The Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia, the first hotel of the Hilton luxury brand in Italy, will open in southern Sardinia on 13 April.

The Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia is an emblem of luxury

"In these two complicated and intense years at Chia Laguna Resort there has been an incredible evolution and a great job has been done to underline the magic of the location,” said Marcello Cicalò, group director of operations Italian Hospitality Collection, the company that manages the complex and two other properties including a Curio Collection. “Opening the Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia is a real dream come true, because it is a brand that is not only the emblem of luxury and lifestyle, but also symbolises the strength of identity of a place like Sardinia.”

The destination plays a significant role for Conrad

Alan Mantin, Hilton managing director of development for Southern Europe, said:

"Conrad is a discerning brand operating in the contemporary luxury segment and it has a distinct identity. In Italy, it was crucial to find the right location, the right product, and the right partner. Chia Laguna Conrad is a product for guests who want to manage their time independently while being able to count on discreet and impeccable service."

The Chia Laguna can also host customised MICE events for up to 900 people.

Italians tend to be frequent repeaters 

Marco Pedna, general manager of the Chia Laguna Resort says that beauty and functionality meet tradition and local flavours in the property.

“The 2022 trend in reservations is very interesting. Italians are frequent repeaters, guests who have stayed at the hotel for five to ten years for an average of six to seven days annually. Americans are around 20% and UK, German and Swiss visitors each stand at 25%. We believe that 2022 and 2023 will be very interesting years in terms of international demand.”

There is a spectre haunting hoteliers across Europe: the soaring energy bills that are an inevitable upshot of current international tensions. And they are putting many hotels, also in Italy, between a rock and a hard place. According to a recent Confcommercio survey in January 2021 a five-star hotel’s energy bill was €11,500. Today it is €36,500.

So some particularly creative Italian hoteliers have come up with the idea of a flexible and temporary energy surcharge, along the lines of what airlines have been doing for some time to hedge the volatility of fuel charges. The surcharge would be separate from the room rate, just like the tourist tax, and while it won’t bring prices down it would at least make them transparent and comparable. Clients could see the part of the price based on demand, and the part on external factors like high energy costs, explains Damiano De Crescenzo, general manager of Planetaria Hotels and president of the hospitality section of the Assolombarda Group.

The idea was quickly picked up by other hospitality pros like Giancarlo Carniani, general manager of ToFlorence Hotels and vice-president of Confindustria Firenze, who pointed out that it has already happened in the short-let segment. And Gianluca Capone, the CEO of Italian Hotel Company agrees. But the large hotel chains are keeping mum. For now they don’t see their Italian properties as being any less competitive than those in other countries.

Massimiliano Sarti
Journalist

Aeroviaggi Group, owner of the Mangia's brand, closes 2021 with revenues of €58million, doubling it’s 2020 turnover. The preliminary results refer to the past twelve months, while in 2021 the company totalled 626,000 bookings by Italian and international tourists, often recording 100% occupancy in the groups 13 resorts and clubs.

A  significant overall performance 

Gross operating margins amounted to approximately €11million, compared to the one million recorded in 2020. The result is also very close to the €13million achieved in 2019, which was a record season for the group. Considering the lower number of opening days during 2021 compared to the pre-Covid era (123 against 172 in 2019), the overall performance is even more significant.

The Mangia’s brand was launched in July 2021

These results come at the height of the repositioning of the group in the upper-upscale segment, facilitated by the launch of Mangia’s brand in July 2021 and culminating in the December 2021 partnership with Blackstone that allocates some 85 million to the resorts identified in the agreement. 

A strong reaction to the pandemic

“We are proud of the results and how our group that has react to the pandemic crisis by radically innovating its business model,” says Marcello Mangia, president of Aeroviaggi.  The group, he added, will continue to focus on digitalization, new talents and enhancing the development prospects resulting from the Blackstone partnership.

The Tuscan Boccaccio Hotel is Space Hotels' first new entry of the year; an elegant, small, and intimate property with antique furniture and furnishings in the best Tuscan tradition.

A boutique hotel with three pools and tennis courts

“Our boutique hotel has only 20 rooms - explains Commercial Director Paola Quagli - and it is ideal for business travellers, being part of a complex with three swimming pools that are open in summer, the Boccaccio disco on weekends, a game palace, and tennis courts open all year. There is also room service dining from 7 pm to 3 am, entry to the swimming pools is included in the stay, and the complex also has a pharmacy, an ATM, and a hairdresser."

Olympic swimming pools with slides 

There are also four restaurants. Tabasco, a modern restaurant with a simple menu, is open until 3 a.m. The Steakhouse is an American Graffiti restaurant and is open until 10 p.m., and Barrino, is a music café for breakfasts, business lunches and dinners, or aperitifs at the end of the day. Thanks to the three swimming pools (Olympic size with slides, and a trampoline also for children) and the disco in the summer months, the Boccaccio is the perfect choice for leisure breaks, and packages and ad hoc food and wine tastings are organized in June, July and August.

A unique collection of over 50 hotels

Space Hotels, a hotel group founded in 1974, now has a unique collection of more than 50 independent hotels ranging from 3 to 5 stars in 30 of Italy's most beautiful destinations. Space Hotels provides its affiliated hotels with a full range of commercial and organisational services, including representation and point of contact for business and leisure travel in Italy and around the world. It is also a booking office for individuals and meetings and further provides GDS representation. Saber Hospitality Solutions has been a partner of Space Hotels since December 2019.

Baglioni Hotels & Resorts new property in Milan, Casa Baglioni, is a 30-room hotel in the elegant downtown Brera district. The group's absence from Milan was short-lived, following the company's exit in 2020 from the management of the Carlton Hotel, now run by Rocco Forte. As announced a few months ago the Milanese hotel operator announced the opening of Casa Baglioni in the fourth quarter of this year. Located in the Brera district, the property will have 30 rooms and suites and a restaurant designed by Michelin-starred chef Claudio Sadler with a wine cellar.

The interiors, designed by the architectural firm Spagnulo & Partners, draw inspiration from the art and design of 1960s Milan, integrating perfectly with the concept thanks to the skilful lighting and the use of neon and colours. Casa Baglioni is a new member of The Leading Hotels of the World partner network. "I am delighted and proud to return to Milan, a destination that just be in our collection, and that I am sure will win the hearts of all travellers who love Italian style," comments the group's CEO Guido Polito.

Another new property in Apulia in May 

The news follows the opening last year of the Baglioni Resort Sardegna, while the opening of the Apulian Baglioni Masseria Muzza is expected in May.

The growth of Numa Group (formerly Cosi Group) marches ahead. The German digital hospitality operator, specialized in short term rentals and design hotels, has just obtained a capital increase of $45 million, with Dn Capital Group as the new main investor.

A leading provider of creative solutions for hotels

"The goal is to position ourselves as the leading provider of technology and creative solutions for a completely new generation of hotels in Europe," explains Numa Group's Ceo and Co-founder Christian Gaiser. "Our business model demonstrated its full resilience during the pandemic, when we achieved 500% revenue growth and 85% bookings.”

A new category of tailor-made hotels

"The demand is clearly shifting from the traditional hotel offer to the types of solutions offered by Numa,” adds Christian Miele, a partner at Headline, as well as president of the German startups association. “This is a very effective model in the development of a new category of tailor-made hotels, ready to meet the demand of the Millennial and Generation Z clientele."

Numa hotels in Florence, Milan and Rome

The group is present in Florence with the Numa Rodo which is right opposite the Duomo, and with the Numa Vita, an elegant renovated villa. In Milan the group has the Numa Loreto, and in Rome there is a Numa in the central Piazza Venezia.