Scandic Hotels

Scandic Hotels is a hotel chain headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with its main operations in the Nordic countries. Alongside hotels in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, the company also has a presence in Belgium and The Netherlands, Estonia and Lithuania, Northern Germany, Poland and Russia. It is owned by EQT Partners.

Contents 1 History 2 Management 3 Facts & Figures 4 Sustainability Efforts 5 New Developments 6 List of Scandic Hotels 7 External links 8 References

[edit] History

The first hotel in what was later to become the Scandic chain was the Esso Motor Hotel in Närke, central Sweden. Opened in 1963, it capitalized on the increase in car travel, both for business and pleasure – the motel was a novel concept for Europe at the time. A second hotel followed in Mölndal three years later. By 1972 the company began to expand into Norway and Denmark, and a year later it was the largest hotel chain in its native Sweden.

In 1983, the company was sold to a Swedish consortium headed by Ratos and the following year it was named Scandic Hotels. Ratos became sole owner in 1985, and a year later the first hotel outside Scandinavia opened in Koblenz, Germany.

The business was negatively impacted by the 1990/91 Gulf Crisis, and company management was replaced in 1992. In 1996 the group acquired Reso Hotels and became a publicly traded company on the Stockholm stock exchange. Two years later, the Arctic Hotels group in Finland followed, giving Scandic a presence in all the Scandinavian countries, and in 1999 the group expanded into Estonia.

In 2001, Scandic was acquired by the London-based Hilton Group. The hotel chain changed ownership again in 2007, this time bought by Swedish private equity firm EQT for EUR 833 million. ^[1]

[edit] Management

Scandic Hotels is managed by an executive team led by CEO Frank Fiskers. Fiskers, however, announced his resignation on March 8, 2010, but will remain on his post as CEO through the summer of 2010, after which he will join Scandic's Board of Directors. ^[2]

[edit] Facts & Figures

As of March 14, 2010, the company employs 6,600 people and operates 151 hotels with 28,504 guest rooms. Operating result (EBITDA) for 2008 amounted to EUR 111.1 million. ^[3]

[edit] Sustainability Efforts

Since 1994, Scandic profiles itself heavily as an ecologically sustainable business. Employees receive sustainability education and the company offers rooms built in an environmentally friendly way. In 2001 the breakfasts at all Swedish Scandics received the KRAV ecological product certificate, and by 2004 all Swedish hotels had earned the "Swan" ecolabel. Scandic has received national and international awards for its environmental efforts: ^[4]

S:t Julian Disability Award, S:t Julian – City of Stockholm, February 2006
Glassbjörnen Environmental Award – GRIP Forum, Norway, May 2006
Oslo’s Urban Environmental Prize – City of Oslo, Norway, June 2006
Best Environmental Work – Grand Travel Awards, Sweden, March 2007
Scandic Elmia & Scandic Portalen – Jönköping Municipality Environmental Award, June 2007
Stilpriset Hjärter Ess för tillgänglighet – Stil, Sweden, September 2007
Swedish Recycling Award, October 2007
The Sustainability Award – European Hotel Design Awards, London, October 2007
Best CSR Programme – Hospitality Awards, Paris, November 2007

[edit] New Developments

Scandic currently has new hotels under development in Berlin, Hamburg, Oslo and Stockholm, among other locations.

[edit] List of Scandic Hotels

[edit] External links

• Scandic Hotels web site

[edit] References

1. ^ Scandic Hotels Corporate Information, http://www.scandichotels.com/About-Us/Corporate-information/History/. Accessed 2010-03-14.
2. ^ "Head of Scandic Hotels steps down" The Swedish Wire, http://swedishwire.com/business/3218-head-of-scandic-hotels-steps-down, published 2010-03-08. Accessed 2010-03-14.
3. ^ Scandic Hotels Facts & Figures, http://www.scandichotels.com/About-Us/Corporate-information/Facts--figures/. Accessed 2010-03-14.
4. ^ Bohdanowicz, Paulina et al.: "Environmental Training and Measures at Scandic Hotels, Sweden". Research paper presented at B.E.S.T. Sustainable Tourism Think Tank IV, "Sustainability and Mass Destinations: Challenges and Possibilities", 2004-07-01-2004-07-04, Esbjerg, Denmark. http://www.greenthehotels.com/eng/BohdanowiczSimanicMartinacTT4Abstract.pdf. Accessed 2010-03-14.