Topics: Eastern Europe, CSR, CEOs, private hotels, networks, hostels
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Berlin (December 24, 2010). 2010 has still not ended, but the participants at the 6th ITB Hospitality Day are already clear. On Thursday, 10 March 2010, the hotel conference of the world''s largest tourist fair, the ITB Berlin, will again discuss the hottest topics: hotel markets in Eastern Europe, concepts and contradictions in the CSR activities of individual hotel groups, the problems faced by SMEs (small and midsized enterprises), the use of social media and hotel evaluation platforms and the hostel & low-budget trend. Of course, there will also be a CEO panel, this time with representatives from an organically grown hotel group and a rapidly growing real estate oriented group: Kempinski and Grand City Hotels. For the 6th time, hospitalityInside will be exclusive media partner of the ITB Hospitality Day and Editor in chief Maria Puetz-Willems will organise topics and participants on stage.
The event will begin with a panel looking at hotel markets in Eastern Europe. Representatives will come from Poland, partner country for the ITB 2011, and from Croatia. Friedrich W. Niemann, who spearheaded for Hilton Bucharest for five years until last September, has already confirmed his attendance and will report on tourism in Romania. Thomas Willms, Vice President and Regional Director for Eastern and Central Europe at Starwood Hotels, will also give an overview of hotel performance in Russia.
A further hotel group and a representative of an English university will lead a discussion on the environment and CSR; the latter will also present the results of a CSR comparison of international chains.
CEO-Panel: Kempinski and Grand City Hotels
Two very different chains will be represented on the CEO panel: Kempinski and Grand City Hotels. For years, CEO Reto Wittwer represented Kempinski, an organically grown hotel group, and CEO Christian Windfuhr Grand City, a hotel group which expanded rapidly over a short period of time with its real estate oriented approach.
After a short lunch break, the event will continue with the ever more pressing problems facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): Problems with succession and franchise brands make the future of private hotels difficult. Don''t they? This will be discussed by President of the Swiss hotel association, hotelleriesuisse, Guglielmo Brentl - who just a few months ago severely criticised Switzerland''s 3-star hotels - Marcus Smola, CEO of Best Western Hotels Germany as representative of an international (franchise) chain, and Susanne Weiss, Managing Director of the medium-sized consortium Ringhotels Germany. Stephan Gerard, CEO of Solutions Holding, will also express his views on the problems with succession.
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Tapping into networks
The discussion round on Social Media & Hotel Evaluation Platforms promises to be a hot one. Are they "friends for life"? Quick networking poses many questions though. Up to now, Christine Petersen, President of TripAdvisor for Business, CEO Joerg Trouvain of holidayCheck, Marco Nussbaum, social media experienced and critical hotelier of prizeotel Bremen, and Markus Luthe, Managing Director of the German Hotel Association (IHA) have confirmed their attendance.
Responses from invited discussion participants to the last panel "Low Budget Hotels & Hostels: Sleep Well for Peanuts?" will hopefully follow soon.
hospitalityInside.com will keep you on the ball – accessible to all users through the microsite "Network". The ITB Hospitality Day programme will also be continually updated under this link. / kn
Dec 18, 2009 The global think tank - 5th ITB Hospitality Day at ITB 2010 - CEO and innovation panel
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