Fusioni & Acquisizioni

🏠 Accor signed a franchising agreement for the Handwritten Collection brand's debut in Piedmont, with the Hotel Giacomo Morra Alba – Handwritten Collection opening in March. The renovated hotel features 92 rooms including 4 suites, combining modern comforts with local heritage. It has an internal courtyard, a Green House, a bar with a wide wine selection, 3 modular meeting rooms for up to 80 people, and a Fitness and Gym area. The Handwritten Collection launched in 2023 and opened 20 properties in the past year in cities like Paris, Malta, Sydney, Shanghai, Phuket, and Krakow. Italy's first was the Relais San Martino in Taviano. With about 25 hotels under development and over 150 projects in negotiation, the brand aims to be one of the fastest-growing globally.

🏨 Starwood, after a $13 billion merger with Marriott nine years ago, is set to re-emerge led by Barry Sternlicht, head of SH Hotels & Resorts. Starwood Capital Group confirmed a rebranding to Starwood Hotels in February, managing Baccarat, 1 Hotels, Treehouse, and a fourth brand in development. The new portfolio comprises approximately 40 hotels, with notable projects in Austin, Seattle, Crete, Miami, Manchester, Dubai, Maldives, Rome, and upcoming openings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

🏡 Juan Carlos Gonzalez, CEO of Avoris, considers Italy a strategic opportunity, with Travelplan and Welcombeds offering quality products and market adaptation. Eduard Bogatyr, tour operating Emea expansion director, aims to connect Italian airports like Rome, Milan, Venice (and more soon) to Caribbean destinations via Iberojet or partner airlines through Madrid. Avoris is focused on Italian travel agencies, offering B2B site Avoris Store, direct API connections, and Travel Compositor Marketplace. Giovanni Castelli leads the commercial team in Italy providing local support. Avoris plans to reveal future events across Italian cities and offers all-year flights to Punta Cana, Cancun, Havana, and San José, with summer operations to La Romana and Cayo Santa Maria in Cuba.

🏦 Hotelbeds, part of Hbx group, aims to launch an IPO on Spanish stock exchanges aiming to raise €750 million. Indicative offer price ranges from €10.50 to €12.50 per share, targeting a market capitalization between €2.66 and €3.03 billion. Final price determination set for February 10, with the official listing scheduled for February 13.

🏂 In Roccaraso, following an influx of tourists from Campania, a cap of 100 buses per day has been introduced. After disruptive tourist behavior escalated post-viral videos by a well-known TikToker, the Prefecture of L'Aquila implemented a filtering system on state road 17. Concerns over overtourism pertain only to non-skiers; Roccaraso remains a prestigious ski destination.

🏖 Giovanni Tamburi, through Asset Italia 1, exercises pre-emption rights to acquire the entire stake in Alpiholding from ‘Dal 1802’ and secures financial means for Alpiholding to buy shares in Alpitour from ‘Dal 1802’ and ‘Parabensa’. This raises Asset 1's stake in Alpitour to 94.661%, with the total pre-emption holdings representing 36.027% of Alpitour's capital. Alpitour is valued at €565 million. The move follows Alpitour's revenue report showing €2.1 billion, a 7% increase, an EBITDA of €138 million, and projected growth of +15-20% for the current year. Tip's potential total investment could reach €207.2 million.

🏠 Castello Sgr, through the Intracento investment fund, acquired a historic 22,000 square meters building on seven floors at Via Cavour, Rome. The deal is valued at €45 million. Francesco Salamone, co-head of Real Estate & Credit at Castello, highlighted international investor interest and strategic collaboration with Invel, a leading European operator. Shares were subscribed by a major Greek institutional investor and Invel Real Estate, Castello’s partner and Intracento's asset manager. Davide Madini, Invel's partner and country head for Italy, credited success to ongoing dialogue with Greek market lenders aiding efficient capital access.

🏡 Barry Sternlicht is set to relaunch the iconic Starwood brand by renaming SH Hotels & Resorts, of which he is the chairman. This move comes nearly nine years after selling Starwood Hotels and Resorts to Marriott for $13 billion. Starwood brand, retrieved by Sternlicht last year, will operate 1 Hotels, Baccarat, and Treehouse brands, with a development plan for around 40 properties worldwide. In Italy, the Baccarat Hotel Rome will be developed from the restoration of the Hotel Majestic, and the Baccarat Hotel Florence will be established near the Fiesole hills at the 14th-century Villa Camerata estate.