in the hotel business. "We are able to pass on our experience and support young people as they pursue their preferred occupation. They are also a source of learning and inspiration for us", emphasises Roberto Rojas, Head of Group and Human Resources at Steigenberger Hotels AG. The Fireside Chats are an integral component of the successful cooperation between the Steigenberger Hotel Group and the Steigenberger Academy in Bad Reichenhall.
Hotel online distribution specialist eRevMax will bring an Asian twist to the mega travel tradeshow, ITB Berlin, next month. The company will be hosting its signature TigerTime sessions with an interesting mix of major Asian OTAs. The aim of the sessions is to provide hotels with valuable insights into how to capture their fair share of bookings in these emerging markets from the key online distribution players in the region.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a contract with Jost Hurler Beteiligungs-und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, a family-owned company based in Munich, for an Andaz hotel in Munich. The first Andaz-branded hotel in Germany, Andaz Munich will join hotels currently located in world-class cities including London, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and soon, Tokyo. Expected to open in 2017, Andaz Munich will make its mark in the Bavarian capital, increasing the brand's presence in Europe to three hotels.
On February 10th 2014 the Holiday Inn Express Heidelberg City Centre opened its doors to the public, one and a half years after the ground breaking in 2012. The construction work is now complete and the four storey hotel with its 152 modern rooms welcomes its first guests. With the opening of the Holiday Inn Express (HIEX) Heidelberg City Centre, Foremost Hospitality has opened its eighth hotel in Germany. Foremost is planning 20 hotels by 2016.
Maritim Hotel Group has implemented Pegasus Solutions' OpenView Internet booking engine at www.maritim.com. With OpenView, Germany's prominent hotel group is now driving more direct online and mobile bookings to its 51 global hotels in eight countries.
Trust International and the Welcome Hotel Group have agreed to partner for worldwide reservation and distribution and services. Welcome Hotel Group, operating 3- and 4-star superior hotels in Germany, has 17 properties situated throughout Germany. Welcome will use the yourVoyager central reservation system (CRS) from hospitality industry leading CRS provider Trust International as the central platform to sell and distribute hotel rooms via all important distribution channels.
More chief executive officers are expected to attend the 17th annual International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) at the InterContinental Berlin 3-5 March than in any previous year.
eTravel World joins Travel Technology under one roof in Hall 6.1 for the first time – international companies' latest trends and innovations occupy a larger display area – leading eTravel experts host workshops, papers and discussions on up-to-the-minute topics
A second Adina Apartment Hotel Frankfurt Messe will soon be built in the country's business and financial hub. The 180 room hotel will be located in Europaviertel, close to popular shopping mall Skyline Plaza and the new congress center Kap Europa. Adina Apartment Hotels, part of the Toga Hotels family of brands, have signed a 15 year fixed-lease agreement and the hotel will open in autumn 2016.
2013 hotel performances were especially sustained by numerous different trade fairs and of course the well visited Oktoberfest. Munich, as in the past, is occupying the leading role regarding all three performance indicators: with an Occupancy Rate of 78,4%, an Average Rate excluding VAT of 114.7€ and the resulting RevPAR of 89.9€ (between January and November 2013).
There is to be a change at the helm of the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof. As of 1 February 2014, new Director Moritz Klein will assume overall responsibility for the First Class Hotel that has 261 rooms and 42 suites. With the appointment of 46-year old Moritz Klein, the Steigenberger Hotel Group is gaining a hotel manager with considerable international experience who has spent the vast part of the last 20 years abroad.
Companies and international travel bloggers meet at the second ITB Berlin Bloggers Speed Dating event – lectures and workshops on working with bloggers – first ITB Berlin YouTube Film Award offers prize money worth 1,000 euros for the most creative entry