Asubsidiary of the oldest Austrian business dedicated to travel, Austria Trend is backed by a very powerful group. Since 1917, when it was created, the Verkehrsbüro Group created an empire for itself in the Austrian travel universe. Its position as leader only grew stronger over the years. When it merged with Ruefa Reisen and Eurotours at the end of the 90s, the Verkehrsbüro Group found itself covering area that had a hint of tourism: supply and receptor travel agencies, restaurants and, of course, accommodations within the company Verkehrsbüro Hotellerie GmbH which has a very large supply ranging from camping to five stars and including mountain-top chalets.Although it is very concentrated on its local market, Austria Trend has vast knowledge of its neighboring markets, demonstrated by the confidence Motel One has shown in Verkehrsbüro Group for its development outside Germany. Thus Central Europe offers the chain new opportunities, while the brand remains strongly identified with its home country.But Verkehrsbüro was missing just one segment: economy hotels. And this leap was made last March. The Austrian leader has just entered into joint venture with Motel One, the German budget hotel specialist. The goal of this association: to develop the brand outside Germany, giving priority to Austria and countries in neighboring Central Europe. 3,700 rooms should display the German brand in the next five years. “In order to establish Motel One, the Verkehrsbüro group was the ideal partner,” congratulates Dieter Müller, president of Motel One.But within its development policy, the Austrian group remains loyal first and foremost to its own subsidiary: its upscale brand Austria Trend. With 4,124 rooms, nearly three-quarters of which are through leasing and the last quarter is through a management contract, the brand is the undeniable leader of the country’s hotel industry. In 2006, the turnover of the Verkehrsbüro...