Australia: Ramada Aims For Middle Market

Ramada is back in Australia, with big plans to open more than a dozen hotels across the country over the next few years. The managing director of Ramada International Hotels, Reas Kondraschow, yesterday made a flying visit to officially open the Melbourne Ramada on Flinders Street.

The Melbourne Ramada, together with a new hotel in Adelaide, marks the return to Australia for the global chain since it left in the mid-1990s. A change of ownership at Ramada International in 1997 - it is now owned by the Marriott group - has signalled a return to a more aggressive growth strategy. That shift has coincided with Mr Kondraschow's rise to the top at Ramada.