Worldwide briefing

Second choice

Choice Hotels Scandinavia has become the second largest hotel chain in Denmark after buying seven hotels from Beyer & Kjaer Holding. The deal gives Choice a total of 14 hotels with 1,520 bedrooms between them. Five of the new hotels will be marketed under the Quality banner and two as Comfort Hotels.

Oversupply fears

Some of the strongest hotel markets in the USA could be under threat because too many new hotels are being built, says a survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers. Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans and Washington, DC, are all cited as markets that have seen strong growth in revenue per available room over the past two years but where the number of hotels being built is above the US average.

Kathmandu kitchen

Airline caterer LSG Sky Chefs has signed a partnership agreement with the Soaltee Crown Plaza hotel in Nepal to set up an in-flight kitchen in Kathmandu. It is expected to be fully operational within 18 months.

Two join summit

Luxury hotel consortium Summit Hotels & Resorts has signed two new members. They are the 56-bedroom Hotel Grand Palace in Riga, Latvia, and the 27-bedroom Hotel St Petersbourg in Tallinn, Estonia.

Beirut food show

A new international food and drink exhibition for the Middle East is to be launched next year. IFE Levant will run from 3-6 April 2001 in Beirut, alongside the established Horeca exhibition.