Nombramientos

❄ Cantabria's Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sport reached a 3-year agreement, extendable based on performance, with Snö Hotels for managing Hotel La Corza Blanca and the winter station's dining services in Alto Campoo. The 3-star hotel has 68 rooms, a restaurant, café, solarium terrace, and sauna. Luis Martínez Abad aims to boost local tourism and economy while reducing seasonality. Snö Hotels, now with 950 hotel places and 60 apartments totaling approximately 2,500 beds, plans to open nine months a year, up from the current three, and generate local employment without impacting Cantur's current staff. The chain has a presence in high mountain resorts across the Catalan and Aragonese Pyrenees.

💰 Fergus Group appoints Ignacio Sanguino as Director of Expansion, joining from Iberostar. With over a decade in hospitality, the group boasts 30 hotels across key Spanish coastal destinations including Andalucía, Cataluña, Canarias, and Islas Baleares. Planning to debut three hotels in Menorca by 2025 and upgrade Punta Arabí Resort in Ibiza to 4 stars, Fergus Group projects €204 million in revenue and €87 million in GOP, marking an 88% growth over three years.

🏨 Carolina Quetglas, president of the Agrupación de Cadenas Hoteleras (ACH), is recognized for her clear leadership and simple language addressing housing, mobility, and training issues in Baleares. She advocates for ending illegal vacation rentals, promoting multimodality, and managing rather than limiting cruises. Quetglas' authority is contrasted with other sector leaders and political figures in Spain, emphasizing the need for sensitivity in hotel management pronouncements amid societal scrutiny and political challenges.

✈ Iberia is negotiating an employment regulation file (ERE) to ensure the viability of its handling division, South, after losing licenses at eight major Spanish airports. The negotiating table was established on October 31, with the next meeting scheduled for November 7, aiming to conclude by November 27. The company plans to disengage 1,727 workers by December 31, 2026, out of a total workforce of 8,200. Initially, 792 layoffs will occur at airports where Iberia lost its handling agent status, and 935 more will be from its wider network. South began operations on May 16, transitioning around 8,200 employees from Iberia Airport Services to the new company, 100% owned by IAG with a majority by Iberia.

😷 Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, drafted a letter to Aena's president, Maurici Lucena, promoting Megalab's PCR system for Madrid-Barajas Airport. The system, not yet established in Spanish airports, was later implemented by Megalab in Canarias and Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport. Víctor de Aldama used connections with government members and influential figures to benefit Air Europa. Aena sources claim never to have received the letter, resulting in no response to the proposal.

🏨 Gabriel García Alonso was unanimously re-elected as President of the Asociación Empresarial Hotelera de Madrid (AEHM) for the next four years. AEHM represents over 300 establishments of various categories and sizes in the Community of Madrid. Alonso will have the support of the newly constituted Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Executive Vice President Mar de Miguel, following an event at the Hotel Four Seasons in Madrid. AEHM advocates for its members with public administrations and private institutions.

🏡 Grupo Piñero completed a strategic alliance with Hyatt by selling 50% of the Bahía Príncipe operator and brand. Previously, Piñero had partnered their tour operator Soltour with Viajes El Corte Inglés and integrated Europamundo and Tui Spain. Additionally, in Spain, hotel operations were transferred to Fergus under the Tent brand. The focus shifts to property ownership, seeking partners for innovation and expansion, emulating Riu's model with Tui. Hyatt's Caribbean presence grows, outpacing Marriott, IHG, and others in the region.

🛫 Dunedin Airport in New Zealand limits farewell hugs to three minutes. The unusual rule applies only to departing travelers. No penalties are enforced, and the rule aims to improve traffic flow by avoiding car queues. The airport's CEO Daniel de Bono suggests 20 seconds for a hug to release the "love hormone." The policy has received mixed reactions on social media, with many humorous comments.

🏖️ Miguel Fluxá Roselló is characterized as a humble and approachable individual who values simple joys and interpersonal connections, shunning vanity despite his wealth and social status. He views competitors not as enemies but as colleagues, and appreciates those who support him in challenging times. Fluxá, who has built a multinational group through knowledge and perseverance, cherishes family and embodies the spirit of gratitude espoused by Violeta Parra in her music.

💰 On September 7, 2020, little known Víctor Gonzalo de Aldama and Koldo García were involved in an intricate rescue of Air Europa endorsed by José Luis Ábalos, then the Minister of Transport in Spain and a key figure in the Socialist Party. Four years and one month later, the situation resurfaces with allegations of corruption, influence trafficking, and preferential treatment given to Air Europa during the pandemic, drawing in high-level government and PSOE officials. The case is awaiting judicial review.