Distribución y Revenue Management

🏥 Gabriel Escarrer Julià, founder of Meliá Hotels International, passed away at age 89. Globalia injected €65 million into Air Europa to avoid its legal dissolution. Spanish hotel chains showed significant TrevPAR from 2014-2023. London Gatwick Airport faced chaos due to a suspicious object, causing flight delays and cancellations. China Southern Airlines is selling its Boeing 787-8s due to low demand. Haramain High-Speed Railway surpassed 20 million travelers since October 2018. Six tourists died in Laos from methanol poisoning. Spanish companies, including Barceló Hotel Group and Kaizen Hotels, won World Travel Awards. A luxury resort in Marbella, potentially a St. Regis or The Ritz-Carlton, received a €350 million investment. An infographic detailed the distribution of hotel bookings in Spain.

🏨 Saima Solutions organized a webinar on November 21 to introduce "Saima Hotels – Planning & Analysis," an AI and analytics-driven financial and operational management tool for hotel chains. The hotel sector anticipates over 260 new hotel openings in 2024, exceeding the 171 establishments and €4.2 billion investment of 2023. Barceló and RIU Hotels have improved processes over eight years using Saima Solutions' data strategies. Saima Hotels supports annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, and "what-if" scenarios, accommodating Top-Down and Bottom-Up approaches. Its user-friendly, low-code platform enables real-time reporting without IT reliance and offers a sandbox for safe simulations. Barceló Hotels has opened hundreds of establishments in 30 countries with these data-driven strategies. The webinar concluded with a live demo and an invitation for personalized analysis and MVP development.

🏨 Palma de Mallorca, with Javier Vich as president of the Asociación Hotelera de Palma (Ashpama), confirms 80% (64 out of 80) of its hotels open for the winter season. Only 20% (about 16 hotels) will close briefly for 30 days for renovations and updates, focusing on management improvement, energy efficiency, and environmental quality. The MICE tourism sector and the consistent German market have extended the season, while American tourists emerge as a new market interested in cultural and gastronomic richness.

🏨 Daniel Sánchez, Chief Revenue Officer at Paraty Tech, spoke on November 21 at TecnoHotel OnTour in Benidorm about implementing effective hotel loyalty strategies. He highlighted the evolution of loyalty programs, beginning with Holiday Inn's point club in 1972 and Marriott's Frequent Traveller program, now Bonvoy. Sánchez outlined six loyalty models: privilege programs, member discounts, membership levels, accumulated wallet, in-stay redeemable points, and customized programs. He emphasized the need for clear objectives, technological support, and operational impact assessment, suggesting starting simple and avoiding overcomplication.

🏨 Alex Robinson from STR highlighted the robust growth in Spain's hotel sector during the Annual Hotel Investment Conference by Cushman & Wakefield in Madrid. RevPAR in European hotels is rising at a single-digit rate since July 2023, except for a 10% increase in September, while Spain has seen double-digit growth except in April and August. The ADR has surged by 41.7% (€48) since 2019 vs. a 1% occupancy increase. Luxury and budget hotels are performing well without needing maximum occupancy. Madrid, Alicante, and Oviedo lead occupancy growth by 5%, whereas San Sebastián saw an 8% decline due to increased offerings. Málaga, Valencia, and Alicante lead occupancy rates for the year, reaching averages of 83%, 81%, and 75%. ADR shows signs of deceleration in 2024 compared to 2023, with Madrid at +15%, followed by Málaga (+13%), and Sevilla, Alicante, and Canarias at +11%. The leading destinations by ADR are Marbella (€317), Ibiza (€277), and Barcelona (€194). Projections indicate Madrid and Barcelona will continue to see RevPAR growth into 2025, although at a slower pace.

✈️ South acuerda con sindicatos CCOO y UGT para aplicar un ERE que afecta a 1.499 de 8.424 empleados de Iberia, incluyendo 570 administrativos y 905 de servicios auxiliares. Empleados de 60 años o más al 31 de diciembre de 2024 podrán prejubilarse antes del primer trimestre de 2025, recibiendo 50% del salario y cotizaciones (4,70%) hasta los 65 años. El ERE expira el 31 de diciembre de 2026, con un plazo de adhesión del 11 al 27 de diciembre.

🏘 Pangea The Travel Store expanded with a new store in León, reaching ten locations in Spain. The store is located at Calle del Carmen nº 9, León and led by Avelino del Riego of DUAOC. CEO David Hernández aims to offer an exceptional travel shopping experience with specialized travel consultants. Pangea's current Spanish presence includes four flagships in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, and stores in Valladolid, Oviedo, Girona, Córdoba, Tenerife, and León.

🏖 Ávoris promotes remaining Imserso trip vacancies despite complaints of rapid sell-out. Two options offered: cultural circuits for 6 days/5 nights at €293.16 and nature tourism for 5 days/4 nights at €286.82. Available departures in December, January, and February for various routes including Ávila to Badajoz, Madrid to Alicante, and Badajoz to Cádiz.

💾 On November 21st, the Gran Hotel Bali hosted TecnoHotel OnTour Benidorm, featuring Alberto Plaza from IDeas Revenue Management. Although most attendees were aware of Revenue Management Systems (RMS), few used them. Despite obstacles such as budget and cultural resistance, Plaza argued that RMS implementation can enhance forecast precision by 2%, potentially increasing net profit by 3%. Time savings, inventory optimization, better guest mix management, and operational profit boosts—with 96% of users noting significant profitability increases, including 33% reporting over 10% improvements—were highlighted as key reasons to invest in RMS.

📈 Ávoris, led by Juan Carlos González, is distributing its vast wholesale network's products through independent travel agencies via the new Ávoris Store platform. This includes services from Travelplan, Jolidey, Special Tours, LePlan & Touring Club, Viva Tours, and Welcomebeds. The platform aims to streamline sales and prevent sales loss to competitors, following the complex integration of Globalia's travel brands like Halcón and Travelplan. However, Catai remains absent from Ávoris Store.