Aperture

🏘️ Minor Hotels' European expansion continues with the NH Collection brand landing in Ibiza, set to open in April 2025. The NH Collection Ibiza, a five-star hotel, will be located in the former Sir Joan hotel, which underwent extensive renovation in 2017 and is due for further upgrades to meet NH Collection standards. The hotel aims to be a premium tourism landmark on the island, offering exclusivity and a unique experience for guests. Overlooking Ibiza's port and old town, it will serve both national and international visitors. The opening marks a strategic milestone for NH Collection, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, nearing 100 hotels globally. NH Collection Ibiza's debut follows the launch of NH Collection Alagna Mirtillo Rosso in Italy, scheduled for March 2025.

🏠 Kerzner International is developing the SIRO brand, with SIRO Boka Place in Montenegro opening this year and announcing SIRO Roppongi, Tokyo for 2029. SIRO One Za'abeel in Dubai welcomed its first guests in February 2024. SIRO Roppongi will feature 100 rooms plus advanced fitness and recovery labs, located in Tokyo's Minato-ku district, near art galleries, museums, and Michelin-starred restaurants. Philippe Zuber, CEO of Kerzner International, highlights Japan's strategic significance and Kerzner's commitment to expand within the country.

🎨 Gardaland to unveil 'Animal Treasure Island,' an exclusive Merlin IP, in April 2025. The attraction aims to forge a deep emotional connection with visitors, featuring animal characters embodyed with relatable values and behaviors. Luisa Forestali, head of marketing at Gardaland, emphasizes the creation of a special bond that endures beyond the visit.

🏨 IHG Garner Hotels launched in Italy by rebranding a Pacini Group property into Garner Rome Aurelia. Strategically located west of Rome on Via Aurelia, the hotel offers access to Fiumicino Airport, Vatican City, Trastevere, and downtown attractions. In January 2025, Pacini Group completed a total renovation of the hotel, now featuring 58 rooms, a restaurant, bar, open terrace, and meeting area. This marks IHG's commitment to strengthening its mid-scale segment in Italy and expanding its portfolio with Willemijn Geels, VP Development Europe, and Emidio Pacini, Founder & CEO of Pacini Group, expressing enthusiasm for the partnership and market growth.

🏡 Oliver Winter, CEO of a&o Hostels, opened a&o Firenze Campo di Marte in Florence, featuring 119 rooms with a central location near Campo di Marte station. The hostel is equipped with seven self-check-in terminals in 13 languages, cleaning robots, a mobile key app, electric vehicle charging stations, and 40 parking spaces. The building will be redesigned by BWM Architektur & Design, adding a multifunctional courtyard for sports and recreation. The Florence hostel has 466 beds and is the second a&o in Italy after Venice (2017), contributing to the chain's total of 42 hostels across Europe.

🏨 Radisson Hotel Group in 2024 added nearly 40,000 rooms globally. Elie Younes highlighted a successful year despite geopolitical changes and plans for 2025 focusing on growth and new business models. The Radisson Collection expanded to 70 hotels, including first-time acquisitions in Paris, Madrid, and a third in Riyadh, with new flagships in Rome and Srinagar, India. In collaboration with PPHE Hotel Group, they launched art'otel London Hoxton in May, with an art'otel Rome slated for early 2025, marking the brand's debut in Italy. Radisson Blu brought over 20 new properties, like those in Casablanca's financial district and Conakry, Guinea. Radisson RED entered markets such as Danang, Berlin, Auckland, Vientiane, and Abuja, with significant openings in Galway and Phuket Patong Beach. Launched in 2020, Radisson Individuals rapidly grew in the Apac region with nearly 15 new properties, including in India, Oman, Sardinia, Turkey, France, and the UK. The mid-scale brand prizeotel was rebranded to Prize by Radisson, with upcoming openings in Gdansk and Berlin. An Eastern Mauritius coast hotel is under development.

✈ Royal Air Maroc transported 500,000 passengers in Italy in 2024, eyeing a new African destination, Dakhla. In January, they inaugurated routes from Rabat and Madrid to Dakhla. Mohammed Adil Korchi, Italy's General Manager, anticipates an additional 11 aircraft by June, potentially exceeding the current 40 weekly flights from six Italian airports. By 2037, the airline aims to increase its fleet from 70 to 200, serve over 100 global destinations, 46 domestic routes, and target €9 billion in turnover with 31.6 million passengers, up from 7.2 million in 2024.

🏡 Gruppo Ginobbi's management company enters the villa market, partnering with Torre Sponda, a collection of five private residences in Positano, Amalfi Coast. President Giacomo Crisci aims to offer an authentic experience embodying customer care, respect for local history, and a commitment to sustainability. The villas range from one to five sea-view rooms, reflecting designer Fausta Gaetani's distinctive style. Torre Sponda, acquired by Alfred Pattinson in 1905 and now owned by Raimonda and Fausta Gaetani, blends historical charm with natural beauty. The villas, adorned with local ceramics, artisan textiles, and fine furnishings, feature Mediterranean gardens, panoramic terraces, and private pools. Highlight villa “La Torre,” a meticulously restored UNESCO World Heritage site, offers an exclusive look at Positano. Bookings for Torre Sponda villas start February 2025, with options for reserving the entire property.

🏖️ The JW Marriott Kaafu Atoll Island Resort opened in Kaafu Atoll, Maldives, featuring 80 private pool villas, including 47 overwater pool villas, and 7 restaurants and bars. It's 15 minutes by boat from Velana International Airport. Designed by architect Cuneyt Bukulmez, the resort emphasizes sustainability through a collaboration with INVENA and MIT's Self-Assembly Lab, introducing a 30-meter underwater coastal structure to mitigate wave action and support marine ecosystems.

🏗️ Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG) will manage the residences of Torre Velasca in Milan under their METT brand, as announced by the global investment, development, and management company Hines. METT Suites & Residences will feature 72 suites and residences across 7 floors, totaling approximately 10,000 square meters, restored in accordance with the original plans by studio BBPR. Set to open in the second half of 2025, the Milanese METT will also include two restaurants, SUSHISAMBA and MIA. The 17th floor will host the METT Suites & Residences reception and a membership club, while a wellness area of over 1,000 square meters with a Spa and gym will be located in the basement. The regeneration project is led by Asti Architetti, with collaboration from ARS Aedificandi, studio CEAS, and ESA Engineering, maintaining dialogue with the Soprintendenza Archeologica, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Milan.