German hotel group Deutsche Hospitality has officially rebranded, aligning it with the name of its Chinese parent company. The announcement of the new H World International comes as the group reveals it is already acting on plans to take more of the Deutsche brands into new international markets.
Deutsche was acquired by Chinese group H World, which is listed on the US stock market, shortly prior to the pandemic in 2019. The company had an established European portfolio of properties, under the Steigenberger brand family, plus Jaz in the City, House of Beats, IntercityHotel, Maxx and Zleep Hotels.
International expansion
The move to rename as H World International means the German subsidiary will now focus on expanding these brands more globally. The team will also add into the mix another brand from the H World parent group that is already spread across China, the midscale Ji Hotel.
“The rebranding to H World International is ushering in a new chapter of international growth, complementing our vast presence in China”, said H World CEO Jin Hui. “It is an important step towards our goal to become a world-class global hotel group, with one global team.”
The new H World International business will be headed by CEO Oliver Bonke, alongside the established executive leadership team of the former Deutsche Hospitality.
To kick start its campaign, the group has revealed five new signings. In Thailand, an agreement with partner Tantakitt will see the newly renovated Montien Surawong Bangkok as the first Steigenberger Hotel in the country, launching in July 2024. A second Thai hotel, the 108 room Maxx Huay Yai Villa will open in Pattaya towards the end of 2025.
Growth in the Middle East
H World is also looking to grow across the Middle East, India and Africa and has signed a further Steigenberger hotel in Egypt. The 90 room Steigenberger Resort Byoum Lakeside will open in late 2025, joining 16 other Steigenberger resorts in the country. Also growing in the Middle East is the IntercityHotel brand, which in February opened its fourth property in Oman.
Back in Europe, the pipeline includes the addition of the Bielefelder Hof hotel to the Steigenberger brand, while the Zleep economy brand has just signed sites in Bern, Switzerland and Goppingen, southern Germany, due to open in late 2025 and 2026 respectively. The current pipeline includes current launches in Horsens, Denmark as well as Lausanne and Zürich, Switzerland.
Further plans for expansion in Asia should be boosted by a new joint venture agreed with regional specialist Conduit House. The operator and asset manager will be providing pre-opening support, technical services and operations to help ensure H World International successfully builds out its portfolio across the region.
In its home market of China, meanwhile, H World continues to grow its network of brands in the economy and midscale space, and at the end of 2023 counted over 9,200 hotels open across China and adjacent markets. In addition to its own brands, H World also has a partnership with Accor covering the Chinese market, which sees it growing the Ibis, Mercure and Novotel brands across the country.
