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Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbH is optimistic about 2014

Average room price on the increase in 2013, company earnings and 2013 occupancy down slightly, numerous investments made, further domestic and international expansion, new Internet presence and development of direct marketing.

BAD SALZUFLEN / BERLIN – The average room price stood at 90.39 euros in 2013, which was slightly higher than the previous year (88.85 euros). However, due to a difficult market environment, Maritim Hotels recorded a fall in turnover in 2013, from 458.1 million euros (2012) to 433.9 million euros. The average occupancy fell in line with the decline in bookings from 56.6% to 53.7%, while the RevPAR fell from 50.28 euros (2012) to 48.53 euros.

Overview of 2013
A number of factors contributed to the decline in turnover in 2013. For example, the Maritim Jolie Ville Hotel Alexandria (Egypt) and the Maritim Hotel Grand Azur Marmaris in Turkey were removed from the portfolio and Maritim recorded a further sharp drop in bookings in its four Egyptian hotels due to the continued unrest in the country. The three-month closure of the Congress Centre in Wuerzburg, due to major renovation and development work, also had a considerable effect on the development of business. “Another important reason for the decline in turnover is the fact that far fewer trade fairs were organised in Berlin, Duesseldorf and Stuttgart in 2013 and certain major events, such as the UNESCO Gala in Duesseldorf and the ADAC Ball in Berlin, did not take place. As a result of the general desire observed among many firms to make savings, certain major customers have reformed their travel cost guidelines, which meant that turnover in the business travel and events sector declined slightly. This has been particularly evident in the Food & Beverage sector,” explains Gerd Prochaska, Chief Operating Officer of Maritim Hotels.

Internet relaunch
Last year, Maritim began to prepare its new Internet presence, which will be pushed online in the beginning of March. The aim during the planning stage was to strengthen direct marketing, especially in the firm’s main source markets. The most important new feature is therefore the availability of the Maritim website in a total of seven languages: German, English, Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese and Russian. An identical booking system is also available on the desktop website, mobile website and – coming soon – the smartphone app, so that guests can always make their bookings in a familiar environment.

Completion of renovations
The investments initiated in the Maritim Hotels in Darmstadt and Bad Homburg in 2012 were completed in 2013. The rooms, a large proportion of the catering facilities and other public areas have been totally restructured in these hotels. A total of 104 rooms were renovated in Munich in 2013 and work is to continue this year on a further 104 rooms.

Expansion in Germany and China
Another hotel was added to the Maritim group portfolio on 1 August 2013, namely the Maritim Hafenhotel Rheinsberg. The hotel is situated at the idyllic southern point of the Mecklenburg Lake District right beside the harbour and has its own beach at the heart of the popular holiday resort of Hafendorf Rheinsberg. It offers a total of 176 rooms, including 36 equipped as junior suites and 24 island suites with their own landing stages.

Maritim currently runs three hotels in China. In addition to the Maritim Hotel in Wuhu (four hours from Shanghai by car) the group operates another 5-star establishment in Shenyang, which is located in the up-and-coming business area of Yuhong in north-east China. Maritim opened its third hotel in China in November 2013. The Maritim Hotel Changzhou, with 219 rooms, is located in Changzhou, to the west of Shanghai. With 4.6 million inhabitants and the Wujing District around the city, Changzhou is one of the country’s industrial locations seeing the most dynamic growth.

Outlook for 2014
Maritim currently runs 51 hotels, 13 of which are located abroad, and is predicting further stable economic development. Thanks to the strengthening of direct marketing in the online sector, the hotel company is expecting improved developments in 2014. “Two further positive trends are already emerging: In many hotels, the tendency towards pre-booking is already more stable for 2014 than in the previous year and has been boosted by a significant rise in trade fairs, which means that we can expect a marked increase in turnover in this area. In spite of the fact that the contract for our hotel in Hamburg is due to expire at the end of May, we are confident that we will be able to find a new location in the Hanseatic city in the medium term. We are therefore looking confidently to the future and feel optimistic about the strengthening of our marketing strategy, in particular online marketing,” says Prochaska, referring to forecasts for the current financial year.

The Maritim Hotelgesellschaft is Germany’s largest owner-managed hotel group and the company’s nationwide hotel network is complemented by hotels in seven countries overseas: Mauritius, Egypt, Turkey, Malta, Spain, China and Latvia. The group’s ongoing expansion continues to strengthen its position within the European first-class hotel industry.

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