financial excesses

Best Western
Premier Hotel
Russischer Hof
in Weimar
Best Western defies crisis
Best Western Hotels in Germany have survived troublesome
fiscal year 2009 without any serious setbacks. Total sales in the
amount of EUR 504 million generated by Germany’s largest
hotel group were slightly higher than in the preceding year, and
the group thus again surpassed the 500-million-euro threshold,
However, the economic crisis has also afflicted Best Western:
the hotels’ average booking rates decreased by three percent,
and average room tariffs also went down by four percent. The
group was able to maintain sales targets in 2009 by adding 15
new properties to the hotel portfolio. Management expects
markets to do slightly better in the course of this fiscal year, and
expansion policies will remain in effect as well.
Contract signed for the Sheraton Berlin Hotel
The first Sheraton Hotel to be opened in the German capital
Berlin will be situated to the north of the city’s main railroad
station in the immediate neighborhood to the Federal Chancellery
and the German Bundestag. Construction work on the
Sheraton Berlin Hotel will commence in autumn 2010; inauguration
is scheduled for 2012. The Sheraton Berlin Hotel will
hold available for its guests altogether 464 rooms, among
these 47 suites and a president’s suite, a Sheraton Club
Lounge with Executive Club Floor, two restaurants, four private
dining rooms, a smokers’ lounge, bar and café, a 1,400square
meter Spa and state-of-the-art meeting facilities on a
total expanse of approximately 2,000 sqms.
Renaissance lifestyle brand now also in Scandinavia
The Renaissance Malmö Hotel in Sweden has opened its
doors for guests. The hotel will be managed under a franchise
agreement with the Scandinavian Hospitality Group (SHG).
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HOTEL NEWS
The 128 rooms in the three restored historic buildings are
designed to please guests looking for a trendy and ultramodern
yet historically embedded ambiance. The origins of the
hotel complex named "The Rose" date back to the early 19th
century.
"For adults only"
The NH Royal Beach in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) has
taken up operations as "For adults only" resort. It is located in
the dunes extending over three kilometers at the Playa Bávaro
in the Dominican province of Altagracia. The 5-star property
holds available for its guests 369 spacious rooms and four
118-sqm suites. This is rounded out by event-staging facilities
for up to 890 persons. Management points out that the rooftop
terrace on one of the two hotel buildings is a spectacular
venue for staging festive events.
Renovation program after contract extension
After contracts with the Industrie-Club e.V. Düsseldorf have
been extended, Steigenberger Hotels AG has decided to invest
EUR 10million into reconception and refurbishment of the Steigenberger
Parkhotel, Düsseldorf. Renovation work has already
started; focus will be on renewing the entry area, the restaurants,
the bar and guestrooms. Steigenberger Hotels AG is
currently in the hands of Hamed El Chiaty, owner and CEO of the
Egyptian tourism operator Travco; management is implementing
these measures in order to incorporate the prestigious and
old-established hotel property affiliated to the Industrie-Club
since 1954 into the new Steigenberger Grandhotel Collection
Beach House Maldives is open for business
The Beach House Maldives/The Waldorf Astoria Collection
was ceremoniously opened in March 2010. The resort is
located in the untouched lagoons of the Haa Alifu atoll in the
northern part of the Maldives. The resort with a size of approximately
14 hectares comprises 83 villas in Maldivian design,
three restaurants, four bars and a luxurious Spa area. Each one
of the beach villas with a size of up to 700 sqms and the water
villas extending over up to 500 sqms has its own pool and
personal butler service