Gestión Hotelera

🏨 IHG Hotels & Resorts, among top ten hotel chains in Spain, plans to expand with 12 signed projects and more in negotiations. Eric Viale, General Manager for Southern Europe, CEI, and Georgia, announced the opening of the third Kimpton brand hotel in Spain by the end of the year, with four more openings between 2025-2026 in Luxury & Lifestyle, Premium, and Essentials collections. Currently, IHG operates 55 hotels across eight brands in Spain, with 18 being Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, representing 33% of IHG’s presence. The expansion focuses on mature cities with potential for leisure sector growth and franchise model brands like Indigo and Voco. Additionally, a partnership with Iberostar introduces an all-inclusive concept, and the Staybridge & Suites brand is set to cater to long stays.

🛈 Hosbec joins protests against the mandatory traveler documentation registry set by Spain's Ministry of Interior, effective October 1. New requirements for lodging establishments include data transmission through a government-designed platform, criticized for inefficiency. Over 70% of accommodation businesses, mostly SMEs, lack adequate cybersecurity to protect this data. CEHAT demands urgent meetings with top officials, receiving no response, leading to legal action to prevent the decree's enforcement.

📞 Running a restaurant involves more than just serving great food; it also requires impeccable customer service from reservation to departure. A crucial yet often overlooked aspect is how staff answer the phone, as a single negative phone interaction can lead to a bad online review or loss of business. Proper phone training can ensure a positive interaction that aligns with the restaurant's high standards, preventing a poor first impression or driving customers to competitors.

🏠 Fergus Group will open the repositioned 4-star Fergus Style Punta Arabí in Ibiza by 2025. This addition marks their second establishment in Ibiza and 30th overall. The current 2-star resort will undergo a comprehensive reform, elevating it to a premium 4-star category with 329 rooms, three restaurants, four bars, a pool, and solarium. Strategically enhancing hotel assets, Fergus Group has invested over €110M in Spanish coastal hotel redevelopment, exemplified by the Fergus Club Mallorca Waterpark's transformation, leading to a 40% spending increase.

✈ Air Europa, led by president Juan José Hidalgo, considers creating a tour operator to support its airline following the decision to operate independently, after Iberia's withdrawal from purchasing the airline. Hidalgo previously lost a hotel in Tenerife, another in Mallorca, and his stake in Ávoris due to financial struggles. Globalia received over 100 million euros in indemnifications from the non-fulfilled sale agreement with Iberia. The new tour operator venture would potentially attract former executives and rival Ávoris and Iberojet competitors.

📒 The Spanish Senior Tourism Program created in the 1980s aims to improve senior life quality and sustain low-season activity. Agencies complain about low commissions from the Imserso program, leading some to partner with private senior programs offering better conditions. Mundiplan pays agencies €30-€50 per package sold, while Imserso increased its fee from €12 to €14.5 in 2021, which is still considered insufficient. Valencia hoteliers demand €33 per person/day to avoid losses but currently receive €25 at best. The 2023-2024 Imserso campaign included 366 hotels, with a similar number expected in 2024-2025. The program offers 886,269 spots balancing social and business interests to ensure off-season activity.

🏕️ El Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora en Tenerife, España, galardonado como el mejor resort para familias por los World Travel Awards por tercer año consecutivo. Este resort de 5 estrellas ofrece una 'infinity pool' de 5.000 m², la más larga de Europa, y cuenta con 7.500 m² de piscinas, incluyendo una para niños con barco pirata y toboganes. Además, dispone de un centro YHI Spa de 2.000 m² y servicios como Kids Club y piscina climatizada.

🍴 The world's only Michelin-starred airport restaurant is at Hilton Munich Airport, located between terminals 1 and 2 of Munich's Franz Josef Strauss Airport, rated top ten by Skytrax. In the 2024 Michelin gala, Mountain Hub Gourmet earned its first star, offering tasting menus featuring Alpine ingredients under chef Marcel Tauschek. The Hilton Munich Airport, with 550 rooms and soundproofing, was named Europe's best airport hotel at the FAB + Hospitality Conference & Awards 2023.

✈ CSIF, CC. OO, USO, and UGT unions announced a strike at Alicante-Elche Airport, involving 290 security workers from "Sureste Seguridad." Commencing August 1, the strike spans August 2, 3, 4, 15, 16, 17, 18, 30, and 31, due to alleged labor rights violations. This could impact tourists, especially the 50% of foreign visitors like Britons flying with Jet2, who advises early airport arrival due to expected security delays.

🏨 Atom Hoteles Socimi sold the 4-star EXE Coruña hotel for €17.2 million to a private investor, marking its second divestment in the year. The hotel, located in La Coruña's "Cuatro Caminos" mall, features 181 rooms and was upgraded in 2020. Simultaneously, a mortgage on the property was canceled. The sale is part of Atom's asset rotation plan to enhance shareholder value.