What's the history of Scandic Hotels?
Scandinavia's largest and oldest hotel chain first revved up as Esso Motor Hotels, opening its first roadside motel/inn in central Sweden in 1963. It was set up by US-owned oil company Svenska Esso to serve the car and the motorist - or as Scandic's website puts it: "The cunning plan was that we would consume more petrol."
Isn't it owned by the Hilton Group now?
Yes, Hilton bought it in 2001 for £620.2m from investment company Ratos, which acquired the group between 1983 and 1985 and renamed it Scandic Hotels. A 62% drop in profits to £6.3m in the first half of 2003 prompted Hilton Group chief executive David Michels to say he wished he hadn't bought it - although he expects this view to be reversed in two years' time.
Where are Scandic hotels to be found?
They're in city centres and along major roads in nine European countries. In the early 1970s, the group expanded into Norway and Denmark and became a Nordic-wide chain in 1998 when it bought Finland's third-largest hotel group. Its first venture Scandinavia was in Germany in 1986.
Does Scandic have any hotels in England?
Not now. Until 2000, it ran management contracts for the Crowne Plaza in Edinburgh and the Victoria Holiday Inn in London, along with the Holiday Inn Nelson Docks in London, which became a Hilton in 2001.
What sort of hotels does it run?
The mostly leased properties operate in the three- and four-star market. The corporate sector accounts for 75% of business, over 80% of guests are from within Nordic countries, and 40% of roomnights are booked through the Hilton HHonors loyalty programme.
The largest, in Copenhagen, has 486 bedrooms, while the smallest, with 35 bedrooms, is at Helsinki Airport in Finland. They provide meeting rooms, leisure facilities and, unusually, playrooms for children.
So the hotels are truly child-friendly?
Yes, in 1998 Scandic developed Sigge the hedgehog and his pals as a children's mascot to brand the playrooms and children's menus. Sigge ensures all kids get a surprise gift at check-in.
Does Scandic have other claims to fame?
It was the first hotel group in Scandinavia to offer non-smoking rooms, TVs in all bedrooms, its own internal channel, fitness rooms in every hotel, wireless broadband, and green commitments. Its hotel loyalty programme was one of the first in the world, and it was the first hotel group to be listed on the Stockholm stock exchange.
What does its Omtanke philosophy mean?
Omtanke means "consideration for other people", and this is applied to staff, guests, suppliers, the local community and the wider environment. For example, its ethical sustainability programme includes joint projects with the Worldwide Fund for Nature, Christmas meals for the lonely, and language studies for immigrant employees and job applicants.
What about its green credentials?
Scandic has saved more than €7.64m (£5.35m) since launching its eco-sustainability drive in 1994. It's slashed carbon dioxide emissions by more than 15% and energy costs by 20%, trained over 9,000 employees in green issues, and built more than 9,500 eco-rooms (which are 97% recyclable or biodegradable) and six eco-hotels.
What are its plans for the future?
It's looking at ways to expand to other countries and will push ahead with plans to rebrand up to 48 Scandic hotels as Hiltons. This year, Scandic pledged to earn the Swan Nordic eco-label (said to be one of the toughest in the world) for all its Swedish hotels by the end of 2004.
WHO ARE YOU?
Jean-Paul Herzog: senior vice-president, Nordic region
Frank Fiskers: vice-president Sweden
Aarne Hallama: vice-president Finland
Geir Lundkvist: vice-president Norway
Hans Frank: vice-president Denmark
Peter Jangbratt: director of marketing
WHERE ARE YOU?
Sweden (65 hotels), Finland (24), Denmark (20), Norway (19), Estonia (4), Germany (3), Belgium (3), the Netherlands (1), Lithuania (1)
YOUR VITAL STATISTICS
Hotels: 140 Bedrooms: 23,780 Staff: more than 7,500
Figures for 2002: turnover, £461.5m; operating profit, £34.5m