HotelsMag May 2018 | Page 55

BHS TABLETOP CONTINUES GROWTH
ITB BERLIN INCREASES VOLUME
ROXY SAYS DEVICE CAN REPLACE HOTEL PHONES
SUPPLYLINE

BHS TABLETOP CONTINUES GROWTH

Citing successful product launches as contributors to its success , BHS Tabletop , headquartered in Selb , Germany , continued to grow in 2017 . Last year , the company recorded a currency-adjusted turnover growth of 1.5 %, up to € 122.8 million . Adjusted for one-time special effects tied to the acquisition of the British subsidiary John Artis and the change in ownership , EBIT rose to € 5.8 million from € 5.7 million the previous year — an increase of 3.1 %.
BHS transitioned from being a porcelain manufacturer into a global provider of tabletop solutions for the foodservice industry . The company reported that its employee numbers in German locations remained stable last year . Meanwhile , the American subsidiary BauscherHepp and the sales partnership with American glass producer Libbey , which distributes the Schönwald brand in the U . S ., contributed to growth in the U . S . market .

ITB BERLIN INCREASES VOLUME

International travel show ITB Berlin cited a 5 % increase in business volume over the previous year at ITB Berlin 2018 , held March 7-11 , 2018 in Berlin , Germany . This year ’ s showhosted around 110,000 trade visitors and roughly 60,000 members of the public .
Pointing at forecasts of sustained global economic growth for the next two years , Dr . Christian Göke , CEO , Messe Berlin , predicts that consumers would be willing to spend money on travel in the near future . “ The extremely positive economic trend in the travel industry should not blind us to the fact that the industry faces great challenges around the world ,” Göke says . “ The digital transformation of an entire industry continues to move forward apace and affects every company and provider , regardless .” The next ITB Berlin will take place March 6-10 , 2019 , in Berlin .
India received the partner country globe at Ambiente . From left , Sylvie Meis , Pratibha Pakar , Detlef Braun and Wepke
Kingma .

AMBIENTE

TO SPOTLIGHT INDIA IN 2019

Ambiente organizers have announced India as the partner country for the next show , which will be held February 8-12 , 2019 , at Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt , Germany . Pratibha Pakar , consul general of the Republic of India in Frankfurt , accepted the partner country globe from the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands , Wepke Kingma . This marked the eighth time that the partner country globe was transferred at Ambiente .
“ After Japan , India is now Ambiente ’ s second Asian partner country , which gives us great pleasure ,” says Detlef Braun , executive board member , Messe Frankfurt . “ With its population of over 1.3 billion , India has an incomparable diversity , a rich culture and also a tradition of art and craft . It ’ s also among our absolute top countries in terms of exhibitors .”

ROXY SAYS DEVICE CAN REPLACE HOTEL PHONES

Roxy has announced a new feature for its speech-enabled devices to enable voice-activated calling . The feature , which integrates Roxy ’ s customized artificial intelligence assistant into a hotel ’ s private branch exchange , will enable hotels using Roxy devices to eliminate phones . In addition to voice calling , Roxy claims its devices can act as a guest ’ s “ personal concierge ,” allowing the guest to place requests to the front desk , access hotel information and local recommendations , and use entertainment and search options . The integration will be available to Roxy customers via a software patch with no additional hardware required .
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