HANOVER - The TUI Group is aiming for growth in its hotel division and is looking to accelerate the expansion of the hotels. The Executive Board sector Hotels & Resorts of Sebastian Ebel will in future, therefore, be provided with two divisional heads. In addition to his current responsibilities, Erik Friemuth, Group Chief Marketing Officer, will also be in charge of TUI's own hotel brands TUI Blue, Robinson and TUI Magic Life. Thomas Pietzka will be responsible in the other division for the hotel joint ventures. The best-known of these is Riu. By the end of the 2018/19 financial year, the portfolio of own hotels will be increased by 40 to 45 properties.
The reorganisation of TUI Group into a hotel and cruise business, initiated by Fritz Joussen, CEO of TUI Group, is progressing. Today, 50 percent of the Group's profits are already generated by its own hotels and cruise companies. The company wants to further accelerate this growth path with a new management structure in the hotel division.
As head of TUI Hotels, Erik Friemuth will promote the growth of the company's own hotel brands - TUI Blue, Robinson and TUI Magic Life. He will take over the commercial management of the brands in addition to his duties as Group Chief Marketing Officer. Thomas Pietzka will in future be responsible for the hotel joint ventures and will pay particular attention to the further development of the partnerships and joint ventures in the hotel segment. These include long-standing and successful partnerships, for example with Riu, Atlantica, Grupotel, Barut Hotels or Hamed el Chiaty, and regionally-operating companies like TTH Turkey or Nordotel, which operate both hotel concepts such as TUI Sensimar or TUI Family Life as well as other hotels. In their new functions, both managers will report to Sebastian Ebel, who is responsible on the TUI Executive Board for the hotel and cruise segment, TUI Destination Services, and the tour operator business in the Central region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland). As Group Chief Marketing Officer, Erik Friemuth is a member of the Group Executive Committee and will continue to report into Group CEO Fritz Joussen.
With its strategic focus as an integrated tourism group, TUI is able to differentiate itself from the competition thanks to a comprehensive brand experience which extends from booking a trip through on-site services to accommodation in the hotel or on the cruise ship. With his many years of experience in marketing and sales, Erik Friemuth shall implement this unified brand philosophy even more consistently in the Group's hotels. The own hotel brand TUI Blue will thereby play a key role. It will serve as a strong driver of the desired growth path. The expansion of TUI Blue's offer is to be achieved both through new projects and the conversion of existing hotels.
