Important news at QC Terme, which has acquired the management of the World Palazzo Arzaga Spa & Golf Resort. Located in Calvagese della Riviera, not far from Lake Garda, the property is a 5-star hotel with 84 rooms, previously operated by the Blu Hotels group. It is scheduled to reopen at the beginning of 2023 with the name QC Termegarda, after a renovation that will involve both the hotel and the spa.

A rental cost of €750K per year

The 2021 financial statements of the QC Terme Group report that the rental cost of the business unit relating to the hotel complex will be €750 thousand per year and will cover, in addition to the part dedicated to hospitality, the spa and catering. 

Three hotels in Italy, one in France and one in NY

Golfing activities will remain in the hands of the property. The new opening will be added to the two 5-star hotels in Italy already managed by the company (QC Termeroma and QC Terme Bagni Nuovi). In total, the group manages six hotels in Italy for a total of 280 rooms, as well as properties in Chamonix in France and in New York.

The new Radisson Blu GHR Rome, which opened in December 2021, is off to a flying start, recording excellent bookings, and showing signs of a successful autumn and winter. 

Healthy bookings trends

Resulting from the merger of two historic hotels in Rome’s upmarket Parioli district, the Regent and the Grand Hotel Ritz, the property gained momentum in early 2022 with a boom in bookings, and was sold out up to July. Despite a slight decline in August, in line with the physiological trend of the destination, Radisson Blu GHR Rome is showing very healthy bookings through the end of the year and beyond.

International markets are picking up fast

The customer base is divided almost equally between Italy and abroad. Among the international markets guests are coming mainly from Northern Europe, Israel, India and the Middle East. In the summer, arrivals from the USA picked up again, and now they have been joined by the South American markets and some Asian countries.

A new rooftop restaurant and winter garden

"The succes in the opening stage was encouraging and is spurring us to fine-tune our product and services  - explains the director of sales and marketing, Gian Maria Vecchiarelli. - We will soon be opening our panoramic rooftop restaurant and at the beginning of next year we will open a bistro with a winter garden overlooking the street. 

“We work with leading Italian and foreign networks and operators”

“To maintain our positive growth trend we are partnering with companies and events, using the Radisson Group’s promotional channels and we have entered into agreements with leading Italian and foreign networks and tour operators. We will also be participating in hospitality and tourism trade fairs aimed at market sectors that interest us.”

Every cloud has a silver lining.  Rising consumer prices have long been perceived as trouble and to be countered by fair means or foul, with uncontrolled inflation a harbinger of deep water, as it was in 1929.

Without going that far, a moderate price increase could have beneficial effects. For example on Italy's public debt, which is already partially benefiting. But also on financing for private companies that were shrewd enough to anticipate market trends, and cautious enough to go for fixed rates rather than be lured by the siren call of variables.

Which is what happened to the Alpitour Group, Italy's largest tour operator: a small colossus with a turnover of €2 billion pre-Covid. "That inflation would return to growth had already been in the air for some time," said CEO and chairman Gabriele Burgio at Italy's leading B2B travel trade fair. “Even before Covid the markets were over euphoric, and it was inevitable that sooner or later prices would come under pressure. In April 2020 we completed a major financial operation at fixed rates, which is now proving invaluable. But it’s a very different state of affairs for companies that were exposed to variable rates without hedging. 

So Alpitour has put itself in an ideal position to take advantage of the recovery, and with its companies - a tour operating division, a hotel company and an airline – sailing under clear skies it is heading towards closing 2022 with a 1.6 billion turnover. “With a normal winter and next summer at this year's levels, Burgio added, "in 2023 we expect to exceed the 2 billion threshold.” Even more important are the margins, which are growing and “are better than in the past, thanks to our investments in technology and how we reorganized in this two-year period.'

Massimiliano Sarti
Journalist

The new Hampton by Hilton has opened in Fiano Romano, having been announced last September. Strategically located a few minutes from the entrance of the A1 motorway, the property is just 30 minutes from the Eternal City. 

Meeting rooms and a fitness centre

With its 103 rooms the hotel has both a leisure and corporate vocation, thanks to the business centre which is open 24/7 and has meeting rooms with flexible spaces and advanced technology. A fitness centre and the Hampton Lobby Restaurant & Bar, also open to external guests seven days a week, complete the services. 

Car parking with electric vehicle charging stations

The menu in the restaurant features traditional local dishes, revisited in a contemporary key with an international approach, and the large free indoor car park with approximately 64 spaces has six ultra-fast electric vehicle charging stations.

According to a CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) international survey, the desire for cruises has picked up and the cruise sector's long-term viability is improving.  "After the decline associated with Covid, the sector is in constant recovery, and the forecast is to exceed pre-pandemic levels from 2023," said CLIA’s Maria Deligianni at the Adriatic Sea Forum. 

84% of cruise passengers want to return

New CLIA data shows the propensity to book a cruise rose above pre-Covid levels in 2019. A survey of over 4,000 people conducted in eight key countries for the industry (Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia), showed that 84% of cruise passengers plan to return soon (5% more than in 2019). Furthermore, two out of every three people who have never cruised before are willing to do so now. Young travellers are the most enthusiastic about taking a cruise again (86% of GenX and 88% of Millennials), and they would recommend this type of vacation to their family and friends.

“The cruise sector is a leader in responsible travel"

"The forecast is to exceed pre-pandemic levels from 2023, thanks also to the sector's commitment to sustainability, both in terms of the environment, of responsible tourism and coordination with destinations," said Maria Deligianni. “This is vital if we want to retain old cruise passengers and attract new ones, particularly among the younger generations. According to our survey 51% of the sample (+ 9% compared to last year) affirmed that the cruise sector is a leader in responsible travel."

Hotels also benefit from cruise passengers

The CLIA survey also showed that destinations benefit from economic effects that extend beyond the cruise itself ,with 69% of cruise passengers interviewed staying at least one night in the city of departure, 43% staying at least two nights in the cities of embarkation or disembarkation, and the vast majority staying in hotels.  CLIA is the world's largest cruise industry association. Visit cruising.org or the European website europe.cruising.org for more information on the association’s progress toward sustainable development goals. 

Turnover was up 50% over 2021 this summer for Ho Collection thanks to smart working and flexibility at work, both of which are driving the Group’s performance.

This summer Ho Collection benefited from a demand no longer concentrated only in August but better spread over all the months of the hottest season of the year. 

Five hotels in Puglia and one in Rome

The company, which manages five properties in Puglia and one in Rome, thus recorded a 50% increase in turnover in June, July and September, compared to the same months in 2021, as well as a 10% increase in August.

Mattia De Gennaro

“Our goal is to have 1,500 rooms by 2025”

"We are very happy with this trend," says Mattia De Gennaro, managing director of Ho Hotels Collection, "also because by the end of the year we expect to exceed €20 million in total turnover again, with an increase of close to 90% compared to 2021. In recent months we have invested heavily in our properties, with major restyling. For the future we want to continue to grow in Puglia and move into new destinations, with the goal of having 1,500 rooms by 2025."

Foreign markets are back up to 50%

The figure for international arrivals is also very positive. In 2021 the Italian market accounted for over 80% of the total, with the remaining European part mainly French. This year however foreign markets have returned to occupy a slice of around 50% of the company's turnover, with a significant number of Americans, British, Dutch and other long-haul arrivals, for example from Brazil and Australia.

“The corporate and leisure markets will be more volatile” 

"It’s too early to make forecasts for the winter, but we are confident," adds De Gennaro. - The pricing issue will be a constant in the trade-off between increased operating costs and pressure on the spending potential of companies and individual customers. There will certainly be a complex transitional phase until the economy settles in line with rising inflation. In this context, the luxury sector will be little affected, while corporate and leisure will become more volatile and here both quality and flexibility will, as always, be determining factors.”

Sara Digiesi is the new CEO of the Bwh Hotel Group Italia, taking over from Giovanna Manzi who leaves in October to pursue a new professional path, while Gianmarco Ricci will be the new chief financial and operating officer.

On the GBTA Sustainability Leadership Council

Sara Digiesi, the group's former chief marketing officer and chief sustainability officer, has assumed leadership of various functions ranging from promotions to sales and from innovation to strategy. Since joining the company as a marketing manager. As the only Italian representative in the GBTA Sustainability Leadership Council and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance Planet Committee, she now represents the entire Bwh Hotel Group globally.

Success from talent and teamwork

"I am honoured by the new appointment and grateful to the entire board of directors for their unanimous trust, - Sara Digiesi says. - The successes that have led to my current position are the result of talent and teamwork. The same spirit will be required to continue in the direction we have taken, devoting energy and passion to our members, their staff, our partners, and to the guests who choose to stay with us." 

Ricci is the new head of operations

Gianmarco Ricci, former CFO of the group, thus expands his responsibilities as head of operations.

"I am grateful to Giovanna Manzi for having built a valid team and set new goals - says Ricci - I am confident that together with Sara we will be able to face new challenges and design new avenues."

“Carrying on a dream and a project with potential” 

"Leaving Bwh after almost 19 years is very difficult," said Giovanna Manzi. – Having steered the company out of the pandemic, with a year-end forecast just below 2019, and receiving prestigious personal and corporate awards, it's time for me to leave. Together Sara and Gianmarco will be able to carry on a dream and a project with a lot of potential."

For Preferred Hotels & Resorts revenues soared by over 50%  this summer compared to the same months of the pre-Covid 2019 year.   

High-spending UK and US visitors are back 

"The most popular destinations were Lake Como, Tuscany, Capri and Portofino,- says Southern Europe account director Antonio Mugno. - Of course, we too experienced rising costs and problems with flights, but all in all, the premium segment has not been particularly affected. Indeed, we have seen a strong return of high-spending visitors from the United Kingdom and the United States."

Three new Legend Collection hotels

Italy remains a central destination for the Preferred properties. Since the beginning of the year there have been seven new entries including three to the Legend Collection: the Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda and Dolomiti, as well as the Passalacqua, which just opened on Lake Como. Other new openings were the Marina di Scarlino Resort in Tuscany, the Grand Hotel San Pietro in Sicily, the Savoia & Jolanda Hotel in Venice and Umiltà 36 in Rome. 

“New loyalty benefits and flexible ad hoc rates”

"Our plans now focus mainly on the expansion of the Luxury Legend and Lux ​​Collections to ensure even greater international visibility for Italy as a destination. We are also launching a series of new benefits for members of our I Prefer Hotel Rewards loyalty programme, such as new gift cards and flexible ad hoc rates.”

The Londra Palace Venezia has a new name and has had an unprecedented contemporary makeover. 

The only Relais & Châteaux in the lagoon city, the hotel has been welcoming travelers from all over the world for nearly 170 years. The DNA of this iconic 52-room mansion with 100 windows overlooking the San Marco basin, has been reinterpreted and renovated in an elegant contemporary style.

A protagonist of contemporary Venice

The Londra Palace Hotel is now called the Londra Palace Venezia, and the new interior design, which is the result of meticulous historical research, is an expression of contemporary Venice, bringing its history and unique style to life. The furnishings and accessories, a blend of historical and contemporary, are the work of local master craftsmen. The four new suites reflect this reinterpretation and include two signature suites: the Verne and the Borges, which pay homage to the French writer Jules Verne and the poet and scholar Jorge Luis Borges, two of the many illustrious writers who have stayed at the hotel.

 

The restaurant has a light, and a fine dining menu

The Londra Palace Venezia has a new executive chef, Daniele Galliazzo, who will oversee all the F&B facilities and the LPV Restaurant. The chef has designed a double menu for lunch and dinner with Lpv Bistrot for light and tasty lunches, also with vegetarian options, whereas LPv restaurant is the fine dining venue for those who want to explore Venetian traditional flavours. Both menus have strong connections to the city and its environs and respect both traditions and seasonality.

Marino Lucchetti’s unique Americano cocktail

In the LPV bar head bartender Marino Lucchetti is an historic figure in international mixology. He has been in the hotel for 18 years, and reinterprets some of the most famous blends in a personal style. An example? The Americano 4.1: a signature cocktail made with four different types of vermouth and four different types of bitters in different proportions for a unique blend.

“We want our guests to be an active part of this magnificent city” 

At the helm of the house, the maître de maison Alain Bullo, has been at the Londra Palace Venezia for over twenty years.

“We are deeply connected to our city, but we are also aware of the changes that are taking place and we are cultural promoters of the Venice of the present and of the future. We welcome our guests not just as visitors, but with the desire to make them an active part of this magnificent and multifaceted city.”

The Berlin-based operator Hr Group has acquired the management and brand rights of 23 properties of the Austrian brand Amedia Hotels, with a total of approximately 3,000 rooms. 

First Italian property last year

Half the hotels are in Germany and the remainder are in Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Italy. Here in Italy the brand made its debut last year with a 148-room business hotel in Milan’s Lorenteggio district.

International partnerships

Udo Chistee, the founder of Amedia and Ahc Consulting, retains ownership of 12 of the hotels included in the deal. Prior to the new acquisition Hr Group operated some eighty properties in 50 different destinations in six countries, with a total of approximately 12,300 rooms. The Berlin-based company has partnerships with Accor, Vienna House, Wyndham, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott International, Deutsche Hospitality, Dorint and Ihg.