TUI Hotels & Resorts to launch new hotel brand aqi to be lifestyle brand in the budget leisure segment / Start in new business sector / List group to perform construction

Hanover, July 2, 2008

TUI Hotels & Resorts, the hotel division of TUI AG and Europe’s biggest holiday hotelier, is entering new territories in the holiday hotel business. For the first time a lifestyle hotel brand is to be created for the budget leisure segment and introduced on the market under the name of aqi. “The business model is based on the idea of developing for the holiday-hotel industry budget concepts which up to now have been used almost exclusively in the business-hotel industry. We are introducing a completely new approach into the holiday-hotel industry, “ according to Karl J Pojer, head of the TUI Hotels & Resorts division of TUI AG.

List TourConsult, a company of the List group based in Lower Austria, is currently building in Schladming, the venue of the Alpine World S ki Championships 2013, the pilot hotel of the new TUI hotel brand. Under the name of “aqi Hotel Schladming“ the three-star hotel will start welcoming guests as early as December 2008. TUI Hotels & Resorts and the List group have set up a joint venture for developing future projects together. The List group is already internationally known as an exclusive supplier of hotels and building projects in the luxury category. “Based on our international experience in discriminating project quality and design we are now with aqi concentrating on lifestyle and comfort. Together with our hotel partner TUI Hotels & Resorts we will be able to create at Schladming a model project of a lifestyle hotel suitable also for other regions,“ said Burkhard List, a member of the management and speaking on behalf of the List group.

The name of the hotel chain is derived from the Spanish “aquí“ and means ”here“, ”in this place“, ”in this country“. This brand name is aimed at symbolising the characteristic relationship of each hotel to its location. Further hotel locations are in the planning stage. With a view to the slogan of the new hotel brand

“Living pure & smart“ the concept concentrates on the essentials with contemporary, functional fittings, clear lines in the design and architecture, and clearly defined quality requirements for each respective target group. The concept is thoroughly standardised, yet modern and stylish. The building and choice of materials of each hotel will relate to the respective region. As a result of reducing the fittings and facilities to those that are essential and decisive for the guest, the hotel will be excellent value for money. 107 rooms, a restaurant, a bar as well as various saunas – including a sky sauna on the generous outside roof terrace – plus a ski cellar are among the hotel’s facilities. The hotel will concentrate on attracting couples and single travellers. Mountain bikers, hikers, golfers, skiers and snowboarders will all feel equally at home in the aqi Hotel Schladming .

The aqi Hotel Schladming can be booked in the TUI wintersports brochure as well as at www.tui.com and www.aqi-hotel.com . A week’s stay including breakfast but excluding travel arrangements costs from €343 per person in a double room. One night including breakfast in a double room can be booked from €49.

Background: Schladming is a small town in Upper Styria, Austria, with a population of about 4,500. It lies between the Dachsteingebirge in the north and Lower Tauern in the south. The major tourist attraction is the 4-mountain ski link with its centre at Planai. Schladming is an all-year round venue for World Cup skiing. The Night Slalom attracts more than 50,000 people. Summer activities include hiking, mountain biking, paragliding and golf. Since 2004 the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup takes place here every year in September. In the 2007 tourism year some 410,000 overnight stays were recorded in Schladming.

About TUI Hotels & Resorts

As Europe’s biggest holiday hotelier TUI Hotels & Resorts manages all of World of TUI’s hotel subsidiaries. In 2008 the hotel sector portfolio included 288 subsidiary hotels located in 29 countries with about 173,000 beds. In the ranking of the 300 biggest global hotel chains TUI Hotels & Resorts currently occupies 11th place. Karl J Pojer is the head of the division in charge of the hotel companies in the Group. These include well known brands such as Riu, Robinson, Magic Life, Grupotel, Grecotel, Iberotel and Dorfhotel.

About List

Based in Lower Austria the 530 employee strong family business is now known worldwide as an exclusive supplier for luxury hotel and building projects, unusual motor yachts as well as big cruise ships and business jets. List TourConsult specialises in the development, setting up and operation of regional tourism, health and leisure projects. The service spectrum begins with the design of contemporary concepts tailor made for a specific region and extends to the actual setting up and operation of each respective project, for instance the hotels of the Orange Wings business hotel chain.                                                                  

4,921 characters

Contact:

Anja Braun, phone +49 (0)511 567-2102