Worldhotels has recorded 31 hotels and almost 6,000 rooms joining the international hotel group in the first half of this year. During the period, a total of 186 hotels applied to join. Those that made it to Worldhotels’ portfolio include 17 hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), three in North and South America, and 11 in the Asia Pacific region, a release stated.
Robert Hornman, Managing Director, Worldhotels, said, “In 2013, our strategy remains to complement our portfolio of almost 500 hotels in 250 destinations worldwide with unique hotels in new destinations.
We believe that no two places in the world are the same and we want our hotels to reflect this."
The group has added six branded hotels to expand its soft franchise solution. Worldhotels introduced soft franchising in 2010 as an ideal alternative to standard franchise contracts and now counts 21 properties worldwide with an inventory of more than 5,000 rooms. Many of the new branded Worldhotels are located in the People’s Republic of China.
“We have been strongly expanding in emerging markets, particularly in China, and are glad to see our efforts paying off," said Roland Jegge, Executive Vice President Asia Pacific, Worldhotels. “Having branded Worldhotels in key destinations such as Shanghai, Suzhou and Wuxi further strengthens our brand in this highly competitive market,” he said.
Worldhotels also reports a positive outlook for the rest of 2013 with an extensive pipeline of hotels in key destinations within Asia and Europe.