Centro acquires Günnewig

Hamburg's Centro Hotel Group has reported what is so far the biggest acquisition in its corporate history.

With effect from the beginning of 2017 the takeover of the Düsseldorf-based Günnewig Hotels & Restaurants has been confirmed. The Günnewig Hotels feature a widely-based, premium-quality hotel portfolio at prominent locations in Düsseldorf, Bonn, Cologne and Chemnitz. Its flagship hotels are located in Germany's previous capital city of Bonn (Bristol and Residence), and in Düsseldorf (Esplanade and Uebachs), capital of the state of North Rhine Westphalia. Not only the comfort but also the value for money provided by these prestigious hotels has always been appreciated by guests in general and in particular by federal and state politicians. In addition, because of their locations - close to the cathedral in Cologne and next to the opera house in Chemnitz – these hotels make up part of the distinctive character of their individual cities. With this acquisition the Centro Hotel Group portfolio has now grown to 54 hotels offering well over 5500 rooms.

Ultimately the transaction resulted from a several-year business relationship between the two companies, which began with the acquisition of two Günnewig hotels in Leipzig (2014) and Mainz (2016). In the words of Günnewig CEO Karl Wilhelm Kaiser: "In today's global world small family hotel companies find it difficult to survive without a strong partner. For this reason Günnewig looked for a partner which would guarantee to provide our guests with outstanding service, our staff with secure jobs and our long-standing business associates with a fair partnership – in the tradition of the founder of our company, Gerhard Günnewig."

Historically the company goes right back to the year 1930, when restaurateur Gerhard Günnewig acquired his first hotel - the "Zur Krone" in Düsseldorf. After the Second World War the hotelier expanded his private hotel chain with a flair for the right location. He founded the present-day company in Düsseldorf in 1949. In addition to the hotels already mentioned in Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Chemnitz, the Günnewig operations also cover the Opera Restaurant in Chemnitz, the Top 180 Restaurant and Bar & Lounge M 168 in the Rheinturm, Düsseldorf's TV Tower, and accordingly the highest building in the city. "Our acquisition of the Günnewig Group is a milestone in the history of our company and represents the decisive continuation of our target of positioning the Centro Hotel Group as a leading hotel brand in Europe," states Centro CEO Rahman Neiro.

With effect from the take-over Hamburg's Centro Hotel Group operates 54 hotels throughout Germany and Austria, offering a total of 5500 rooms. The group's expansion is to be continued with the Centro, FourSide and Boutique brands, together with the new budget brand NinetyNine Hotels from 2017.