Catalonia Hotels & Resorts | Acquisition of Two Hotels in Barcelona and Malaga, Spain

 Catalonia Hotels & Resorts has reached an agreement with Hotel Investment Partners HIP, one of the largest owners of holiday hotels in southern Europe belonging to the funds managed by GIC and Blackstone for the purchase of two assets consisting of a 3-star hotel in the centre of Barcelona and a 4-star hotel in Malaga which will be the first of the hotel group in the Andalusian city.

With this transaction, Catalonia Hotels & Resorts confirms its interest in consolidating its presence in strategic destinations in Spain.

The 4-star Hotel in Malaga provides 105 rooms, most of them with sea views, is located near Playa de la Misercordia and Parque del Oeste and has been named Hotel Catalonia Malaga.Guests have access to a terrace, meeting rooms and private parking.

The hotel group is also in the process of building a new hotel in the Costa del Sol city located in the historic center of Malaga which will open at the end of the year and will be denominated Hotel Catalonia Puerta del Mar.

As for the hotel in Barcelona, which will be named Hotel la Boqueria is located in a very strategic position in the monumental heart of the Catalan capital, a few steps from Las Ramblas and the famous La Boqueria market and has 70 rooms.

This hotel becomes the group's 28th unit in Barcelona, thus strengthening the brand's position as the leader in the hotel market of the Catalan metropolis with over 3000 rooms.

After the addition of a resort in the Caribbean, specifically in Jamaica, at the beginning of July, and these two new hotels in Spain, the Catalonia Montego Bay, Catalonia's expansion strategies are confirmed with the offer of 700 new rooms.

The Global Head of the Real Estate commented that the latest acquisitions of the hotel group consist of a growth strategy that allows to consolidate the representation of the brand in strategic destinations and also to diversify the offer by betting on growth in new destinations.

Catalonia Hotels & Resorts has historically focused on asset purchase and owns more than 90% of its establishments, which gives the group great stability.

The Global Head then commented that the excellent results achieved in 2023 allow Catalonia Hotels & Resorts to cope with ease; Catalonia Hoteles & Resorts is one of the most profitable hotel groups in Spain.

At the end of next year there will be the opening of the Catalonia Grand Zanzibar All Suites & Spa, a 5-star category that will be the group's first hotel in Africa while the Catalonia Grand will be the second in Mexico after Catalonia Costa Mujeres, hotels that are positioned in the highest segments of the market offering unique experiences in terms of extraordinary quality.

The group's project aims to position the resort as a reference point in the destination by offering premium services and a wide, innovative and thoughtful gastronomic offer.

In the urban segment there will also be openings in the coming months of another hotel in Malaga and a hotel in Madrid denominated Catalonia Plaza España a 4-star category with a location in the center of the Spanish capital and will place the offer of the hotel group with 8 unities and almost 900 rooms in Madrid.

link : https://www.expreso.info/noticias/hoteles/101471_catalonia_hotels_resorts_compra_dos_establecimientos_en_malaga_y_barcelona

Villeneuve – Aosta Valley | Splendid Gateway to Gran Paradiso National Park

 

Villeneuve, a splendid town located at 640.0 meters above sea level on the slopes of  the Graian Alps along the river course of the Dora Baltea, in a natural Eden at the entrance to the Val di Rhêmes and Val Valsavarenche between the municipalities of Arvier and Saint-Pierre in a strategic geographical position to enter into endless excursions within the beautiful Gran Paradiso National Park.

Villeneuve is a well-known resort adored by cross-country skiers and trekking enthusiasts, famous for an event that is celebrated every August called "Fiha di barme", with winemakers who open their cellars obtained from a wall formed by landslides with tastings of local wines and also for the production of the famous Mocetta also called Motzetta,  appetizing beef jerky highly appreciated by gourmets with very fine palates.

To start discovering the beauties of Villeneuve I suggest starting with the famous Colin Tower located at the entrance of the town on the State Road 26 in La Crête, a massive medieval fortification with a quadrangular plan erected in  the thirteenth century by  the Gontard family, local feudal lords who in 1267 sold it to Count Amedeo V of Savoy. Since then it has been used as  a toll station for merchants who passed on the Dora bridge and also famous because itis portrayed in well-known watercolors executed by the painter William Turner.

This building defined as a stronghold that like other buildings of this type was born as a residence and with defensive purposes, and still shows sturdy well-preserved walls surrounded by battlements still intact under the ground while the façade shows the holes of what was once the dovecote.

Continuation with the beautiful Church of Santa Maria also dedicated to San Rocco, the oldest religious buildingin the region. Built in the eleventh century in Romanesque style and located in the local cemetery. This building is to be considered an authentic architectural masterpiece of medieval art. 

Its construction probably dates back to the second quarter of the eleventh century and was historically mentioned in a papal bull of 1184 and included in the archive of the Collegiate Church of Sant'Orso in Aosta with the title of ecclesia which binds itself to its past as a parish. 

Built on a quadrangular plan with three naves and as many apses, it boasts a beautiful bell tower dating back to the twelfth century with single, double and triple lancet windows.

Later, once you reached the center of Villeneuve, you will find yourself in front of the beautiful Church of Santa Maria Assunta , dated 1782 and which has become the Mother Parish of the community. I

n a pleasant walk then a pleasant walk in the picturesque village characterized by suggestive cobblestone alleys and charming alleys flanked by characteristic stone houses admiring in Via Cerlogne there is a magnificent house of the sixteenth century .

 On the topof a magnificent promontory you can seethe silhouette of the remains of the Châtel-Argent Castle, a section of the original medieval wall of 90.0 x 70.0 meters and in which a cylindrical crenellated tower 16.0 meters high stands out.

 Next to the fortress was built the Church of Santa Colomba dating back to the eleventh century, erected in Romanesque-castle style with walls and adorned with hanging arches and terracotta pilasters.

Villeneuve is a very famous place for being a producer of Mocetta, an elite cured meat  from the Aosta Valley and the Western Alps produced by native cattle that feed on green fodder from the local pastures throughout the summer and hay stored in balconies the rest of the year although there are variations of production using meat from other animals.

This delicacy was already known a few centuries ago when it was stored for a long time in pantries to overcome periods of food scarcity. Mocetta, a high mountain sausage, has a P.A.T. certified mark, a significant denomination of Traditional Agri-Food Production that identifies its original origin and is prepared with cuts of muscle and lean thigh in some cases also using rump and hip tip of beef artfully flavored with garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, sage and mountain herbs.

All with doses in percentages that faithfully respect the ancient traditions by adding salt, pepper and the piece covered with the oily liquid coming from the meat itself. 

In the elaboration, the size is massaged for 20 days, ensuring that the herbs and spices used penetrate deeply into the fleshy tissue, perfuming it entirely. 

The fresh cured meat, after this process, tends to be very tender, with a pinkish heart that changes characteristics with rest, and which will increase considerably in intensityof flavor, becoming more intense and pungent, as well as acquiring a much darker color gradation if aged.

Subsequently, the product in the preparation phase is hung for seasoning in cool environments with meticulously controlled temperatures and humidity, drying can last between 1 and 3 months depending on the size of the piece. 

A Mocetta seasoned by making a cut is compact and lean, with a reddish hue without streaks, with an intense aroma of beef and aromatic mountain herbs causing immediate sensations of appetite.

For culinary use, mocetta is excellent if served in mixed appetizers, on toast with a spread of butter or a spoonful of olive oil, perfect with a hint of honey, combined in snacks with black rye bread, excellent if seasoned with a splash of walnut oil. In case you are interested in learning more about this product, there are specialized cured meat factories – butchers and they will introduce you to the history and secrets of this authentic Valle d'Aosta delight.

Time for your lunch, staying in the traditional, local cuisine I suggest a menu based on unique and classic dishes of the region, the first courses Fondue Valdotainne with croutons and slices of Dzambon or Polenta and meat.

Visiting Villeneuve is a very pleasant tourist experience, the Aosta Valley offers unique landscapes with its wonderful valleys and alpine peaks, a great historical heritage and excellent gastronomy, a perfect destination to be taken into great consideration.

 

Link : https://www.lovevda.it/en/database/3/tourist-resorts/aosta-valley/villeneuve/433

 

Where to Stay | Recommeded Accommodation

Coin de la Ville

La dzenta meizón

KIHA Hospitality Academy | Senior Executve Development Course Launch

 

KIHA, Kepler International Hospitality will launch the first edition of its five-year Senior Executive Leadership programme in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on October 7th 2024 co-founded by Jannes Sörensen, Phillipe Krenzer, Jakob Mayne and Ken Yokoyama.

The Senior Executive Leadership Programme is divided into two consecutive stages, designed and addressed for ambitious and successful executives in the premium levels of the hospitality industry with over 10 years of experience in hospitality management and revolves around three core themes such as Positive Impact Models and Leadership, Deep Service Hospitality and Leadership through Self-Mastery.

The first phase consists of three residential study modules, two in Europe in Amsterdam and Freiburg/Basel and one in Asia in Kyoto while the second phase consists of a two-month leadership assignment in the workplace.

Each cohort is limited to 15 participants who will be supported by mentors, coaches and their personally assigned peer groups.

Development coaching sessions will be provided to all participants before, during and after the study modules.

Jannes Sörensen declared Kepler's intensive, experience-based approach to the development of senior hospitality managers is unique in the world of international business schools.

Where hospitality management schools tend to emphasize technical and financial subjects at the expense of personal development, service and cultural aspects, learning at KIHA focuses on personal growth and development as well as acquiring new business skills and insights.

Learning at KIHA focuses on personal growth and development, as well as the acquisition of new business skills and insights.

Phillippe Krenzer pointed out that the best hoteliers today are often excellent from an operational point of view and at this stage of their careers they must become visionary leaders and this training program will support them by immersing them in situations that completely test their certainties.

Applications for the KIHA Senior Executive Leadership Programme can be submitted to: https://www.kepleriha.com/contact

Link : https://boutiquehotelnews.com/news/industry/kiha-senior-development-course/

Ryanair & Expedia | Agreement signed for Passengers

 

Customers of Expedia group, famous American travel technology company that owns and operates fare aggregators and travel metasearch engine will be able to quickly purchase flights on the platform of Ryanair, well-known Irish low-cost carrier group thanks to an "Approved OTA" partnership that the US group has signed with the carrier.

This agreement simplifies the booking process as travellers booking Ryanair flights have the option to choose between a package holiday or an independent booking with a link to the Ryanair website with the guarantee of full price transparency and full access to the booking as communicated by Ryanair's Marketing Officer.

This partnership ensures Expedia Group customers have direct access to their myRyanir account and useful and essential flight updates without having to complete the Ryanair customer verification process.

Expedia Group's SVP for Trip Partners commented that this agreement marks a significant step in the partnership with Ryanair after partnering earlier this year with Ryanair Rooms, which allows those travelling with the Irish airline to seamlessly book a hotel alongside their flight.

Ryanair flights will soon be available on the Expedia Group marketplace, expanding the way travellers benefit from this agreement, which has generated a powerful synergy between the two groups.

Link : https://www.ttgitalia.com/compagnie-aeree/ryanair-ed-expedia-firmano-l-accordo-per-i-passeggeri-HH20418917