This year marks the first year that Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG (VI) will be represented at the largest meeting of the hotel real estate sector, the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin. The IHIF Opening Night Reception will take place at the andel’s Hotel Berlin. Vienna International and the andel’s Hotel Berlin are sponsors and VI a patron of the industry gathering.
IHIF, the largest meeting of the international hotel real estate sector, serves above all as a networking forum. The two evening receptions are among the most important meeting opportunities for event participants. This year’s Opening Night Reception on 5 March 2012 will be held at the andel’s Hotel Berlin, the largest design hotel in the German capital. Dr. Andreas Karsten, CEO of VI, is especially pleased to be hosting the IHIF Opening Night Reception and to be a patron of the forum: “The forum is an excellent opportunity to internationally publicise and consolidate the Vienna International brand and our special know-how among the important decision-makers in the real estate sector. The evening reception at the andel’s Hotel offers us the ideal opportunity to present VI, to establish contacts and to stay in the minds of the international guests. In short, a further step on the growth path of the new Vienna International Hotels & Resorts.”

Dr. Karsten will participate in an IHIF breakout session on the afternoon of Monday, 5 March 2012, on the subject of “Preventing and Managing Default”. Moderated by Christian Mole (Executive Director, Ernst & Young LLP), Dr. Karsten and four further industry experts will discuss the highly topical issue of distressed assets and possible restructuring alternatives. VI intends to make a name for itself in this area in the future. As a restructuring specialist with turnaround expertise, Vienna International develops complete restructuring solutions for existing hotels, many of which have already been foreclosed by the banks, offers all services including an exit strategy and implements these for the owner. “Our custom solutions are especially interesting for individual hotels, institutional investors or banks. Vienna International wants to position itself more strongly in this field with the best services available on the market,” says Dr. Karsten, underscoring the relevance of this year’s IHIF for Vienna International.

IHIF
IHIF is the world’s largest meeting place for the international hotel real estate community. Last year’s gathering was attended by over 1,550 industry experts from more than 50 different countries representing all areas of the industry. Guests include lenders, investors, hotel owners and CEOs of various hotel chains, as well as lawyers, designers, architects and government officials. The annual forum, being held in Berlin from 5-7 March 2012, is celebrating its 15th year in 2012. The programme includes interviews with leading hoteliers, panel discussions and forecasts from economists. Over 140 speakers who are leaders in their field will take part in the conference. Monday, 5 March, and Tuesday, 6 March 2012, will end with an evening networking gala.

andel’s Hotel Berlin
The 4-star superior design hotel is a member of Vienna International Hotels & Resorts and, with a total of 557 rooms and suites on ten floors as well as a spacious 3,800 m² conference and event centre, is among the most attractive conference hotels in the heart of Berlin. A 570 m² ballroom, a fully glass-enclosed sky.bar on the 14th floor of the 60-metre hotel tower – offering breathtaking views over the rooftops of Berlin – plus the fine dining restaurant a.choice with walk-in wine chamber complement the ensemble. Guests of the andel’s Hotel Berlin also have a 550 m² wellness area and a hotel underground car park with 550 spaces at their disposal.

About Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG
Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG was founded in 1989. On the basis of individual management contracts, Vienna International operates and is developing a total of 29 first-class hotels & resorts and 2 hotel projects. The portfolio, which includes one Leading Hotel of the World, comprises city, resort, spa and conference hotels in nine European countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia, France, Germany, Romania, Slovakia and Russia. In addition to holiday and leisure products internationally, e.g. in Loipersdorf, Salzburg, Carlsbad and Opatija, the focus of the destinations is on business centres such as Salzburg, Munich, Berlin, Paris, Prague, Cracow, Łódź, Bucharest and Ekaterinburg.
The hotels managed by VI generated approximately € 164 million in revenues from 2.3 million bed nights in 2010.
More information about VI is available online at www.vi-hotels.com.