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🏡 The Social Hub inaugurated its first establishment in Oporto, Portugal on March 1st, marking its entry into the country as part of its expansion strategy. The 4-star hybrid accommodation represents a €60 million investment and covers 11,200 square meters. It aims to connect travelers, digital nomads, young professionals, and locals into a dynamic community, creating 30 new jobs. Already recognized with a B Corp certificate, the Hub will host over 200 community experiences annually and includes a gastronomic experience with local flavors, a rooftop cocktail bar, and a specialty coffee shop. It houses 310 rooms, with 271 hotel rooms and 39 residential apartments.

🛒 Visionary Hospitality, led by CEO Antonio Álvarez, aims to reduce food waste in hotels, representing 20% of Spain's waste, with 40% of cooked food trashed, costing €200 million annually and contributing 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases. Their solution, Buffet Waste, installed in 18 hotels by the end of 2024, saved 50,000 kilos of food. The company values sustainability, efficiency, guest satisfaction, and ongoing innovation.

🇲🇽 In 2024, Spain saw 1.08 million tourist arrivals from Mexico, exceeding one million for the first time and making Mexico the second most important long-distance market for Spain after the USA. Mexican tourists spent nearly €3 billion, a significant rise from €1.186 billion in 2019 and a 44% increase from 2023. Turespaña's Spanish Tourism Office in Mexico was voted the Best International Tourism Office in Mexico by “Pasillo Turístico” readers, capturing 22% of travel agents' votes.

🏨 Spanish hotel chains are leveraging the industry's boom to expand both domestically and internationally. Meliá Hotels International has nine new hotels in 2024, with plans for 61 by 2029, mainly in Europe (41 establishments). Barceló Hotel Group added 17 new accommodations last year and anticipates opening around 20 hotels per year in 2025 and 2026, including 24 openings each year. Minor Hotels Europe & Americas is focusing on Europe with several additions. Riu Hotels & Resorts opened its fifth urban hotel in Chicago last July and plans a new Riu Plaza in Toronto. Eurostars Hotel Company aims for sustainable growth, estimating 20 hotels annually, with recent openings in Casablanca and Spain. H10 Hotels is set to inaugurate Ocean Costa Mujeres in Mexico, adding 599 rooms to its vacation portfolio. Palladium Hotel Group introduces Only You Hotel Venice this year and will launch The Unexpected Hotels & Residences in the UAE in 2026. Best Hotels is extending its presence in the Dominican Republic with new establishments in 2025 and 2026, plus one in Spain this year. Grupo Piñero confirms a new establishment in Spain for next year. Catalonia Hotels & Resorts started operations in Barcelona, Málaga, Madrid, and Jamaica in 2024, planning to add a 5-star complex in Zanzibar. Fergus Group will include four new establishments in Spain this year.

📌 In 2024, Avasa's 172 agencies generated €1.057 billion in business volume, surpassing €1 billion for the first time—a growth of 11.2% from €950 million in 2023. Achieved with only 2 more associates than in 2023 (170 total), without ambition for significant growth, led by Director General Carlos López Bahillo. The annual Avasa convention in Sitges, from February 21 to 23, saw record attendance with over 800 participants, spanning workshops and events across four hotels.

🏥 Marbella hosted the 14th World Health Tourism Congress, with over 250 health industry executives attending. Deputy Mayor Félix Romero welcomed participants. Turkey is now Europe's top destination for health tourism, particularly cosmetic surgery. The congress facilitates interaction between medical suppliers and specialized clinics, involving significant finances. Health ministers from growing Middle Eastern markets were present, reflecting the region's push in health tourism and Marbella's historic popularity among their elite for health treatments.

🎄 Rovaniemi, a Finnish city with under 70,000 residents, saw a 400% increase in direct flights during winter, reaching 41, due to a tourism boom driven by interest in Santa Claus, snow, and the Northern Lights. Economic benefits accompanied issues like soaring prices and housing shortages for locals. In December, revenues rose over 30% year-over-year, with hotel rooms averaging €370 per night. The small airport handles 10,000 arrivals some days, equating to the area's population weekly.

🏡 Carlos Vogeler, Kiko García-Palencia, and Guillermo Trías founded Thius Treasured Hotels & Homes, focusing on quality, care, and warmth, with origins 10 years ago from owning El Tío Kiko hotel in Agua Amarga, Cabo de Gata, Spain. They expanded by acquiring Cortijo La Almendra y El Gitano and the 4-star El Mirador de Ulzama hotel in Navarra in 2023. International villa owners trust Thius for property management, such as Villa Ciclón in Cabo Roig, Alicante. Future projects include hotel La Tía Kika and Casona Tío Javi in Segovia, enhancing local tourism and adding to their unique, independently-styled hotel group.

🏨 Employment in Spanish hotels grew by 7% last year, reaching 244,222 workers. There are 14,613 hotels and hostels, with 365 five-star hotels providing about 52,800 rooms and 40,800 employees in total, averaging 144 rooms and 112 employees per establishment. The employee-to-room ratio for five-star hotels is approximately 0.77, double that of four-star hotels, which have a 0.37 ratio. Luxury hotels offer more personalized services, difficult to replace with AI, emphasizing face-to-face attention.

🏷 In Málaga, Spain, the traditional horse-drawn carriage rides for tourists will end this year as the mayor, Francisco de la Torre of Partido Popular, who has been in office for 24 years, will not renew the 25 licenses for the service. De la Torre aims to stop the practice 10 years ahead of schedule for animal welfare and the city's image, offering negotiations and indemnifications to the remaining carriage operators. The unexpected announcement came during a municipal debate.