Fusioni & Acquisizioni

🛒 Hilton expands in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region with new brands including Tempo by Hilton and Spark by Hilton. They aim to reach 1,000 hotels by spring, with 1,000 hotels now open in 77 EMEA countries. Hilton Honors members can stay across 19 of 24 Hilton brands, with over 210 million members benefiting. Tempo by Hilton Belfast City Centre will offer 144 rooms, and Tempo by Hilton Reykjavik is set to open in 2027. Tempo by Hilton Lisbon Parque das Nações will have 142 rooms. Spark by Hilton Madrid Alcalá with 95 rooms opens in summer 2025, marking the brand’s debut in Spain, while Spark by Hilton Van City Centre will introduce the brand to Turkey with 60 rooms, opening in September 2025.

✈ Ita Airways, after Lufthansa's entry, announces operational upgrades for Summer 2025: transfer of ground and flight operations to Frankfurt's T1 and Munich's T2, offering reduced transfer times and expedited security. New Milan Linate-Munich direct flight added with two daily frequencies on weekdays and one on weekends, totaling 59 destinations with 16 intercontinental, 27 international, and 16 national, plus 12 seasonal destinations. Over 130 lounges worldwide available to Ita Airways passengers.

🏠 Gruppo UNA rebrands as UNA Italian Hospitality to enhance its position as a symbol of authentic Italian hospitality for an increasing international clientele. CEO Giorgio Marchegiani notes that around two-thirds of revenue comes from international guests, a figure that is expected to rise. Highlighting Italian characteristics, the company focuses on tailored attention to detail. A revamped website, www.unaitalianhospitality.com, features a modern interface catering to leisure and business travelers, aiming to boost direct bookings, strengthen MICE segment interaction, and improve restaurant service visibility.

🌍 Mapo Travel's Mapo World brand saw a +40% increase in bookings in 2025 compared to 2024. Elena Foglio joined the Turin office, with new travel itineraries to Peru and China added. More than ten Italian-speaking guided group tours in Canada were enhanced. New departures are set for November to Japan from Rome, Milan, and Venice, and to South Africa from Rome and Milan. August offers immediate confirmation packages to the East from major airports.

🏦 Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) reports a record-breaking balance sheet for 2024, with revenues reaching €250 million, up €37.6 million from the previous year. As the most profitable Italian trade fair company in 2024, IEG's pre-tax profit soared by 97.8% to €40.7 million. The CEO, Corrado Arturo Peraboni, highlights organic growth in core trade fair products such as KEY and Vicenzaoro, and investments supporting their 2023-2028 Strategic Plan. EBITDA adjusted is at €65.9 million, a €16.4 million increase, with an EBITDA margin improvement to 26.4%. EBIT adjusted reached €47.7 million, up €16.3 million, while net profit grew by €19.3 million to €32.5 million. Organized Event revenues, covering 61.8% of total, rose by 27% to €154.6 million. Acquisitions in 2024 include 51% of Palakiss S.r.l. for approximately €1.3 million, Expo InfraFM in Brazil, and a 51% stake in Vending Expo S.r.l. for about €4.1 million.

✈ Malaysia Airlines celebrated its service milestone with a return flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, boasting high occupancy rates of 95% and 98% on the inaugural outbound and return flights, signifying strong demand for travel between Malaysia and France. From March 22 to 27, 2025, the airline will operate four weekly flights, transitioning to daily flights starting March 29. A partnership with American Airlines allows travelers access to additional U.S. destinations from Paris, including New York (JFK), Dallas (DFW), Miami (MIA), and Orlando (ORD).

🛳️ The 2025 Venice cruise season began with Viking Star, a luxury segment ship, carrying approximately 1,800 passengers at the Fusina terminal. Coming from Capodistria, alternating between Venice and Chioggia through September, it will visit Split, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Messina, Naples, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Villefranche, with a stop in Marseille, ending in Barcelona. Viking Star has 465 cabins and is a small-sized ship, aligned with Vtp's sustainable cruise model. Venice and Chioggia's ports expect 644,000 passengers, up from 634,000 in 2024, with 514 calls (492 last year). Ocean cruise lines visiting the lagoon will increase from 21 to 25, with ships rising to 50 units (from 45), including 4 new in Venice. Over 95% of cruises operate in 'home port' mode, and high-end ship calls are expected to rise by 16%.

🏡 Armani Hotel Milano joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts' Legend Collection, located in Milan's fashion district at the historic Manzoni 31 building. The hotel has 95 rooms, offers services such as dedicated Lifestyle Managers, Armani/Ristorante, and Armani/SPA with six treatment rooms, a couples suite, steam, sauna, and a relaxation pool. Roberta Possenti, Vice President Europe of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, expressed delight in welcoming the hotel to their collection. Guests can enroll in I Prefer Hotel Rewards, part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts which represents over 600 properties in 80 countries.

🏦 Ernesto Preatoni's company debuted on the Paris Stock Exchange in February, eyeing a real estate and tourism project in Latin America, specifically Cuba, akin to the Coral Bay project that popularized Sharm el Sheikh in the early '90s. A team appraised his global tourism assets at €361 million, with a prudent 15% discount for geopolitical instability over five years, covering areas like Domina Coral Bay, a Dubai tower, Domina Zagarella in Sicily with 380 properties, Domina Milano Fiera hotel, and the ProKapital group in the Baltics. Expansion plans for the D-Club loyalty program and the hotel chain are set, with potential announcements during the 2024 balance sheet presentation.

🌊 Ara Maris, a lifestyle hotel in Sorrento, partners with Maya Beach Experience, the renowned beach club in Sorrento Peninsula. Guests of Ara Maris can now enjoy exclusive experiences, blending the hotel's refined elegance with the beach club's glamorous, cosmopolitan atmosphere. CEO Niccolò Manniello emphasizes offering an authentic, sophisticated, and immersive experience. Benefits include guaranteed beach club reservations, discounted entry, complimentary roundtrip transport, and a free welcome drink for each guest.