JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa has announced that Cristiano Cabutti has been named Marriott's Area Director Sales & Marketing for Southern Europe. Cristiano has been the Director of Sales & Marketing at JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa since 2013, overseeing the opening of the brand's first Italian property.
A once medieval village turned sprawling retreat, La Bagnaia Golf & Spa Resort Siena has joined the upper upscale Curio Collection by HiltonTM. The hotel was hand-picked to be a part of the collection of one-of-a-kind independent hotels and resorts all celebrated for their individuality. As the first Curio Collection by Hilton hotel in Italy, the brand welcomes the resort to the collection of more than 30 hotels and resorts worldwide.
Eurostars Hotel Company, the hotel division of Grupo Hotusa, has added the Eurostars Monte Tauro 4* to its portfolio (previously called Hotel Monte Tauro) in the beautiful Sicilian city of Taormina. This is the second hotel opened by the company on the Mediterranean island and the eleventh opened in Italy, which also includes establishments in Rome, Naples, Palermo, Venice and Lucca.
A recent survey by the Bank of Italy on Italian tourism revealed that 2016 was a successful year compared to 2015. Italian travelers went abroad in greater numbers – 64.6 million (in 2015 it was 62.8 million people). In terms of foreign inflow there was an increase as well – reaching 82.9 million visitors compared to 81.6 million people in 2015.
In 2016, Italians spent 22,336,000 euros for traveling, which is the highest figure in the last five years. In 2015 they spent 22,012,000, while in 2014 about 300,000 euro less. Major peaks in the spending were registered in the summer season, mainly August, when Italians spent about 3 billion euros.
Taking center stage in Milan's hip Porta Volta neighborhood with its stunning glass façade framed with lush vertical gardens, Hotel Viu Milan is rewriting the rule book on how to make an entrance in Italy's capital of cool. Opening March 2017, the 124-room Design Hotels™ member is surrounded by an exquisite cross section of Milanese culture: from centuries-old historical monuments to grand shopping boulevards and cool drinking dens. And yet it is set to become the area's hottest landmark thanks to its impeccable Milanese design, in-house Michelin-starred chef, and spectacular rooftop pool—primed to play host to the city's chicest cocktail hours.
Taking center stage in Milan's hip Porta Volta neighborhood with its stunning glass façade framed with lush vertical gardens, Hotel Viu Milan is rewriting the rule book on how to make an entrance in Italy's capital of cool. Opening March 2017, the 124-room Design Hotels™ member is surrounded by an exquisite cross section of Milanese culture: from centuries-old historical monuments to grand shopping boulevards and cool drinking dens. And yet it is set to become the area's hottest landmark thanks to its impeccable Milanese design, in-house Michelin-starred chef, and spectacular rooftop pool—primed to play host to the city's chicest cocktail hours.
Villa d’Este Hotels has announced the appointment of Stefano Venturi as General Manager of its Florentine hotel, Villa La Massa. Venturi has over 30 years’ experience in the luxury hospitality sector, working at some of the world’s leading hotels in both Italy and the UK.
This market snapshot presents current data and information on the upscale and luxury hotel and tourism industry in Florence, Italy. In writing such articles, we utilise the expertise of HVS in each market to the full extent by combining our in-house data and research together with published information regarding the examined destinations. A separate publication about the region of Tuscany will follow.
Finally we have our debut: The "NYX Milan" is the first lifestyle hotel from the House of Leonardo that has opened its doors. Travelers and guests of all shades will have access to 299 rooms and five different F&B venues. In addition to a spacious patio, the roof-top terrace on the 12th floor invites guests to drink in the fashion metropolis, with a breath-taking view of the city. The Leonardo Hotel Group invested more than 10 million Euro in the remodeling of the first European NYX Hotel.
Finally we have our debut: The NYX Milan is the first lifestyle hotel from the House of Leonardo that has opened its doors. Travelers and guests of all shades will have access to 299 rooms and five different F&B venues. In addition to a spacious patio, the roof-top terrace on the 12th floor invites guests to drink in the fashion metropolis, with a breath-taking view of the city. The Leonardo Hotel Group invested more than 10 million Euro in the remodeling of the first European NYX Hotel.
On the occasion of the worldwide launch of the touring exhibition Manolo Blahnik. The Art of Shoe in Milan, Four Seasons Hotel Milano has created a unique partnership with the iconic shoe Maestro that will allow guests to enter the remarkable creative world of Manolo Blahnik.
Expanding its international hospitality portfolio further, Leeu Collection (www.leeucollection.com) has acquired its second Europeanproperty, the former Collegio Alla Querce in Florence, Italy.Located in Via della Piazzuola, just 2km north-east of the city's historic heart and 9km from Florence's international airport, thecomplex covers a total area of 13 400m2 plus 15 500m2 of park, which will be transformed into a 70-plus bedroom luxury hoteland gardens, set to open in 2021. Parts of the historic Collegio Alla Querce, which has its own chapel and theatre, were previouslyused as a boarding school and hotel.This latest acquisition echoes the vision of Analjit Singh, Leeu Collection's founder and entrepreneur of Indian origin, of creatingunrivalled escapes and offering visitors extraordinary experiences.For Analjit, giving this project the 'Leeu touch' through redevelopment and renovation is of utmost importance. "We will remain trueto the pillars of our brand: inspiring art collections, distinct architecture and design; manicured and detailed landscaping that reflectsrespect for the environment; superlative service with attention to the smallest detail; spectacular views and an outstanding food andwine experience."Given the Florence hospitality and tourism boom and the improving economic backdrop rejuvenating the European hotel sector,this new development is well timed and complements our existing portfolio. The Leeu Collection team will create an unforgettableexperience in a superb setting.""The acquisition of this formidable historic property will complement Leeu Collection's ethos of extraordinary offerings around theglobe," says Carrie Wicks, CEO of Leeu Collection. "The project foresees the creation of a 5-star luxury hotel and a wide range ofadditional facilities, such as meeting and event spaces, a spa and restaurants."
Recently Italian financial markets have had a negative influence from the result of Brexit and the lately bank crisis. Therefore, the pursuit of protected goods like properties increased. Italian houses prices have been declining since 2008, especially in some metropolitan cities and tourist resorts. According to the ISTAT (the Italian National Institute of Statistics), the prices have fallen by 13.7% from Q1 2010 to Q1 2015. While in the first 3 quarters of 2016, the prices fell by 0.9% over the same period of the last year.
While the preparations are almost complete for the grand opening of NYX Milan, the currently named Fusion Hotel Prague is closing its doors at the beginning of the New Year for extensive renovations – as is the Gran Atlanta Madrid in the spring. Both will then rise as goddesses of the night. These three hotels mark the launch of the brand-new lifestyle brand NYX Hotels by Leonardo Hotels and are set to become hot spots for unique individuals from all around the world.
Tourism industry in Italy has become the most important growth provider for the country’s economy this year. The trend is expected to continue in 2017/18 as well. The gross domestic product is expected to increase by 0.9% in 2016 and tourism by 1.5%. The turnover in tourism accounts for 171 billion euros, which is 11.8% of the GDP. The sector employs 3.1 million people, 12.8% of the Italian workforce.
It has been a year of ups and downs for international travel in the Americas. In North America, the US outbound market is performing very well thanks to the strong dollar. But in South America, Brazilians have cut back on international travel this year amid the country's economic and political crisis, although the picture could improve next year. Those were some of the results of the 24th World Travel Monitor® Forum in Pisa, Italy (November 3-4).
Double-digit growth in Asian outbound travel led by China – Asians head for the beaches – ITB Berlin exclusively publishes latest results from IPK's World Travel Monitor®Asians travelled more than ever so far this year, with a surge in trips to destinations within the region and including many more beach holidays. After a double-digit rise in international trips this year, the outlook remains strong for 2017. Those were some of the results of the 24th World Travel Monitor® Forum in Pisa, Italy (November 3-4).
Tourism in Venice has been a growing problem; the city is overrun by tourists. Many of the local inhabitants have left the center, and are still leaving in droves. Within one generation the population has shrunk by almost a third. Rising costs are driving more and more people out of the city. This month the number of inhabitants has fallen to under 55,000. In 1951 the population was 175,000. 26 years ago it was still 78,000. Another problem is that almost half of the population is over 60 years old. On the other there are only about 9000 people under 18 years old.
Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, is delighted to announce the appointment of Elodie Lacroix to the role of Director of Business Development.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, has announced the signing of Hotel Indigo® Milan - Corso Monforte. The hotel will be the brand's second Italian location, joining Hotel Indigo® Rome – St George which opened in 2014. Scheduled to open early 2018 under a franchise agreement with Amapa Group, the historic palace building will be converted into a hotel featuring 55 rooms, a destination restaurant, courtyard and a leisure and fitness centre. Situated in the city-centre, just ten minutes from Milan's Duomo and La Scala the hotel will be in a perfect location for guests to explore the local neighbourhood and its design will draw on inspiration from the local area, which has established a long history in the fields of fashion, textile and design.