New Hilton boss to boost profits

Athenee Palace Hilton, one of the five-star hotels in Bucharest, reported higher than expected turnover for the first half, said Friedrich Niemann, the new general manager of the hotel. Niemann, who took over at the hotel in August, said one of his goals was to improve the hotel”s profit rate, as well as to have Athenee Palace Hilton recognised as an elite in the region. “My long-term projects are to turn Hilton into one of the most important hotels in the Balkans, to improve profitability at the hotel and to invest in employee training, making the Hilton a trendsetter in terms of human resources,” the new manager said. Born in Germany, Niemann has over 20 years of experience in the hotel industry and ran the Hilton Hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria, before replacing Bert Fol in Bucharest. “The market is very dynamic. Our first-half turnover amounted to 11 million dollars (8.5 million euros), 15% higher than for in first half last year, meaning the results were better than expected,” he said. ZF