Gestión Hotelera

🛫 On a peak traffic day at Gran Canaria Airport, air traffic controllers announced a 'rate zero', temporarily prohibiting new departures due to a computer system incident. Aena reported manual check-ins and boarding processes, potentially causing significant delays. The airport faces a shortage of available parking spaces as flights continue to land but are unable to take off.

🏠 Imserso's thermalism program for pensioners opened its application period on December 9 for travel between February and August, with a deadline until January 9. For September to December travel, applications start on May 15. Offering 197,000 spots, 5,000 more than the previous season, the program includes 84 spas, down by four from last year. Accommodations are for 10 or 12 days on a full board basis, from noon on arrival to noon on departure.

🏨 Accor abrirá cuatro nuevos hoteles en España y Portugal para 2025, introduciendo dos nuevas marcas: Fairmont y SLS, con el SLS Barcelona siendo el primero en Europa. Ferrovial ha vendido un 19,75% de su participación en Heathrow por 2.000 millones de euros, manteniendo un 5%. Aena reportó más de 21,5 millones de viajeros en noviembre de 2024, un 9,2% más que en 2023, con 287,6 millones de pasajeros y 193.247 operaciones aéreas desde enero, un aumento del 9,4% y 11,1%, respectivamente.

🏨 Villa Chiquita, a 41-room boutique hotel in southeast Mallorca, saves up to two hours per employee per day by integrating modern POS with PMS. New staff training is streamlined with online resources like Mews University, increasing job satisfaction and allowing remote work flexibility. Mews also offers 24/7 chat support and a comprehensive library of user guides to assist with hotel management, inspiring hoteliers in Spain to embrace cloud-based solutions for operational efficiency.

📱 AskFlow, una herramienta de automatización para hoteles, simplifica la comunicación con los huéspedes. Un resort en Uruguay logró 105 veces el retorno de inversión en dos semanas, con más de USD 8.900 en reservas recuperadas. Un gran hotel optimizó operaciones enviando 3.478 mensajes en un mes, mientras que otro alcanzó una tasa de respuesta del 20% con 539 mensajes. AskFlow ofrece tecnología drag-and-drop, plantillas personalizables, y es 100% operable por WhatsApp.

✈ Iberia Maintenance has expanded its services for the Airbus A321XLR, now offering wheel and brake maintenance after adding the model to its fleet in November. Operations are conducted at La Muñoza in Madrid, with a 20,000 square meter facility and over ten specialized production lines. This addition builds on their existing 4,400 aeronautical maintenance capabilities, which include areas like tires, hydraulics, electrics, and engine accessories. Recently, Iberia also undertook comprehensive Pratt & Whitney GTF engine checks due to widespread issues causing many A320 aircraft to be grounded.

🏡 Millenium Hospitality Real Estate is selling Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol for around €200 million through consultant Savills. Millenium purchased beachfront land in Sotogrande, Cádiz for €33.2 million in 2019. The luxury 5-star complex, featuring a hotel, four pools, a spa, two golf courses, a clubhouse, and luxury branded residences, is set to open in February 2025. The sale is part of a strategic plan to increase profitability, announced in June for the 2024-2027 period.

🏩 Korean Air will establish the largest low-cost airline in South Korea by merging with Asiana Airlines, combining Jin Air, Air Busan, and Air Seoul to lead the market, currently dominated by Jeju Air and T'Way. The Spanish Ministry of Interior's new traveler data registry, starting on December 2, faces opposition from accommodation, rent-a-car, and travel agencies, which must now submit over 50 personal data points per reservation. Meliá Hotels International will introduce the Innside by Meliá brand to the Dominican Republic with two franchise hotels in Punta Cana by 2027. Spain's air supply will grow by 8.5% next month, with significant increases from the UK (7.9%), Germany (4.6%), Italy (19.1%), Turkey, and the Czech Republic (20%), while Portugal records a 5.7% decrease. Blau Hotels acquires Cala Mandia Park Hotel, and Radisson Hotel Group plans to open its first Radisson Collection in Madrid by 2027, housed in the architecturally protected Generali building from 1942. For the Constitution Day bridge, 95% of Spanish travelers prefer European cities with rich history and culture for December 6-8, 2024.

✈️ Airbus A380 production ceased three years ago, with 251 units built for 14 airlines, far from the estimated 1,300 over 20 years, due to financial imbalance. Emirates received 123 units, including the last in 2021. In 2023, Global Airlines plans transatlantic flights with two refurbished A380s, delayed to 2025 from London to New York and Los Angeles. Ten airlines still operate A380s, covering over 90 routes, with an average distance of 3,606 nautical miles. The A380 can house up to 853 passengers and fly up to 15,000 kilometers.

🌊 Spain boasts navigable rivers like Guadalquivir and Duero, offering unique experiences through its 657 km and 100 km spectacular canyons respectively. The Guadalquivir is accessible from Sevilla to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and Duero features catamaran tours in the Arribes del Duero park, shared with Portugal. Tajo, the Iberian Peninsula's longest river, Guadiana, marking Spain-Portugal's border, and Ebro, the second longest in Spain, are also top picks for river tourism, blending nature, culture, and history. Activities include night tours, wildlife observing, and kayaking, catering to eco-friendly tourism.