CNBC European Business magazine has published its third annual list of the top 25 business hotels in Europe with results that give a clear picture of this burgeoning industry, and how traditional chains and independents alike are wrestling to secure the patronage of the frequent business traveller.
The list, published in the September 2007 issue of the magazine, has been compiled from a questionnaire answered by a random selection of 500 of the magazine’s European readers and subscribers. The rankings are based on the number of nominations a property received, combined with the specific level of service and amenities offered to the hotels’ business clientele.
CNBC European Business Editor Richard Lofthouse notes: “In this year’s edition of the CNBC European Business Top 25 Business Hotels list we went to great lengths to solicit the views of our readers, the majority of them business and first class travellers. While there is evidence for a concerted revolt against paid-for internet and wi-fi connections, it is also an enormous achievement of the sector to provide unprecedented choice and service. The difficulty we had in narrowing down the list to just twenty-five winners was immense.”
The CNBC European Business Top 25 Business Hotels are:
- Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt www.villakennedy.com
- Claridge’s, London www.claridges.co.uk
- Four Seasons George V, Paris www.fourseasons.com
- Mandarin Oriental Munich www.mandarinoriental.com
- Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Hamburg www.fairmont.com
- The Berkeley Hotel, London www.the-berkeley.co.uk
- Swissotel Krasnye Holmy, Moscow www.swissotel.com
- Hotel de Rome, Berlin www.hotelderome.com
- Gastwerk Hotel, Hamburg www.gastwerk.com
- Soho Hotel, London www.firmdale.com
- The Chedi, Milan www.thechedimilan.com
- Four Seasons Gresham Palace Budapest www.fourseasons.com
- ME Madrid Reina Victoria www.solmelia.com
- Hoxton Hotel, London www.hoxtonhotels.com
- Hotel Josef, Prague www.hoteljosef.com
- Le Meridien Vienna www.lemeridien.com
- Hotel des Bergues Geneva www.fourseasons.com
- Hotel Duo, Paris www.axialbeaubourg.com
- Carlton Banks Mansion, Amsterdam www.carlton.nl
- Ritz-Carlton Istanbul www.ritzcarlton.com
- Hotel Hassler, Rome www.hotelhasslerroma.com
- Sofitel Brussels Europe www.sofitel.com
- Conrad International, Brussels www.conradbrussels.com
- Grand Hotel Central, Barcelona www.grandhotelcentral.com
- Grand Hotel Union, Ljubljana www.gh-union.si
Villa Kennedy Frankfurt remains at Number 1, an extraordinary achievement reflecting the contribution this Rocco Forte property has made to the hospitality sector in Frankfurt, its impeccable overall standards of service since opening last year and its enduring appeal as a private villa recreated to a twenty-first century standard but with retro-design cues.
Second place goes to Claridge’s, London, reflecting its self-reinvention as an exciting, destination property as likely to be visited by hedge fund managers as west end shoppers.
Third place goes to the George V, Paris, which like Claridge’s in London has been transformed into a ritzy, exciting destination for discerning business travelers.
Hotels with unnecessary and exorbitant internet charging practices fell out of the running, in favour of second tier, four star properties who offer a less fussy attitude to comfort and luxury. Business travellers are apparently shunning dreaded ‘knock on the door at the wrong moment’ turn down services in favour of inclusive pricing, late check outs, free wi-fi/broad band connections and free mini-bar.
The continued rise of boutique and design properties is to be noted, but as much as a leisure destination or intimate meeting venue as a serious business hotel offering a full suite of services and amenities.
Lofthouse continues, “Looking over the horizon, one of the major questions is how a younger generation of business travelers will define ‘luxury’. The properties that seem to consistently impress are the ones where there is a delicate balance of old and new, and where management have successfully blended tried and trusted service levels with a non-stuffy attitude to out dated practices such as charging mad prices for minibars.”
Note to editors:
About Ink Publishing
Ink Publishing is an international publishing company producing more inflight magazines for more airlines than any other publisher in the world.
Ink's award-winning titles include AirTran Airways Go, ATA Airlines Sights, Bangkok Airways Fah Thai, BMED Impressions, bmi Voyager, bmibaby yeahbaby, Brussels Airlines b.spirit!, Brussels Airlines b.there!, Cebu Pacific Smile, China Airlines Sky Couch, Clickair clickmagazine, easyJet easyJet inflight, Jet2.com Jetaway, Jetstar Airways Jetstar, MAXjet jetStyle, Midwest Airlines MyMidwest, MyTravel Recline, OASiS Hong Kong Airlines’ forthcoming inflight magazine, Ryanair Ryanair Magazine, Siem Reap International Airways Sarika, Sterling Airlines Sterling, Tiger Airways Tiger Tales, VLM Airlines Velocity and Wizz Air wizzit.
Ink is also the publisher of CNBC European Business magazine, CNN's bi-monthly travel magazines, CNN Traveller and CNN Traveller Asia Pacific, and Time Out Singapore. Ink publishes Bradmans Business Travel Guides to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.
The Company has offices in London, Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and Atlanta.
See http://www.ink-publishing.com for more information
About CNBC European Business Magazine
CNBC European Business is a monthly magazine about European businesses, for European readers. Integrated since 2005 with CNBC Europe, the pan-European network channel devoted to financial and business news, the magazine marks the ever increasing importance of Europe as a single market and trading bloc. Globalisation is the inevitable backdrop, yet viewed as such Europe assumes greater coherence as a single market than at any point in its long history.
CNBC European Business is one of the fruits of that reality. It caters to the same five million monthly viewers who watch CNBC Europe, but in particular addresses business leaders and entrepreneurs who appreciate a pan-European, cross-border perspective rather than a narrowly national one. Content is produced by a London-based editorial team supported by an extensive, pan-European network of expert contributors.
CNBC European Business offers Europe-wide review stories pinpointing the shifting tectonic plates of the business landscape, major CEO interviews that dig deeper than the dailies, and snapshot features of entrepreneurs who are making it. The back section is crammed with alternative investments, mutual fund analysis and breaking property tips, plus an expertly written style section complemented by travel, motoring and book reviews. For 2006, additional substance comes in the form of country reports focusing on the fastest growing European economies from Iceland to Poland, plus sector reports ranging from property to executive aviation, private equity, hedge funds, and technology.
Media contacts:
Katherine Punch
Account Director
Ink Publishing
Tel: +44 20 7613 6988
Email: katherine.punch@ink-publishing.com
