Backed by two powerful Austrian investment funds, Amber and Bocca, Vienna International is rising up higher and higher in the circle of European groups. The group was born twenty years ago at the initiative of the Verkhersbüro AG, Austrian's number-one tourism group, with a mission to complement its “sister company” Austria Trends: constituting a network of independent hotels through management contracts to accommodate guests from the group's tourism branch. Vienna International began establishing itself with the Czech Republic and Poland, and progressively Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Russia, Romania, Slovakia and more recently France joined in as well. At the same time Austria, which is no longer the privileged hunting ground of Austria Trends, entered the development area. Today, 37 hotels are under management contracts and 4 others are in the pipeline, for nearly 7,500 rooms. With 2,400 employees, in 2009, Vienna International should surpass the benchmark of 2 million guests, resulting in turnover of around €156 million.With its new projects, the benchmark of 8,000 rooms will be largely surpassed and Vienna International may begin to claim its status as a “global company”. Through its locations and different brands, no niche is unknown to it: leisure, business, seminars, relaxation and sports activities. The seedlings of networks that include just a few units for the time being are expected to spread out to countries in Central Europe where the group has, until now, succeeded in being backed by partners that have not been affected by the crisis. The renewal of the still modest pipeline will confirm whether or not this is still the case.The group first grew interested in classic upscale hotels; 5 of its properties are Leading Hotels of the World and one belongs to the new label Leading Spa of the World. The circle of countries for implantation is growing as...