Austrian real estate developer Warimpex, which owns the Golden Tulip Sky Gate hotel, has given up the franchise contract with the Golden Tulip chain, and opted for a management contract with Vienna International Hotelmanagement. The hotel in Otopeni, close to Bucharest's international airport, will be called angelo Airporthotel - the same name as the hotel held by Warimpex in Prague, which is also located near the international airport. A franchise contract does not require the involvement of the hotel chain in the hotel's management, whereas under a management contract, the chain is involved.
According to company representatives, Warimpex also plans to develop angelo hotels in Munich (Germany), Katowice (Poland) and Pilsen (The Czech Republic).
"Angelo is a concept that is still in a burgeoning stage and could not be promoted under Golden Tulip, due to the policy and strict principles of the chain that require a uniform image for its hotels. More specifically, it would have been necessary to call the hotel Golden Tulip angelo, instead of simply angelo, the name preferred by the new owner. The parties agreed to end the contract, and a solution was found to use a global reservation system by closing a distribution contract with Sterling," said Paul Marasoiu, regional manager for Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova for Golden Tulip Hotels Inns & Resorts.
The 4-star hotel Golden Tulip Sky Gate was opened in 2001 and operated under a franchise contract with the Golden Tulip brand since 2005.
Last year, Warimpex acquired 99.98% in the hotel from majority shareholder Romanian American Enterprise Fund and from another two companies. Warimpex officials announced that after the takeover they would increase the hotel's capacity from 108 to 158 rooms, and increase the number of conference halls, but did not specify the budget allocated for the planned expansion.
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