Accor opens a new Sofitel in Germany:
Sofitel Cologne am Dom in the heart of the Rhein capital

2002, the year of 11 prestigious openings for Sofitel throughout the world

September, 19th 2002. Sofitel, the prestige brand of Accor hotels has opened a new hotel in the heart of Cologne at the foot of the famous cathedral. After fourteen months of complete renovation, the former "Hotel Mondial" has been renamed Sofitel Cologne am Dom.

Started in May 2001, all parts of the hotel have gradually been undergoing renovation: the lobby, the conference rooms, the restaurants, the rooms, and part of the external facade have all been altered. The Annick Delvigne & Patrick Dumont Studio, Belgium was responsible for the interior design to create an exclusive and contemporary atmosphere.

"Cologne is now richer by one luxury hotel at the best location in the city," explains Alexander von Keller, manager of the hotel. "The Sofitel Cologne am Dom is principally aimed at interna-tional travellers who will find all the comfort and amenities of a contemporary hotel" , he adds.

Guests have a choice of 207 rooms within four room categories. These include the standard and classic rooms, superior rooms with a view of Cologne cathedral and luxurious suites. Every taste is catered for. The classically modern fittings are typified by a combination of Wengé woods, light maple and high-quality textiles.. All guestrooms have a safe, two telephones, video-on-demand, international cable / satellite TV, modern workstations equipped with a mo-dem or ISDN connection and a luxurious bathroom. Special attention has been also been paid to provide pleasant lighting and well-appointed workstations in each room.

For conference guests, the hotel proposes the “Beethoven” room that can accommodate 150 people and five Board Meeting Rooms . All these rooms have a generous source of natural light and separate rest areas. The meeting rooms were designed according to the Sofitel “Board Meeting Room” concept. They offer exceptional services for business travellers who re-quire a quiet and discrete environment to ensure the success of their business meetings. The meeting rooms, aside from personalized and exclusive à la carte service, offer the latest tech-nologies: central remote control with a touch screen to control your environment (air condition-ing, lighting, sound, etc.) and presentation equipment. A dedicated team is on hand to ensure that events unfold as they should and to cater to all requests.

In the centre of the lobby, the Library proposes a selection of classical, international and re-gional literature, together with international periodicals and folios.

There is relaxation for mind and body in the large stylish Wellness Centre, covering 180 square metres, in which guests will find a steam bath, a sauna, showers and a solarium, and where they will also be able to enjoy massage and beauty treatment. In the fitness centre, guests with sporting ambitions will be able to use the latest fitness equipment.

Supervised by Chef Klaus Schreiber, the "La Brasserie" restaurant, which latter is modelled on a typical Parisian brasserie offers a sophisticated French-Mediterranean cuisine, a few steps away from the “Tapas Bar”. The "Dom Pub" is a successful combination of traditional “Bier-stub” and trendy bar, where you can enjoy a view of the cathedral while sipping your drink, in-cluding a refreshing "Kölsch" – the strong local lager. As a meeting place for lovers of good ci-gars, there is the "Grand Habana Lounge", with its select range of cigars.

The design of the Sofitel Cologne am Dom is part of the general pattern Sofitel follows around the world. Making each of its hotels unique and original, and finding its roots in its country, in its town, in its traditions, and at the same time, giving a real commitment to the “art de vivre à la française” in decoration, atmosphere, high-standard amenities and of course, restaurants…

Opening rate
Valid until December 30, 2002
from 119 euro ( taxes included) Breakfast for free

Reservations can be made via Sofitel Reservation Services, telephone 069 / 95 307 594, on the Internet Web sites www.sofitel.com and www.accorhotels.com,

Sofitel is already present in Germany with Sofitel Savigny Frankfurt.

Over the past two years, Sofitel has become a benchmark for brand expansion with prestigious openings in key international cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Paris and Tokyo. The brand’s strategic development this year includes the opening of over 10 flagship properties – Sofitel Silom Bangkok, Sofitel Buenos Aires, Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, Sofitel Cologne am Dom, Sofitel St James London, Sofitel Royal Lyon, Sofitel Montreal, Sofitel Marrakech, Sofitel Palm Beach Mar-seille, Sofitel Venezia in Isola and Sofitel Lafayette Square Washington D.C. All these openings strengthen the presence of Sofitel, which stands out next to its competitors with its "art de vivre à la française" that can be felt in each hotel around the world; through its decor, art work, uniforms cre-ated by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, and the cuisine.

Sofitel is the prestige brand of Accor hotels, with 160 properties that bring a unique « art de vivre à la française » to prime locations around the world.

With 147,000 associates in 140 countries, Accor is the European leader and one of the world's largest groups in travel, tourism and corporate services, with two major international activities:
- hotels: more than 3,700 hotels (423,000 rooms) in 90 countries, casinos, travel agencies, and restaurants;
- services to corporate clients and public institutions: each day, 13 million people in 31 countries use a broad range of services (food vouchers, people care and services, incentive, loyalty programs, events) engineered and managed by Accor.

Factsheet here available