The Spanish hotel industry realized double-digit revenue growth in 2011 of +10.5% over 2010, according to data released today by Pegasus Solutions during the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) at stand #8B29. The data also showed combined leisure and corporate bookings for Spanish hotels were up +4.0% over prior year at the end of 2011, with average daily rates (ADR) climbing +4.6%.
Signalling the beginning of the international tourism calendar for 2012, UNWTO will hold a number of activities at the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR, addressing key issues facing the sector in times of uncertainty (Madrid, Spain, 18-22 January, 2012).
Thomas Cook Group PLC , the travel group, Tuesday said it has reached agreement to sell its interest in Hoteles Y Clubs De Vacaciones, a hotels and golf club group, to IBEROSTAR Hoteles y Apartamentos S.L. (IBS), the hotel division of Grupo IBEROSTAR, for EUR72.2 million in cash. Thomas Cook will continue to benefit from access to HCV's hotel portfolio through a separate commercial arrangement that has been agreed with IBS.
Spanish owned hotel chain Fiesta Hotel Group, has appointed Juan José Calvo as Group Commercial Director. Calvo assumes the role and responsibilities previously fulfilled by Óscar Palacios. Throughout his long career, Calvo has undertaken various roles in some of Spain’s most significant hotel chains.
The “Social Suite” is the result of the recent “Everything is Possible” online campaign by the hotel chain on Facebook which for two weeks encouraged fans of all the company’s hotel brands to share their dreams. The campaign helped the company raise the number of fans to make it the top Spanish hotel company on Facebook with more than 200,000 fans.
Romantik Hotels & Restaurants continues its European expansion and has now arrived in Spain. The hotels located on the Balearic island of Mallorca suit the over 200 members of the cooperation perfectly with regard to history, the personal management, the quality and the high standard of food and cellar.
Meliá Hotels International has announced a positive first summer season for its four hotels for adults only. The Meliá de Mar Hotel and Sol Cala Blanca Hotel, both in Mallorca, the Sol Ibiza Hotel and Sol Menorca Hotel have all exceeded expectations with improved occupancy and room rates thanks to the new Adults Only hotel experience for guests over 15 years of age and improvements in service standards and quality in all the hotels.
Sandra Farrero is the new Director of Sales and Marketing for Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa, Spain. Sandra is a Spanish national educated in the US and UK with 16 years of international experience in several senior sales and marketing management positions with high profile companies such as Harrods Group’s Hyde Park Residence in London, The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company Hotel Arts Barcelona and Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Catalan. In her role Sandra will oversee all sales, marketing & public relations activities for Jumeirah Port Soller, opening in early 2012.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) has signed an agreement with Amrey Hotels S.L. to operate a Four Points Hotel in Barcelona. The Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona Diagonal will open this fall marking the entry of Starwood's Four Points brand into Spain. Located in the buzzing district 22@ adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea and within less than 20 kilometres from Barcelona Airport, the Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona Diagonal will comprise 154 guest rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, a café, signature bar and fitness centre.
Madrid's GDP was more than 12% of that of the whole country and nearly 68% of that of the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Greater Madrid). The unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2011 was 21,29%, taking the country close to the quite terrifying barrier of five million people out of work. In Madrid, the unemployment rate is approximately 4,5% lower than the average rate in the country.
Since May 2008, Mr. Carulla was Managing Director & Head of Marketing for Viajes Iberia’s online business. Prior to this, he worked as Director of Marketing & Business Development at eDreams, the pioneering online travel company in Spain, which he joined in 1999. Mr. Carulla holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from the European University in Barcelona and a Master of Business Administration from ESADE, Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas. He is native Spanish and fluent in English. Travelzoo’s growing business in Spain includes a domestic Travelzoo Top 20® that reaches over 670,000 weekly subscribers, Local Deals in Barcelona and Madrid and a team of Deal Experts that source the very best Spanish hotel offers for Travelzoo’s 23 million subscribers across the world.
Autograph Collection, one of Marriott International's newest ventures, is now officially accepting reservations in Europe with the addition of four new hotels in Spain. Last year, Marriott International launched Autograph Collection, a unique group of independent luxury hotels, each hand-chosen for their originality, character and uncommon details.
HNA, the acquisitive Chinese airline and logistics group, is paying €431.6m ($620m) for a 20 per cent stake in Spain’s NH Hoteles, in the latest foray by a Chinese investor into previously unfamiliar European markets. Spain, struggling to recover from the economic recession that followed the global financial crisis, has been courting Asian and Middle Eastern investors and sovereign wealth funds to buy its government bonds and stakes in Spanish companies.
ReviewPro, the leading B2B provider of online reputation and social media management solutions for the hotel sector, announced today a ranking of the 10 top rated hotels in London, Barcelona and Madrid based on guest satisfaction, as part of an initiative to create hotel rankings for the top 100 tourist destinations in the world. This industry benchmark ranking takes into account guest reviews from over 60 leading review sites and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs).
Located in Alcala de Guadaira, what is to become Waldorf Astoria Sevilla at La Boticaria is 20 minutes from both Seville city centre and San Pablo airport, plus only a couple of hours drive from the Costa del Sol. Originally opened in 2004, the 133-room property sits in 40 acres of private land and offers a truly authentic Andalusian experience.
Hilton Worldwide today announced the signing of a management agreement to convert Hacienda La Boticaria, an Andalucian style retreat close to Seville, into a luxury Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts property. Hilton Worldwide has already begun operating the resort, which is set to become a Waldorf Astoria in early summer 2011 and will mark the arrival of the brand in Spain.
One of the newest hotel brands of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), the Autograph Collection, is coming to Europe with the addition of four new hotels in Spain, the company announced today at the International Hotel Investment Forum here. Last year in the United States, Marriott launched the Autograph Collection, a portfolio of distinct, independent hotels and resorts representing upper-upscale and luxury properties with distinctive personalities.
Swisscom has successfully deployed its award-winning* ConnectedHotel TV on coaxial cable at Madrid's NH Parque Avenidas hotel. ConnectedHotel TV bundles wired and wireless Internet access, interactive live television and video-on-demand into the most compact, single-device solution design. The successful Swisscom pilot at the NH Parque Avenidas demonstrates the solution's utility and cost-saving potential, especially for hotels without structured Ethernet cabling.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. wants to build "Euro-Vegas" in Spain, its CEO Sheldon Adelson said Thursday, touting a euros 15 billion ($20.3 billion) plan for a massive strip-style casino resort in Madrid or Barcelona. Sands is in talks with officials from both cities about the project, which could have 20,000 hotel rooms, millions of square feet of retail and convention space and create 180,000 jobs, Adelson told reporters in Singapore. "I want to do a mini-Las Vegas in Europe," Adelson said. "I hope we can use the name Europe Vegas or Euro-Vegas."
The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University is the exclusive academic partner of IESE Business School for the second International Tourism Summit being held Friday, March 4, 2011, in Barcelona, Spain. Steve Carvell, associate dean for academic affairs, and Rohit Verma, professor and executive director of the Center for Hospitality Research, will both be leading panel discussions, and several SHA alumni and corporate partners will be featured speakers. The invitation-only conference is organized by the IESE Business School and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).