Nombramientos

🏥 Miguel Frontera, the first president of the Hoteliers Association of Sóller and father of María Frontera, former president of the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation, passed away at age 90 on Sunday. Born at La Marina hotel in Port de Sóller, he was a pivotal figure in transforming the tourist sector in Sóller. Marga Prohens and Llorenç Galmés, political leaders, expressed their condolences. The wake is scheduled for Monday, April 21, from 16:00 to 18:00, with burial at 19:00 at the parish of San Ramón de Penyafort in Port de Sóller.

✈ American Airlines suspended code-share agreements with Level on flights between Barcelona and Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco due to Level becoming an independent airline with its own structure, aircraft, and certification. This requires a series of audits, and American's policy prohibits code-sharing without these certifications. Level, soon operating under its own code rather than Iberia's, will be 50.1% owned by Iberia. The changes will be minimal as the aircraft used will remain the same.

✈ Transavia, part of Air France KLM group, is expanding its low-cost operations. Transavia Holland has decided to set up a base in Brussels, Belgium, starting in 2026, intensifying flights from Zaventem, Belgium's main airport. Previously, Transavia lacked a local crew in Brussels, which limited its presence. The move aims to reduce costs associated with transferring staff from the Netherlands and capitalize on lower costs in Brussels—€25 less per traveler than Amsterdam. However, Transavia faces internal issues with fleet changes from B737 to A320.

🏖 Juan Carlos Vicedo became the new director of Contracting for Ávoris Corporación Empresarial's travel divisions for the elderly, including Turismo Social and Mundosenior. Vicedo, who started his professional career in 2005 and previously worked at Serhs Tourism for nine years, served as the director for Welcomebeds in the Levante region since July 2023. His appointment coincides with the upcoming Imserso travel program tender, expected in the coming weeks, following Beatriz Varela's lead in the same role about a year ago after Juan Manuel Molina's retirement.

🏖 Ávoris appoints Juan Carlos Vicedo as the new contracting director for its brands Turismo Social and Mundosenior, with the former managing Imserso's tourism program for seniors. Vicedo joined Ávoris in September 2018 and previously worked for Serhs Tourism for nearly nine years. Beatriz Varela Quintás led the division a year ago, succeeding Juan Manuel Molina, who left after about 32 years with the group.

🏨 AX Partners' Hotel Eetu Begur, a 4-star property, joins Meliá's Affiliated portfolio managed by Summum Hotel Group. The hotel, located in Aiguablava Bay, Begur (Girona), will be revamped to a 5-star category, expanding from 42 to 65 rooms after renovations. It will be rebranded as Meliá Begur in 2026. This strengthens Meliá and Summum's partnership, now with five joint projects, and Meliá's presence in Catalonia with 16 hotels, aiming to enhance luxury tourism in Costa Brava.

✈ Wizz Air adds Cluj route to existing Bucarest service from Castellón Airport, while Ryanair introduces Budapest route. Castellón, Valencia's controversial airport, slowly consolidates with non-daily Madrid flights by Air Nostrum and connections to Palma. Ryanair offers twice-weekly flights to Berlin, Budapest, Cracow, Charleroi, and Stansted, specializing in typically subsidized routes.

🏡 Yassine Bouallala is appointed as the new president of Grans Hotels de Catalunya, succeeding Jordi Mias who served for 8 years. The consortium comprises 67 hotels specialized in experiences like gastronomy and cycling, located across Catalonia. Bouallala, with his management experience, aims to expand the association. The General Assembly on March 25 also presented plans for 2025. Despite global uncertainties, the entity reports strong pre-Easter bookings from the UK and the USA. Grans Hotels de Catalunya was established in April 2024, merging Costa Brava Hotels and Blau Verd Hotels, now including 38 under its own name and 29 as Petits Grans Hotels.

🏠 During the two legislatures of Francina Armengol, 90,000 homes were shifted from the residential market to tourism in the Balearic Islands. This change represents nearly a fifth of the islands' 500,000 home inventory, making housing less affordable and causing resident exodus and unprecedented tourist saturation. The recent approval of 90,000 'Airbnb' legalizations is considered a significant blow to the Balearics' general interest, criticized even by its initial proponents and leading to long-term negative effects.

🏦 Christie & Co expanded its hotel investment team in the Madrid office with the addition of Joël Franco as a senior investment consultant and Christian Cornic as an investment analyst. The firm aims to strengthen operational capacity and add value to transactions in response to sustained industry growth and rising client demand. With over 20 years of experience, Franco has led strategic growth in significant projects, while Cornic brings expertise from the residential and commercial real estate sector, including entrepreneurial success in consumer goods across Europe. Their appointments reflect Christie & Co's confidence in the Spanish and Portuguese markets and their commitment to assisting hotel owners in the mid-range segment during a dynamic period for the sector.