Company officials did not provide any details, but sources close to the company told Business Standard that the process will most likely take place in 2008. According to these sources, the new brand could be a luxury brand of Wyndham Hotels, which owns the Howard Johnson brand and the five-star Wyndham Grand Collection brand. These same sources did not rule out the possibility that the new brand could be one not owned by Wyndham.
“There is no immediate need for rebranding. However, in the future, when there are more [five-star] players on the market, we will have to look for the right brand,” Peter Craig Martin, General Manager of Howard Johnson Grand Plaza, told Business Standard.
The Romanian Howard Johnson is regarded abroad as a three or four-star brand. As most of the business of the Howard Johnson Grand Plaza comes from foreign tourists, the unit will change its brand to improve perception. Martin stressed that Howard Johnson has a lower ranking in Europe and the U.S., therefore impacting negatively on local perception of the product.
The hotel has been operating on the market since 2005, when it replaced the former Dorobanti hotel, following a €30 million investment.Market ] The five-star hotel market registered business worth some €100 mln in 2006, shared by seven players: JW Marriott, Athenee Palace Hilton, InterContinental, Howard Johnson Grand Plaza, Crowne Plaza, Casa Capsa, and Carol Parc.
