Germany DERTour Group will become the sole owner of DSR Hotel Holding after acquiring the remaining 25.1% stake from Deutsche Seereederei (DSR), starting August 1, 2026.
The acquisition brings DSR Hotel Holding fully into the DERTour Group, the tourism division of REWE Group, one of Europe’s largest retail and tourism companies.
DERTour operates as an integrated travel business spanning tour operators, travel agencies, destination management companies, hotels and river cruises. The group serves millions of travelers annually through more than 130 companies and brands in over 30 countries.
Its portfolio includes well-known tour operator brands such as DERTour, ITS, Meiers Weltreisen, Kuoni, Apollo and Exim Tours, while its retail network encompasses more than 2,000 travel agencies across Europe. DERTour also owns and manages hotels, destination management companies and river cruise operations, giving it a strong presence across the travel value chain.
The transaction marks the end of a partnership that began in 2021, when DSR and DERTour jointly managed the hotel business. Over the following years, DERTour gradually increased its shareholding to 74.9% before agreeing to purchase the remaining stake.
Although DERTour will now own the hotel company outright, the two businesses said they will continue collaborating on selected tourism projects.
Expanding DERTour’s hotel division
DSR Hotel Holding operates 34 leisure hotels across Germany, Austria and Italy, primarily serving destinations that can be reached by car or rail.
Its portfolio includes the A-Rosa, Aja, Henri, Urban Nature and Mira Hotels & Resorts brands, along with iconic independent properties such as Hotel Neptun in Warnemünde and Hotel Louis C. Jacob in Hamburg.
The acquisition further strengthens DERTour’s hotel division, which has become an increasingly important pillar of the group’s strategy to expand vertically across the travel sector. By combining tour operating, travel distribution, destination services and accommodation under one organization, DERTour aims to offer travelers a more integrated holiday experience while creating additional growth opportunities across its brands.
“The DSR Hotel Holding is an important part of our hotel division,” said Christoph Debus, CEO of DERTour Group. “With full ownership, we are creating a clear and reliable foundation for the company’s continued development and for the growth of its brands.”
Debus also thanked Horst Rahe for building the hotel business and supporting the partnership over the past several years.
DSR looks beyond hotels
For Deutsche Seereederei, the sale marks a strategic shift away from hotel operations.
The company will now concentrate on designing, developing and launching new tourism and leisure concepts, focusing on business models shaped by digitalization, artificial intelligence, sustainability requirements, evolving mobility trends, geopolitical uncertainty and labor shortages.
“Our strength has always been recognizing changes in travel behavior at an early stage and turning them into successful products and business models,” said managing partner Horst Rahe. “We are handing over a successful hotel business into good hands while creating the freedom to develop the next generation of tourism offerings.“
With the transaction complete, DERTour further consolidates its position as one of Europe’s leading integrated travel companies while significantly expanding its direct control over its hotel portfolio.
