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IKEA

Ikea and Marriott launch budget hotel chain

Swedish furniture giant Ikea has roped in US hotel chain Marriott for its long-discussed launch of a new branch of budget traveller hotels across Europe.

Ikea and Marriott launch budget hotel chain

The chain will be called Moxy.

Over the next ten years, 150 low-cost hotels will be opened in ten different countries, Marriott chief Arne Sorenson told a news conference in Berlin.

“Moxy Hotels is the essence of the next generation traveller, not only Gen X and Y but people with a younger sensibility, for whom contemporary style is paramount,” he added in a statement.

“We have put thought and research into every aspect of the hotel, to reflect the expectations of this fast-growing customer segment,” he added.

“We believe Marriott will lead the way in redefining the traditional budget hotel experience throughout Europe.”

In addition to Germany, hotels would be opened in Austria, the UK, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The very first Moxy Hotel will open in Milan at the start of next year, Sorenson said.

Separately, the US hotel group Starwood Hotels and Resorts said it plans to open 50 new hotels in Europe over the next five years, with particular emphasis on on eastern European countries and Turkey.

AFP/The Local/og

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WEATHER

Danish Ikea store shelters staff and customers overnight during snowstorm

Heavy snowfall left 31 people looking for a spare cushion at the Aalborg branch of Ikea on Wednesday as they were forced to spend the night at the store.

A file photo at Ikea in Aalborg, where 31 people stayed overnight during a snowstorm on December 1st 2021.
A file photo at Ikea in Aalborg, where 31 people stayed overnight during a snowstorm on December 1st 2021. Photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

Anyone who has found themselves wandering the mazy aisles of an Ikea might be able to empathise with the sense of being lost in the furniture store for a seemingly indefinite time.

Such a feeling was probably more real than usual for six customers and 25 staff members who were forced to spend the night at the furniture giant’s Aalborg branch after being snowed in.

Heavy snow in North Jutland brought traffic to a standstill and halted public transport in parts of the region on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in a snow-in at Ikea.

“This is certainly a new situation for us,” Ikea Aalborg store manager Peter Elmose told local media Nordjyske, which first reported the story.

“It’s certainly not how I thought my day would end when I drove to work this morning,” Elmose added.

The 31 people gathered in the store’s restaurant area and planned to see Christmas television and football to pass the evening, the store’s manager reported to Nordjyske.

“Our kitchen staff have made sure there is hot chocolate, risalamande, pastries, soft drinks, coffee and the odd beer for us in light of the occasion. So we’ll be able to keep warm,” he said.

“We couldn’t just send them outside and lock the door behind them at our 8pm closing time. Absolutely not. So of course they’ll be staying here,” he added.

The temporary guests were given lodging in different departments of the store in view of the Covid-19 situation, Nordjyske writes.

“For us , the most important thing was to take care of each other and that everyone feels safe,” Elmose said.

At least Ikea’s stranded customers and staff had somewhere comfortable to lay their heads.

The same can unlikely be said for around 300 passengers at the city’s airport who had to stay overnight at the terminal.

The airport was forced to stop flights from 2:30pm yesterday amid worsening weather, which also prevented buses from transferring passengers to hotels.

“We have around 300 people in the terminal right now and have been giving out blankets on the assumption they will be staying here tonight,” Aalborg Airport operations manager Kim Bermann told Nordjyske.

READ ALSO: Ikea reopens in Denmark after country’s worst retail month this century

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