Fusioni & Acquisizioni

🏠 Borgo San Felice Resort, a five-star hotel in Siena under the Allianz Group and Relais & Châteaux, reported a 16% increase in arrivals and stays in 2024 compared to the previous year. The USA remains the top market with 56% of guests, with rising numbers from Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and China. The resort's Ristorante Poggio Rosso, led by Executive Chef Juan Quintero, retains its Michelin Star awarded in 2020 and Michelin Green Star from 2022. Two Michelin Keys were also awarded for hotel excellence. The 2025 season starts on April 10, featuring a Botanic Spa with Codage treatments, exclusive UNESCO site visits, and unique experiences like the Palio di Siena.

🏖️ Italian hotel group R Collection Hotels, led by brand director Ludovica Rocchi, manages ten hotels across destinations like Lago di Como, Annone, Courmayeur, La Thuile, the Ligurian Riviera, and Milan. For 2025, the group plans numerous initiatives including acquisitions and structure updates. The Bianca Relais, a five-star hotel with ten suites, is geared for events and ceremonies. Casa Du Lac expands the group's presence in Varenna alongside Hotel Royal Victoria and Villa Cipressi. In Menaggio, the Grand Hotel Victoria Concept&Spa, awarded 2 Michelin stars in 2024, will reopen in 2025 with renovated suites. The Grand Hotel Courmayeur MontBlanc and Montana Lodge&Spa in La Thuile have joined the Preferred Hotels&Resorts network. On the Ligurian coast, the Grand Hotel Bristol has opened the Marina di Bardi Beach Club and announced the renovation of the Royal Suite.

📌 Hotelbeds, in preparation for its stock market launch, plans to increase capital to lower its debt, which exceeds the company's EBITDA by five times. The stock market generally prefers a debt-to-EBITDA ratio between two and three times. To align with these expectations, Hotelbeds has opted for a public offering (Ops) before initiating its initial public offering (IPO).

🏡 Mama Shelter's Italian second facility on Lake Como is part of Ennismore's expansion plans, which include new openings for 2025 and 2026, following the inauguration of Mama Shelter Dubai on December 15. In Asia, Mama Shelter Singapore, the group's 20th property with 110 rooms, is set to debut, featuring a restaurant and rooftop pool. Mama Shelter Zurich will open in mid-2025 in Switzerland, offering over 170 rooms, a restaurant, a rooftop, and 550 sqm of meeting space. The 2026 openings will see Mama Shelter Cape Town introducing Mama Play, a 742 sqm recreational area, with the hotel boasting 120 rooms, 213 sqm of meeting space, a gym, and a rooftop restaurant. Mama Shelter Downtown LA and Mama Shelter Medellín, with over 140 rooms and 150 rooms respectively, are also scheduled to open in 2026. Lastly, Mama Shelter Casablanca will launch with over 90 rooms and 49 apartments, featuring the city's longest pool, a rooftop lounge, a 140 sqm meeting room, multiple dining options, and a fitness room.

❄️ In the UK, a cold snap prompting travel warnings is expected to hit, with snowfall today and critical conditions on November 20 due to a temperature drop and potential widespread frost. Airports, including those in London, and airlines like Ryanair advise passengers to monitor flight statuses. Ryanair informed affected travelers will be notified and urged UK passengers to check updates on November 20, apologizing for any inconvenience caused by the weather beyond their control.

📌 Trenitalia partners with BWH Hotels Italia & Malta, offering benefits to CartaFreccia and Loyalty BWH customers. CartaFreccia members can earn and redeem points at 170 BWH hotels in Italy and Malta, with extra points after every three stays for exclusive Status CartaFreccia holders. The partnership includes BWH Stay Vouchers in the CartaFreccia Collection catalog. Points can be earned through Best Western Rewards® or WorldHotels™ Rewards programs by staying at hotels before December 31, 2025, and completing a dedicated form on BWH's website.

🚨 Marriott International announced the expansion of its branded residences in the EMEA region with 70 projects, 43 contracts already signed, and 27 properties open. Recent pipeline projects include The St. Regis Residences in Costa del Sol and Dubai, The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Dubai and Diriyah, and The Westin and Marriott Residences in Algarve. Dana Jacobsohn, the company's chief development officer, highlighted the rapid growth driven by the EMEA region. Anticipated openings by year-end include the Nujuma, The Residences at the St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort, The Residences at the St. Regis Belgrade, and The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Baku.

🏖 Destination Italia collaborates with Basilicata, Molise, Sicily, Sardinia, Marche, and Piedmont to prevent small villages from closure, as stated by President Dina Ravera during Roots-in at Matera. The "root tourism" initiative focuses on enhancing lesser-known regions through public-private partnerships, like the one with Enit. Over the past decade, the experience trend has risen, aiming to double the tourism GDP and highlight rural areas. Average stays are 8-9 days, indicating long-term visits, Sandro Pappalardo of Enit notes.

🏦 Hilton announces a rich pipeline of openings for 2025, including the iconic Waldorf Astoria New York, which reopens in spring 2025. New venues include Hilton Turin City Centre, Italy's first Hilton Hotels & Resorts in Turin, Conrad Athens The Ilisian in Greece with a unique outdoor running track, Tapestry Collection's debut in Northern Ireland with Marcus Hotel Portrush, Curio Collection's Palacio Bellas Artes Hotel San Sebastián in Spain known for its Michelin-rich gastronomy, Canopy by Hilton Istanbul Taksim marking the brand's entry into Turkey, Signia by Hilton's international debut in Amman, Jordan, Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof in South Africa, Hilton's first property in Ghana with Hilton Accra Cantonments, Curio Collection's KROMO Bangkok in Thailand, Waldorf Astoria Osaka in Japan, Delfins Beach Resort Bonaire in the Caribbean being Hilton's first on the island, and Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique. The Waldorf Astoria New York restoration is led by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architects and designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, maintaining its Art Deco grandeur with 375 private residences above the hotel.

✈ Air India, having recently integrated Vistara, operates over 5,600 weekly flights with a fleet of 210 aircraft. The airline has pending orders for 470 new aircraft, which will triple its fleet size. Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines since January 2015, merged into Air India, giving Singapore Airlines a 25.1% stake in the Air India Group.