Associated Luxury Hotels (ALH), the newly launched parent company of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), is already expanding its reach with the acquisition of Frankfurt, Germany-based WorldHotels. ALHI and WorldHotels both consist of upper-upscale and luxury-level hotels and resorts, but ALHI focuses its efforts on drumming up M.I.C.E. market business whereas WorldHotels works with meetings and loyalty solutions.
The acquisition is said to represent an opportunity to increase ALH’s competitiveness and profile with the addition of complementary, membership-based service offerings and a geographically diverse network. Worldhotels will remain focused on the individual business traveler (IBT), leisure and meeting sector solutions and expertise for its 75,000 rooms among 350 member hotels and resorts around the world.
ALHI will continue focusing on the North American meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (M.I.C.E.) marketplace for its membership of more than 250 luxury-level independent hotels and resorts totaling 138,500 rooms, plus their Global Luxury Alliance members across the globe. ALHI had already announced to its members that it plans to establish “ALHI boots on the ground,” augmenting its ALHI GSO sales team into Europe in 2017.
According to ALH Chairman, David Gabri, the company will operate ALHI and Worldhotels as separate divisions, initially keeping the memberships and operations of each organization separate. Based on the unique market positioning of individual hotels and resorts within Worldhotels, some select member hotels and resorts may be invited into the ALHI membership portfolio. Worldhotels’ portfolio, like ALHI’s, features city center business hotels, historic grand landmark hotels, lifestyle hotels, boutique hotels and exquisite resorts.
