The 13 suites will be in buildings around the lake

The new Albergo Diffuso Granducato di Bracciano, in the Lazio town overlooking Lake Bracciano to open in Spring. The complex, by Eurotime Horeca, a division of the Eurotime Group, will be built in a series of buildings around the edge of the lake and will include 13 suites, a boutique resort with a swimming pool, a spa and beauty centre. There will also be a traditional trattoria and a gourmet restaurant, as well as a wine bar with a bistro and a champagne and DJ bar.

Half an hour from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport 

"Our aim is to offer guests an authentic and immersive experience of the life and history of Bracciano. All this without sacrificing the comforts of a luxury hotel," says Eurotime Italy director Massimo Scialò. The Granducato di Bracciano is located about thirty minutes from Fiumicino airport and 25 minutes by train from Rome.

The plans and ambitions of GM Fulvio Gaglione’s for the 5-star Ara Maris in Sorrento.

“An extraordinary journey exceeding guests’ expectations”

A few months before the inauguration of the new five-star hotel in Sorrento, general manager Fulvio Gaglione reveals the expectations and ambitions of the Campania-based hotel affiliated with Preferred Hotels & Resorts: "We are planning an experience for guests that will transport their senses on an extraordinary journey, exceeding their expectations. We are not content to be just another luxury property in the city, we are building strategic partnerships to make the Ara Maris emerge as a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. We want to create an environment that captures the essence of the coast: the sea view and local flavours. It will be an experience that will engage all the senses."

The Ara Maris is adopting eco-friendly measures

The hotel is also preparing customized experiences for its guests: "We are organizing excursions in the area and designing tailor-made activities." Sustainability is another priority: " We are adopting eco-friendly measures, such as the use of solar panels and zero-kilometre products, and we are involving the local community.” 

News on the horizon for Club del Sole, with the Sole 24 Ore newspaper hinting at a new financial partner. 

Negotiations are thought to be moving ahead

It is thought that negotiations currently involve the open-air operator founded in 1974 by the entrepreneur Giancarlo Giondi and the Peninsula Capital fund, which has just entered the Italian cosmetics company Veralab, the French Montefiore Investment and The Equity Club, which invests on behalf of wealthy Mediobanca clients. The offers, it is believed, are on the table of Rothschild and Euromobiliare.

Club del Sole has four new properties in the pipeline

Under the control of the Giondi family, Club del Sole already has a financial partner, Nb Aurora, which acquired 40%  of the open-air operator in 2018, but which is tightlipped regarding the current situation.  Headquartered in Forlì, the company closed last summer with a €100 million turnover (+16% on 2022) and gross operating margins of some €30 million. The twenty Club del Sole campsites are in seven different regions and include nine owned complexes, while the others are operated through long-term leases, and four new properties are in the pipeline for 2024-2025.

Financial operators Hines and Clessidra are said to be ready to enter Human Company.

Two American companies are interested

One hundred percent controlled by the Cardini Vannucchi family, and following the recent rumours regarding a change of partnership at Club del Sole, this time the speculation concerns the Human Company Group. And once again the news is broken by Il Sole 24 Ore which says the Tuscan operator has been targeted by two American groups, Hines in a joint venture with Clessidra, who are studying their entry into the capital of the Italian company, which also has hostels and country relais properties.

Villages, campsites and F&B outlets

The operation should be concluded by the end of the first quarter of the year with the aim of  strengthening and developing the Human Company. Founded in the 1980s as the ECV Group by a family traditionally linked to the textile industry in Prato, Human Company closed 2022 with a turnover of €123 million. With ten villages and campsites in Tuscany, Veneto, Lazio and Luxembourg, two 2.0 hostels under the Plus Hostel brand in Florence and Prague, and the Palagina Estate in the Chianti hills, Human Company also has Mercato Centrale F&B outlets in Florence, Rome, Turin, Milan and Campi Bisenzio.

Max Brown Missori is the name of the Italian debut property of the Dutch Sircle Collection Group in Milan. 

The new Max Brown Missori will have 64 keys 

Located in the square of the same name a few steps from the Duomo and from the Torre Velasca, the hotel has 64 rooms designed by Amsterdam-based interior designer Saar Zafrir, in collaboration with the company's in-house team.

Sircle Milan will have 70 serviced apartments

The Torre Velasca is due to open soon as the Group's second  property in Italy, with some 70 serviced apartments, and be called Sircle Milano. Both properties will be led by cluster general manager Andrea Piantanida, already at the helm of the Grand Hotel et de Milan. The Dutch Group currently has some twenty properties in Europe operated under five different brands: Sircle Hotels, Sir Hotels, Max Brown Hotels, Park Centraal Hotels and Àterre.

SkyAlps will expand its summer network with flights from Germany to Bolzano.

Flights to Bolzano from many German cities

There will also be new flights from Corfu to Bolzano, operating from next June, with one frequency per week every Friday, up to the end of September. The South Tyrolean airline is offering German tourists easy access to Bolzano and South Tyrol with routes departing from Berlin, Hamburg and Düsseldorf, while the summer offer from Germany is completed by Kassel.

A network of domestic routes

The network also includes connections from Bolzano to Olbia and Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme and Brindisi that are due to start mid-May. In the high season both Cagliari and Brindisi will be supplemented by an additional weekly flight. There will also be flights from the Spanish island of Ibiza and the Croatian island of Brač. The regional flight programme will further expand this summer, with SkyAlps operating three flights to Rome from Verona, Cuneo and Crotone.

Towns of Italy Group's portfolio consolidates as it acquires Mediterranea Trekking, the Sicilian inbound operator specialized in outdoor & active experiences.

A specialist in Sicilian experiential tourism

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Messina, Medtrek is a point of reference for experiential tourism in Sicily, offering a wide range of services for outdoor activities. These go from seasonal trekking, cultural and cycling excursions and trips to the Aeolian Islands, to personalized trips for groups and individuals, incentive trips, transfers and fly-and-drive.

“We aim at enhancing local expertise”

"The acquisition of Medtrek represents a significant step in our strategic growth path, aimed at building structured experiential tourism packages for Italian destinations and also at enhancing local expertise developed over years of work in the field," explains Toit Group CEO Luca Perfetto.  

Towns of Italy is a group made up of Towns of Italy, Arno Travel, a tailor-made luxury itinerary DMC, and ItalyXp, the company's technological hub, which now has over 120 branches throughout Italy. In 2022 the Group received a €5.5 million investment from Cdp Venture Capital, through the Italia Venture II - Imprese Sud fund and Smp Holding.

With another double new entry in Rome the Bzar Group continues to grow.

A new downtown Rome hotel

After the double new entry in Rome last November, the Bzar Group is expanding further in the capital with two new properties. The Pomezia Hotel in the city's historic centre is a 25-room 2-star hotel that will be repositioned as a 24-room 4-star with a rooftop bar and restaurant.

The Bzar Group will have 19 hotels

The second new entry is on Via delle Quattro Fontane. Here too, Bzar's plan to restyle and reposition the hotel into a 19-room 4-star. With the addition of this new hotel, the Bzar Group will manage 19 hotels. The properties are all midscale and upscale and in Rome with the exception of the 66-room 3-star 43 Station Hotel in Milan. In addition to the latest openings the company's pipeline includes four new hotels in Milan, Cortina, Rome and Ostia. The group is also active in the catering sector, with two restaurants and two rooftop bars.

In the heart of the Dolomites, the Val d'Ega ski area, has joined forces with the Swiss area of Arosa to launch the "Alpine Climatic Ski Areas" project. 

Green energy is to the forefront

With its focus on families and the environment, the area embraces a sustainable philosophy and consistently promotes responsible behaviour. Green energy is at the forefront here, as electricity is generated from renewable sources, plastic usage is minimised, and the planned transition from diesel to hydrogenated vegetable oil) fuel further exemplifies the commitment to environmental responsibility.

Ideal snow conditions lasting until March or April 

Thoughtful design and efficient management ensure the production of artificial snow on the slopes. In the early winter, when temperatures dip to -10°C/-15°C, the entire area is blanketed in snow within just 80 hours. These ideal conditions enable the maintenance of a soft snow cover lasting until March or even April.

The aim is to preserve nature

Adjusting lift speeds during periods of low traffic is another measure contributing to the improved energy balance of the ski area. In the pursuit of an environmentally friendly label, the area's staff menu features recipes that respect the environment, and events organised in Carezza adhere to simple rules for nature preservation, such as prioritizing local products, gradually phasing out printed materials, and encouraging the use of public transport for travel.