Gestión Hotelera

💡 Spain and Portugal experienced the largest blackout in their history, affecting cities, communications, transportation, and basic services. Ilunion Hotels and VP Hoteles shared their experiences, highlighting emergency protocols, diesel generators, and gas kitchens, which allowed continued operation during the outage. The incident lasted over 8 hours in Madrid, with VP Hoteles investing over €200,000 per hotel in emergency systems to ensure customer comfort and safety during prolonged periods. Despite the blackout, guests enjoyed amenities and events without interruption, showcasing the importance of planning and investment in infrastructure for hotel operations during emergencies.

✈ Iberia's flights between Madrid and the United States operate with high occupancy levels, unaffected by recent Trump policies on European tourism. On April 27, flights to Miami, New York, Los Angeles reached 100% occupancy, while Dallas, Boston, Chicago, and Washington exceeded 92%, with Boston at 99.4%. By October, Orlando will be added with four weekly flights. Currently, Iberia uses A330 and A350 for several US destinations and the A321XLR for Madrid-Boston and Madrid-Washington. This summer, Iberia will offer 140 weekly flights to the US, a 14% increase from 2023, totaling 1.1 million seats.

🏨 Baleares has 378,000 hotel beds, Canarias 268,000, with growth around 1% since 2019. In Canarias, independent hotels own 24% of the offer, while the top 10 hotel operators account for 49,699 rooms; Riu Hotels & Resorts leads with over 6,800 rooms. International chains have 12,540 rooms, half in Tenerife, with Hyatt Hotels Corporation being the most significant, with 3,180 rooms. In Baleares, 22% of the offer is independent, the top 10 operators have 58,190 rooms, with Meliá Hotels International at the top having 8,757 rooms, and international hotel groups holding 10% of the market.

🏠 StayAlliance, la nueva Asociación Profesional del Alojamiento de Corta y Media Estancia en España, está compuesta por propietarios, empresas gestoras, plataformas tecnológicas (como Booking.com e Interhome), sistemas de pagos, inversores y sectores del delivery, entre otros. Fundada por Rentals Collection, BizTrip, Vitur Summit y Beyond, con asociados que incluyen Feelfree y Roomonitor. La junta está liderada por Asier Pereda como presidente. StayAlliance busca promover buenas prácticas y transparencia, colaborar con administraciones públicas y representar una amplia tipología de alojamientos, como Senior Living, coliving, alojamientos corporativos, turísticos, villas y residencias para estudiantes.

🚧 Workplace absenteeism in Spain's tourism sector spiked post-COVID, hitting 20-30% in some destinations. CEOE's event "Turismo, talento y formación" spotlighted the issue, noting a 67% increase in common contingencies since 2019. Currently, 1.6 million individuals miss work all year, with daily absences in traditionally non-absentee sectors like industry reaching 1,000. The AENC agreement aims to give mutual insurance companies responsibilities for managing common trauma-related absences, and the government is set to reintroduce bonuses for companies improving occupational contingency records. Health issues, including mental health, constitute over 30% of common contingency absences.

💡 On April 28, at 12:33 PM, an unprecedented blackout affected the entire Iberian Peninsula, leading to emergency meetings by Spanish hoteliers to manage the situation. Generators provided partial power in some hotels, while others like Sleep’n Atocha had no electricity until about 11:30 PM. Hotel staff across the country displayed creativity, solidarity, and quick thinking to assist guests and maintain operations, with a focus on personalized attention. The blackout served as a reminder of the importance of emergency preparedness in the hotel industry.

🏫 On a Monday, despite a power outage affecting the Iberian Peninsula, "Preferente" remained operational for the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and the rest of the world. The publication reported on numerous incidents involving trains, airlines, and airports, and kept tourism professionals informed about the measures taken by companies like Renfe, Iberia, Aena, Air Europa, Iryo, Vueling, and Ouigo to mitigate issues caused by the blackout.

🚨 Organizations are planning anti-tourism protests in the Canary Islands for Sunday, May 18. Tenerife's protest is scheduled for 11:00 AM at Plaza Weyler, Santa Cruz. These follow the archipelago's first similar protests a year ago on April 20. Despite a year of actions, there has been "no positive change", says Eugenio Reyes of Ben Magec-Ecologists in Action. Tenerife recently faced a union demonstration, hinting at an indefinite strike over pay and working conditions amidst rising absenteeism critiques.

🏨 B&B Hotels opens its second hotel in Bormujos, 7 km from Seville, with 99 rooms and long-term guaranteed rental exploitation. The promoter, Retrada, partners with Buenavista Andalucía Urbano II, SICC, SAU as the financial partner. The brand plans to add five more establishments in the coming years. Currently, B&B Hotels has two establishments in Seville, seven in Andalusia, 59 in Spain, and 17 in Portugal, totaling over 7,000 rooms.

🏢 Borja Escalada, CEO of Millenium Hospitality, and Marco Sansavini, CEO of Iberia, discussed boosting Madrid's tourism at the III Foro de Turismo. They focused on luxury tourism, with Madrid offering 43 five-star hotels. The American and Latin American markets account for 28-40% of luxury demand. Iberia has seen a 20% increase in passengers since pre-pandemic times, highlighting the role of public-private collaboration and air connectivity in making Madrid a leading European hub and improving overall accessibility.