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🏡 By 2025, Belmond to underscore "slow luxury" with initiatives like England and Wales' first luxury sleeper train, Britannic Explorer, launching in July with three-night and six-night journeys, Michelin-starred gastronomy by Simon Rogan, and summer private residence Villa Beatrice in Portofino. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express adds artist-designed carriage L'Observatoire in March. Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, reopens in June after refurbishment, featuring a Dior spa.

🎄 Spaniards are favoring festive experiences, cultural traditions, and Christmas lights in major European capitals and domestic charming cities for the 2024 New Year's Eve celebrations. Flight searches have increased by 16%, and hotel searches by 19% compared to 2023. The top 10 destinations include London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Tenerife, New York, Brussels, Prague, Amsterdam, and Barcelona. Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza are particularly popular among both Spanish and European travelers.

🏨 TUI, the world's largest tour operator, expects hotel prices to rise by at least 3% in 2025, following a 42% increase in Spain in recent years. Luis Riu, CEO of Riu, suggests that high prices may deter guests unless decreased. The average room price in Spain reached €163 in 2024, up from €115 in 2019, with Marbella and Ibiza averaging €317 and €277, respectively. Spanish hotels saw 82 million tourists from January to October 2024, and investment in hotels is projected to exceed €3,000 million by the end of 2024.

🏖️ In 2024, the most searched destinations on Hosteltur included the Canary Islands, Sevilla, Valencia, Baleares, Tenerife, Costa Rica, Cuba, Argentina, Italy, Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Almería, Huelva, and Ibiza. These locations were popular for their cultural and gastronomic offerings, as well as sun-and-beach and event tourism. Major cities like Madrid and Barcelona were favored for their cultural vibrancy and tourism services, while Bilbao, Almería, and Huelva saw growth with design, gastronomy, and sustainable tourism options.

🔍 British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling will soon use Apple's "Find My" app to track lost luggage. Annalisa Gigante, IAG's Head of Innovation, confirms its integration for customer peace of mind. AirTags cost about €40 and utilize Bluetooth to allow iPhone users to track luggage on a map. Up to 100,000 bags are misplaced daily worldwide, and airline cooperation is necessary for tracking effectiveness.

🏖 Numerous vacancies remain for the Imserso social tourism program from Ávoris for January and February, specifically on the coveted Madrid-Balearic Islands itinerary, with available dates including January 5, 15, 18, 20, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and February 1, 2, 5, 6, 12. Other itineraries are full, but cultural circuits have some availability, with waitlists for Madrid-Valencian Community, Madrid-Andalusia, and Madrid-Catalonia. March, April, and May are fully booked, despite complaints from retirees about the rapid unavailability of spots after sales opening.

🍴 Definir una propuesta gastronómica clara y conocer al público objetivo son claves para gestionar un restaurante de hotel. La contratación de personal capacitado y un liderazgo sólido son esenciales para mantener una experiencia positiva del cliente. Implementar control de inventarios eficiente y tecnología en la gestión como POS y CRM mejora operaciones y toma de decisiones. Es vital aprovechar el feedback de los clientes, adoptar marketing efectivo, diseñar ambientes y menús atractivos, y capacitar al personal. Controlar costos, gestionar reseñas online y implementar prácticas sostenibles fortalecen la reputación. Ofrecer servicios de take away e innovar tecnológicamente puede diferenciar al restaurante en el mercado.

🏠 Manuel Fragero, an agricultural engineer turned hotelier and president of AEHCOR, leads a group managing hotels, tourist apartments, and housing in Córdoba, Spain. Since 2010, he pivoted to tourism when a new decree (194/2010) stimulated the transformation of a family-inherited house into tourist apartments. Córdoba now boasts 91 hotel establishments, 3,819 rooms, and 7,544 beds as of October 2024, reflecting continuous industry growth. The city's tourist profile mainly comprises domestic visitors from Madrid, Catalonia, Basque Country, and Valencia, with a significant increase in Asian and American tourists due to improved air connectivity. Challenges include competition from unauthorized tourist housing, promoting longer stays over transient visits, and leveraging Córdoba's four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Eventual goals highlight sustainable tourism, better international access, and preserving local culture and identity, aiming to increase the current average stay of 1.8 nights.

🏨 Spanish hotels welcomed 7.17 million travelers and exceeded 20 million overnight stays in November, marking a 5.4% increase compared to the previous year, and achieving a 5.2% growth since January. Resident travelers accounted for 7.64 million overnight stays, up by 9.8%, while non-residents contributed 12.41 million, a rise of 2.9%. Top destinations for residents included Andalusia, Madrid, and Valencia, while non-residents favored the Canary Islands, Catalonia, and Andalusia. Tenerife led with nearly 2.2 million overnight stays. UK and German visitors represented nearly 40% of non-resident overnight stays, with 2.81 million and 2.06 million respectively. Hotel occupancy reached 53.7%, with the Canary Islands at 75.5%. The hotel price index rose by 7.4% in November from a year earlier. Average Daily Rate (ADR) was €113.7, up 8.4%, while Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) increased by 10.5% to €74.

🏨 Small hotel chains in Spain boast over 67,000 open rooms, with 97% located domestically, including 3,600 new rooms in the last year. The Top 10 chains account for 9,065 rooms across 74 hotels. Aubamar Hotels leads with 991 rooms. Barcelona's city council approved fiscal ordinances for 2025, impacting tourism with tax hikes. 208 hotels with a cadastral value over €5.2 million will see property tax increase from 1% to 1.17%. Líbere Hospitality Group will open a new aparthotel in Porto in the second half of 2026, a €12 million investment for 57 apartments, adding to their 1,700 units across Spain, Portugal, and Greece.