SECAUCUS, NJ -- Northstar Travel Group, parent company of
Travel Weekly, has acquired HotelsWorld, a suite of industry events for senior
hotel executives in the Australia and New Zealand region.
The seller, Hotels World Australia, was founded and owned by
John Smith, who will stay on after the acquisition.
HotelsWorld comprises four consecutive events held over
three days in Sydney in July. It attracts over 500 industry CEOs and other
senior executives involved in the operation and ownership of hotels, resorts,
serviced apartments and alternative forms of guest accommodations.
The acquisition fills a geographic hole for Northstar, which
in May acquired Burba Hotel Network, a portfolio of events that is the
leading producer of hotel investment conferences. The portfolio includes ALIS, The
Americas Lodging Investment Summit, held in Los Angeles next month; HICAP, the
Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific in Hong Kong; HICAP Update in
Singapore; AOCAP, the Alternative Ownership Conference -- Asia Pacific in
Singapore; HIFI Hotel Investment Forum India in Mumbai; CHRIS, the Caribbean
Hotel and Resort Investment Summit in Miami; HOLA, the Hotel Opportunities
Latin America conference in Miami; and Hot.E, the Hotel Investment Conference
Europe in London.
Law firm Ashurst has co-hosted HotelsWorld since its
inception and will continue to co-host the event in conjunction with Burba Hotel Network.
Northstar intends to leverage its databases, relationships,
media properties and domain expertise to grow HotelsWorld.
"Northstar's ownership of HotelsWorld is an exciting
development in the growth of the event and is a further indication of the
growing importance of hotels and hospitality in this region," Smith said. "I
am confident its involvement will build on the momentum we have created and
will take HotelsWorld to the next level."