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Hilton's tourism initiative
Sofia Echo Com, Velina Nacheva, 07.05.2004
THE Hilton Sofia, which has just celebrated its second birthday, has been instrumental in the emerging luxury hotel alliance. The Sheraton, Radisson and Kempinski recently established the Sofia Hotel Alliance together with the Hilton. The alliance aims to promote Sofia's international image, as well as that of Bulgaria generally. Co-operation between the Alliance and partners from the travel industry and local institutions, has resulted in the founding of the Bulgarian Convention and Visitors Bureau, which will market Bulgaria internationally as an attractive meeting and convention destination. "Bulgaria has huge tourism potential and is developing very well. However, the majority is focusing on sea summer tourism," Hilton general manager Friedrich Niemann told The Echo, and added that there is great potential to attract visitors to the capital. "The 2003 financial year was a very successful one for the Hilton Sofia," Niemann said. Sofia is not very well known as a tourist destination so a lot of work needs to be done in this respect, he said. "It is a destination that is still to be discovered," he said. "We see huge potential for business convention tourism for Sofia," he said and added that almost all the necessary infrastructure exists. There are the large luxury hotels, the Sofia exhibition centre and the National Palace of Culture (NDK) and many venues where you can have specific events. These are inevitable combined with local entertainment, culture and good nightlife, he said. In 2003 the Hilton hotel achieved its objectives in all areas, financially as well as in service performance, Niemann said. Hotel occupancy went up by 10 per cent, to 59 per cent and profitability increased by 25 per cent. With respect to five-star hotel competition, the hotel's market share has increased by 5.2 per cent in 2003 in comparison to 2002. Hilton is permanently investing in staff training and overall, its level of investment has increased by 20 per cent. All of Hilton's 175 Bulgarian staff members are hard working and well-educated people, whose commitment, efficiency and professionalism are well acknowledged by the management and guests. "I am happy with every single member working as part of our team," he said. "If you want to be in the hotel business you have to be a communicator and a people person with management skills and to focus on objectives," Niemann said. He quoted from the Hilton International's Guest Satisfaction Tracking Survey for 2003, a survey which compares service between various hotels in the Hilton chain. The Hilton Sofia apparently ranked number 1 in Overall Guest Satisfaction, over 80 Hilton hotels in Europe and Africa. It was considered to be better than renowned properties such as the Rome Cavalieri Hilton, Hilton Mauritius or Hilton Athens. Celebrities that have stayed at the Hilton include famous chess player Viswanathan Anand, pop stars Danny Minogue and Atomic Kitten, model Angie Everhart, the famous bands Simple Minds and Faithless, and the Liverpool FC. "Traffic is the first thing that strikes my mind," he said and added that the roads need some attention. Getting from A to B can be a real challenge, according to Niemann. In terms of product development in March, Hilton launched high-speed Internet connection in all guest rooms, meeting rooms and at the Business Centre, with flexible charging tariffs enabling guests to surf the net at speeds 100 times faster than dial-up. The Sofia Hilton has several plans for future events. Thursdays at Seasons Restaurant there will be culinary evenings with a different theme or touch. On May 20 there will be Gourmet Seafood. While on May 13 it will be Vero Italiano, featuring an extensive Italian buffet. On May 27, the theme will be Strawberries and will include the chef's Table menu with several aperitifs, fine Bulgarian wines, digestives and coffee. By the end of the year, there will also be an Indian food festival and a monthly event called A Night at the Hilton, combining culinary delights with culture, singing or dancing. In line with the Elegant Dining concept, a Barbecue Terrace offering Pacific BBQ specialties opens again featuring meat and seafood temptations from the entire Pacific Rim region. The Shisha Cafe is a special section of the Seasons Terrace, where lovers of the Middle East lifestyle can enjoy Shishas every day from 5pm till 11pm, with a variety of choice from a wide variety of tobacco flavours, taste authentic Arabic coffee and exotic dishes. see source
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