Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Hospitality, Tourism |
| Founded | Zurich, Switzerland (1973) |
| Founder | Ueli Prager |
| Headquarters | Baar, Switzerland |
Area served | Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia |
Key people | Jean Gabriel Pérès, President & CEO |
| Products | Business/Leisure Hotels, Resorts |
| Revenue | CHF3.54 billion (in 2014) |
Number of employees | >16,000 |
| Website | http://www.movenpick.com |
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (German pronunciation: [ˈmœːvənˌpɪk]; English /ˈmuːvənˌpɪk/) is a hotel management company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. They are owned by Mövenpick Holding[1] (66.7%) and the Kingdom Group (33.3%). They operate more than 80 properties,[2] including hotels, resorts and Nile cruisers, with another 30 resorts planned or under construction across the Middle East and Asia.
In total, the company hosts more than 20,000 rooms across four geographical areas. The hotels are mostly 5-star hotels, resorts and business or airport hotels, with an additional five cruise ships operating on the Nile and on Lake Nasser.
The hotel chain serves 5.8 million people per year, and in 2003 was named the “fastest growing hotel chain in the Middle East” by The World Travel Market
History
Mövenpick Group
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts traces its roots back to the privately owned Mövenpick Group, which was founded by the late Ueli Prager in 1948 when he opened his first restaurant – Mövenpick at Claridenhof - in Zurich.[3] The name was apparently inspired by the feeding action of a gull (in German, möwe) and how its simple movements reflected the restaurant’s theme of high quality food at affordable prices served as quickly as possible.
The Group opened new restaurants across Switzerland, targeting locations near the new Swiss motorway system to cater for car travellers. Staff training was made a priority very early in the Group’s expansion, along with daily line-ups. The Group became the first Swiss employer to offer staff shares.[3]
Silberkugel snack restaurants were the next expansion, beginning in 1962[4] and inspired by American diners. Diversification of the Group’s portfolio through the 1960s saw cash-and-carry wine shops (Mövenpick Wine) open across Switzerland and Germany, as well as branded food items such as Mövenpick “Himmlische” (heavenly) coffee (1963) and Mövenpick Ice Cream (1969).
The Mövenpick Group was divided into four separate divisions in 1970 covering the activities of their hotels, premium products, and both high end and chain restaurants.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts
The official launch of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts was marked by the opening of two hotels at Zurich-Airport and Zurich-Regensdorf. Expansion beyond Europe started in 1976 with the opening in Cairo of the Mövenpick Hotel Jolie Ville. Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts were among the first companies to operate hotels under management contracts, which helped allow rapid growth. Expansion continued through the 1980s into Egypt, with the chain’s first cruise ship, HS Radamis, beginning operations in 1991.
Mövenpick Holdings
The Prager family sold their stake in the company in 1992 and a restructure saw Mövenpick Holdings create four autonomous business Units in 1998: Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Mövenpick Gastronomy, Mövenpick Wine, and Mövenpick Fine Foods.
Under a new President and Chief Executive Officer (Jean Gabriel Pérès), new expansions into Africa and the Middle East saw “pilgrim hotels” opened in Madinah in Saudi Arabia, and a period of hotel renovation and portfolio consolidation began. Rapid expansion continued through the early 2000s.
A strategic partnership with Green Globe was announced in 2010, beginning a drive towards sustainability with a specific focus on the travel and tourism industry across all Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts properties. Certification and awards accompany further expansion into India, the Philippines, Singapore, and Ghana (2011). New hotels opened in China in 2013, and Pakistan in 2014, and a new property opening in Bangladesh in 2015[5]
Operations
The Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts global headquarters is in Baar, Switzerland. The Middle East and African Regional Offices are based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and the Asian Regional Office is in Bangkok, Thailand and Europe
A strategic partnership exists with Green Globe to work towards environmental sustainability[6][7] across all the company’s properties. As of 2015, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has 56 properties that are Green Globe certified: the highest number of certifications currently attained by any one hotel company.
Business
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, as a company, are now focusing on the core markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.[8] They specialise in business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts. Their portfolio includes hotels under management contracts and leased hotels throughout their areas of operation.
Geographical Distribution
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts have their largest presence in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Their presence in Asia (which includes India and Pakistan) is rapidly growing, with new properties being developed for 2016–17[9]
References
- ↑ "Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts - About Us". Mövenpick. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ "Facts and Figures". Mövenpick. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- 1 2 "History". Moevenpick. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ↑ "History". Silberkugel. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ↑ "Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts signs agreements to manage hotels in Bangladesh". Albawaba. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ↑ "Green Globe Certification". Green Globe. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ↑ "Green Globe Partnership". Mövenpick Hotels. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ↑ "Development". Moevenpick Hotels. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ↑ "Opening soon". Mövenpick Hotels. Retrieved 8 July 2015.