copied

Sandra Ortega rents hotels to hotels. Amancio Ortega has copied the model with a luxury hotel in Paris

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If Amancio Ortega is characterized by something, it is his proven sense of smell. the real estate business by the hand of your investment company. In July 2025, the millionaire founder of Inditex closed the purchase of one of the most luxurious hotels in the center of Paris. The hotel business is not Ortega’s strong suit, but the buildings that house these hotels are, which later rents to large hotel chains. This play is not one more purchase from the tycoonis a business model in which her eldest daughter: Sandra Ortega specializes. The Radisson Hotel Group firm, owned by the Chinese Jin Jiang, and the second largest hotel company in the world, has announced that in the summer of 2026 it will open a new establishment in the building that Amancio Ortega purchased. The great purchase in the heart of Paris. Pontegadea paid 97 million euros in July 2025 for the Banke Hotel, a five-star hotel with 91 rooms that until now was owned by the Derby Hotels chain. Although the purchase of this building is far from being the most expensive investment of Pontegadea, it is the most expensive asset of the hotel investment company. As usually happens in buildings you acquire Pontegadea, the Hotel Banke is located in one of the most exclusive areas of the French capital: on rue de La Fayette, a stone’s throw from the Galeries Lafayette and the Opera Garnier. A privileged location for tourists and executives. Solvent tenants and immediate profitability. Pontegadea strictly follows a common pattern in all its real estate operations: selecting buildings in privileged areas and securing contracts with immediate tenants of maximum solvency for them. Amazon, Google, DHL, Apple, Spotify, Primark itself and Inditex franchises are its main clients. This makes Pontegadea begin to make its properties profitable immediately. In the case of the Banke Hotel in Paris, Pontegadea signed with Radisson Hotel Group almost immediately after its purchase. Given the location and the category that the building already held, the hotel firm has decided to operate it under the Radisson Collection, its most exclusive brand. Of the 905 hotels managed by Radisson around the world, only 42 belong to this line, 4.6% of the total, which highlights the premium level they have given to Ortega’s project. History of the building and its key renovation. This property was built in 1907 as a bank headquarters and was transformed into a hotel in 2009, preserving that historical charm that is so popular in Paris. The hotel closed at the end of September to undertake a series of reforms to adapt it to Radisson standards, opening as Banke Opera Paris in the third quarter of 2026. Radisson’s statement said: “The 90-room hotel will undergo a comprehensive renovation that will reflect a contemporary interpretation of Parisian elegance. The property features a striking Belle Époque facade and classic architectural details, including a famous staircase designed by Gustave Eiffel. Guests will be welcomed into a 19th-century atrium that will house a reception, bar and restaurant. Additional amenities include a state-of-the-art gym and wellness facilities in the former bank vault, as well as an attractive offer for meetings and events. The intelligent strategy of the Ortegas. Amancio Ortega and his daughter Sandra have polished a winning formula: acquire iconic properties in key metropolises such as Paris, New York or Miami, make the necessary tweaks and then rent them to top hotel operators. This ensures a fixed income without worrying about daily management, maximizing the value of its premium locations. In France, Pontegadea has seven acquisitions, six of them in Paris, including an office building for 227 million euros in 2024 near the Opera, integrated into the ambitious Grand Opera project. Sandra faithfully follows this paternal model, diversifying the family empire into high-end hospitality. The expanding hotel portfolio. Pontegadea started in hospitality in February 2021 with the Senator Playaballena in Cádiz for 25 million euros. In December 2023, he added two boutique hotels in Palma de Mallorca for 35 million to a Swedish group, showing how they climb from Spain to the world. Ortega’s hotel business extends across the pond, with the Epic Hotel in Miami and the Iberostar on Park Avenue in New York. Meanwhile, Radisson reinforces its presence in France with four more openings, reaching 34 hotels in total and 11 in Paris with around 1,700 rooms, thanks to strategic partners such as Pontegadea. In Xataka | Seven of the ten largest fortunes in the world in 2026 are due to AI: this illustrative graph makes it very clear Image | Gtres, Tripadvisor

The only advantage Apple could have in AI was its private cloud. It has been copied by the person we least expected

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Google has presented Private AI Compute, its cloud infrastructure specially designed so that our conversations remain totally private and cannot be accessed by anyone else. Not even Google. Why is it important. The deployment that Google has announced will allow users of models like Gemini to use them without fear that their sensitive data – finances, health, private conversations – could end up being rescued and accessed by third parties. Idea copied from Apple. This type of infrastructure is an adaptation of the platform that Apple presented more than a year agoPrivate Cloud Compute, and that precisely focused on protecting those conversations by using the company’s future AI models. There are some differences, and for example Apple makes use of a concept of “verifiable transparency” that allows external researchers to audit security and privacy at any time cryptographically. At Google they use third-party verification, which is somewhat more limited as it is not open to the public to verify the running software. Tranquility as a sales argument. AI models are becoming more useful and also more personal and proactive, and that means that we also end up using them with data that may be more personal and sensitive to help us with a very specific question. Beyond ZDR. The problem is that when using the models everything we ask and they answer you can see —and even deduce—. There are ZDR (Zero Data Retention) modes in enterprise accounts from some AI providers, but having a cloud that “privatizes” those conversations is especially promising when it comes to being able to talk about everything with AI without restrictions. no fear of that data coming out of there. How this “privatization cloud” works. Those responsible for Google they explain that Private AI Compute is a “secure, fortified space for processing your data that keeps your data isolated and private to you.” The system uses several layers involving its TPUs and its Titanium Intelligence Enclaves (TIE) security chips. Our devices connect to that secure cloud environment through encryption and a cryptographic security mechanism called “remote attestation” that verifies the identity and integrity of that hardware environment to which we connect. Google also offers a detailed technical report on the operation of this infrastructure. Similar to running local models. The result is theoretically that for the user everything runs “locally” in terms of privacy. Features such as translation or audio summaries that Google offers in its services run directly on our devices: there is no data that travels to the cloud. The best of both worlds. The problem is that local AI models have limited performance, and Private AI Compute will allow you to have the best of both worlds: the power of the best AI models—which run in gigantic data centers—and the privacy guarantee of Google’s Private AI Compute. A surprising twist. This type of infrastructure means that these conversations are completely protected and that not even Google can access them. It’s a surprising turn of events, especially since for the last 25 years Google has made a living by collecting our data to apply it to its advertising model. This type of option goes in just the opposite direction, and it only remains to be seen how it will market such capability. Strategic approach. Curiously, this announcement comes days after we learned that the new version of Siri with AI It will be powered—at least, initially—by Gemini, Google’s AI model. Both companies have had a multimillion-dollar agreement for years to make Google the default search engine in Safari on iPhones and Macs, and now that alliance is apparently reinforced with the use of Google’s AI model to power the future version of Siri. In Xataka | The key to making the iPhone competitive in AI was right next door: imitating what Android had already done

In World War II, the British were looking for an antibunker bomb. So they copied a Disney idea

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The morning of last Sunday, June 22, The United States deployed its B-2 With a mission: launch, for the first time, its new MOP pumps on Iranian bases. These mass bombs have a single function: eX PLACE IN Underground Bases And, despite being avant -garde armamentits technology began to be tested decades ago, in the Second World War. It was the British who developed a bomb capable of bursting a bunker, and their inspiration came from the most unexpected place. A Disney movie. Need. It is in the war when the brightest minds of each country gather to invent new ways of killing. Even if they don’t know what the consequences of their creations will be. The World War I It was a period of Technological Revolutionthe second more of the same and In the Cold War The Explosion of nuclear bombs (and almost that of chickens). In short: each country in conflict wants have the “fattest” bomb. In the mid -2GM, the British sought a powerful bomb, but with a more concrete objective than that of causing all possible damage: they wanted something capable of advising a blow to the bunkers heart and Nazi submarine factories. Thus, they developed the Tallboy and the Grand Slampumps of five and ten tons respectively designed to hit near the target, penetrate the earth, exploit and cause damage to the shock waves transmitted through the ground. The idea was good, but they still needed something more concrete than those “earthquake” bombs. And then, someone saw this propaganda movie of Disney: Drawing pump. Leaving aside that you could keep your mouth open because … yes, that Disney produced ithe who saw the short was Edward Terrellof the Royal Reserve of Naval Volunteers. It is said that, after watching the film, Terrell and other officers, they would ask if it would be possible to design a bomb that directly crossed the concrete and destroy objectives such as the Nazi submarinesas seen in one of the frames, instead of waiting for the expansive wave of an earthquake to damage the underground base. In September 1943, engineers got to work while the viability of the pump was discussed. There were those who opposed, but Churchill was approved and, there, the development began. Edward Terrell and two other RAF officers with a Disney bomb Promising. The Disney pump, baptized Officially as “4,500 pump assisted by rocket to drill concrete” (‘Disney bomb’ has much more stuck, where we are going to stop) it was massive not so much because of the dimensions, but because of the weight and its explosive capacity. With just over five meters long and 43 centimeters in diameter, it had a weight of 2,000 kilos. As his name indicated, he was driven by RP-3 rockets And as an explosive it was loaded with 230 kilos of ‘Shellite‘, a mixture designed during World War I. Thrown from Boeing B-17 or B-29 aircraft, its operation was simple: to boost with the rockets to reach a speed of more than 1,500 km/h, penetrate everything possible due to accumulated kinetic energy and detonate late within the installation. In addition, its maximum penetration was about 5 meters of reinforced concrete, enough to cause great damage to enemy structures. Afternoon, too late. The bomb was promising, but it took too long. They began to develop late (when they had the idea, go) and that caused that it was not ready until almost the end of the conflict. In January 1945 they carried out some tests and, although the bomb was British, it was the United States Air Force that had of it. Between February and April 1945 they launched a total of 158 Disney bombs against bunkers and submarine factories in Germany. A clear objective was Valentin, a U-Bats factory That it was about to be completed, something that the allies could not allow and managed to cause damage to the target with armor 4.5 meters thick, but had a trick: it had already been previously damaged by the Grand Slam bombs of the British. A fair shotgun. The Disney bomb was a disaster for two reasons. The first and most obvious is that it came very late and attacks on underwater bases did not mean a real difference in the outcome of the conflict in the European territory. But, in addition, they failed. During the Valentin bunker attack More than 60 pumps were launched, but only one directly impacted and, as we say, the damages caused were preceded by the explosions of the British bombs thrown days before. For more inri, in evidence during the years after World War II with controlled releases in the Helgoland Islandof 76 bombs released, it was discovered that the lighting of the rockets failed in 37% of the cases, very limiting the penetrating power of the projectile. In addition, some bombs exploited prematurely and would not serve to achieve the objectives. Yes one thing was discovered: the maximum penetration of 5.08 meters in concrete. The MOP, Disney’s legacy. In the end, between technical, tactical and temporary problems, the efficacy of the Disney pump was extremely limited, but it is clear that it represented an important technological advance in the Antibunker war. So much that he laid the foundations for future penetration weapons. And of those rains, these sludge, as they say. The GBU-57A/B. launched by the US against Iran is the latest technology of the MOP bombs, or ‘Massive Ordnance Penetrator’. The big difference with the Disney pump is that this huge 6.25 meters long projectile and the FRIOLERA OF 13,600 KILOS (2,400 of them are explosives) Yes it works, also penetrating up to 60 meters of concrete. And another difference is that it is launched from such high (12 kilometers from a B-2) that does not need engine, since it is gaining speed as it falls, being very precise thanks to its laser guidance. In short, technology that is not so much of science fiction and that shows that we are great … Read more

One of the most mythical cars in the history of cinema can be “copied” by anyone. And that has consequences for the industry

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You can have Eleanor in the garage. That is what an American court has decided for whom the most famous Ford Mustang of ‘cars thieves’ or his Ramake ’60 seconds’ is mere telzzo and not a character in itself. And this has its particular implications when selling replicas. He is not a character. Specifically, according to a United States Court, it is “ATZZO”. We read the information in Motorpasion where they echo the ratification of a sentence that has been chasing Shelby for a long time. According to his decision, the coach may continue selling Eleanor replicas. That is, if you want, Shelby can sell a preparation of the Ford Mustang as they appeared in the film since those responsible for the Court of Appeals of the Ninth US Circuit have indicated that we are facing a mere vehicle and not a character in itself so you cannot apply copyright. Where do we come from? The decision of this Court certifies the previously issued other courts of lower rank. Denice Halicki, widow of HB Halicki, director, screenwriter and producer of ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’, known in the 70s in Spain as ‘cars thieves’ had denounced Shelby for selling vehicle replicas. Then there was a judicial career that It began in 2022 and that has ended in 2025 with the ratification of the latter court. And although Shelby can continue to manufacture their replicas, there are a little smaller particular cases that have also received good news, Like this youtuber who had been tried for the feet of his particular modification. Identifying features. That is what Denice Halicki has defended all this time. According to the woman of the screenwriter, director and producer of the original film, that Eleanor reappeared with a leading role in the remake known as ’60 seconds’ gave an idea of ​​its relevance and, in his opinion, that it was one more character in the film. For the judge, however, “Eleanor has no right to the protection of the copyright of the characters because (1) had no conceptual qualities, (2) had no consistent features and (3) was not especially distinctive”, in words collected by Carscoop. In fact, they point out that “along four films and eleven appearances in those films, Eleanor lacks consistent features. For example, Eleanor’s physical appearance frequently changes throughout the various films, appearing as a yellow and black fastback Mustback, a Mustang Shelby GT-500 gray and black and an oxidized and without paint that needs repair.” Eleanor is not a batmobo. In the films that have appeared, Eleanor has always been shown as a special car. Without going any further, in ’60 seconds’ Nicolas Cage points to that of all cars that have to steal during the movie, Eleanor is special because he has always escaped him. Knowing if you will get it is, without a doubt, the great attraction of all the films in which you have appeared. But, for the judges, it is not a Batmobile. They point out that in this case we do talk about a character in itself because the Batmóvil can act for itself (without Bruce Wayne at his side) and has a specific and very identity aesthetic (which resembles a bat). Towle test. What the judges applied to know if Eleanor was or not protected by copyright is what is known as “Towle test”. That is, the car would be subject to copyright if it meets the following premises: The character must have physical and conceptual qualities. The character must be sufficiently delineated to be recognizable as the same character every time it appears. It must show consistent and identifiable features and attributes, although the character does not need to have a consistent appearance. The character must be especially different and contain some unique elements of expression. It cannot be an archetypal character. This test refers to what was applied in the same court in 2015 to decide if the Batmóvil was a character in itself, after DC Comics denounced Mark Towel, a man who had manufactured the car replicas. In this case, he failed in favor of the plaintiff and, therefore, the foundations settled to know whether or not a character was a character in himself. A break. As we say, this victory is a break for Shelby and for people who, on their own like the youtuber of B is for buildThey have wanted to work in their own replicas of the famous Mustang Shelby GT-500. These types of replicas are common among the greatest fans of certain films and vehicles that modify their cars to have their own Kitt, Herbie or the Delorean ‘return to the future’. Even Ford has sold its own ‘Bullit’ version of Ford Mustangremembering the beautiful sports that Steve McQueen was driving in the film of the same name. Photo | In Xataka | 17 iconic cinema and TV vehicles in 45 photos: This will be the exhibition of the largest science fiction cars in history

Xiaomi has copied in months what BMW announced as a three -year revolution seen. It is the best example of how the industry is

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On March 16, 2023 we wrote in Xataka that BMW prepared the launch of a head-up display (HUD) in its Neue Klasse. Then it was already warned that we would see it, for the first time, in a car on the street in 2025. The chosen one is the new generation of the BMW series 3, which promises to be a revolution for the brand in many ways. What BMW announced two years seen, Xiaomi has put it on the street a few months. 2023. How many screens are too many screens? With these words we titled in Xataka Our article on BMW’s announcement to put on the market a head-up display little less than infinity. One that crossed the entire width of the vehicle and that will serve to offer precise and personalized information for each passenger. The strategy continues to delve on the path that the company has taken. In recent years, BMW has been one of the companies that More has opted to give it personality To its infotainment systems with very good quality and size screens in the center, instruments of instruments at the height and an HUD with graphics of all kinds. He has even put A huge screen for rear passengers of the most expensive Berlina. Two years of the same. But two years later we remain the same. He BMW Panoramic Vision He surprised first but began to lose strength as time has passed. We have seen it in the CES de Las Vegaswe have seen it At the Münich Mobility Fairwe have seen it, again, in the advances of the future Neue Klasse… In short, the launch of a functionality that Xiaomi, which put on the market its first car a year ago has just presented for its future electric SUVs, has been priming two years. Taking into account that the first car we see from that Neue Klasse It will arrive at the end of 2025everything indicates that Xiaomi is going to pass the German firm on the right. Hypervision Hud. This is what this alternative to the BMW HUD is called that will incorporate the Xiaomi Yu7. As we have seen during your presentation, the projection on the windshield will occupy the entire width of the vehicle and inform the passengers of the information that most interest them. For example, in front of the driver we will have the instrument chart and in the central area of ​​navigation. But the car also has specific graphics for when it is stopped carrying the battery or we want to select a specific music album. The image of Lei Jun, CEO of the company, with all the graphics that the driver has available to configure that giant HUD to his liking is shocking. We read, for example, data on consumption, driving assists, browser, a stopwatch … More than a novelty. The incorporation of this panoramic hud into the new Xiaomi electric car is not only an aesthetic novelty, it is a clear example of how the industry is. Each announcement of the European industry has years (yes, years) of planning, development and implementation. In China, however, it is deciding and executing in record time. Kevin Williams, journalist of InsideevsI explained it well in an article entitled I have been in China and led dozens of electric cars. Western manufacturers are lost. In him he explained how the interiors of Chinese cars had overwhelmed him on a trip to the country and how far from Europe. Also our partner Javier Lacort had the opportunity to sit in an ultra xiaomi or check Where is Byd and its luxury brands In the Asian country. In Xataka We have had the opportunity to speak between scenes with workers from Chinese brands such as Byd or the Chery group that have passed through European companies of the Volkswagen or Stellantis group. All of them have confirmed that Chinese companies work at an inconceivable pace for the European industry. An anecdote that is not so much anecdote. In fact, one of these workers told us that when he worked for the Volkswagen Group every small change in the touch of the car or in the equipment, a bureaucratic tangle, the filter of various departments and, in the best case, the approval to be implemented in the update of half commercial life or in the next generation. That is, these changes would come years later. However, in Xataka We have known that one of these Chinese brands was testing preserving units in Spain that did not like in their first test in terms of tires and tact of the direction referred to. Between two and three later, those cars reached the market with all the changes in equipment and touch of the direction already carried out. It is not the only case. Beyond these two specific cases, the rhythm to which China is subjecting the news launches in electric cars is putting the ropes against the way of acting to the industry. In Europe we continue to announce the launch of “Cheap” electric cars two and three years old. Meanwhile, Byd has just brought to the European market the Byd Dolphin Surf that with aid and discounts can remain in less than 12,000 euros. Another good example is Volkswagen. Its software and platform development strategy has been such a disaster that they burned billions in the development of only two cars (Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche Macan Electric) that, In addition, they were delayed. In fact, the group came to send engineers to China to learn from their work methods and has reached an agreement with Xpeng To provide Audi with a new platform. Nor does Renault escape. Luca de Meo, his CEO, He has reiterated On multiple occasions that one of China’s competitive advantages is that they work at a much faster rate than that of Europeans. Photo | BMW and Xiaomi In Xataka | A alluvion of controversies is eclipsing the launch of the Xiaomi Yu7. … Read more

Venice established a rate to combat tourism hordes. Japan has copied the strategy: the one that arrives, pays

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It happened recently with the arrival of the “Holy Week.” Venice enhanced a little more That pioneering toll years ago. The figures that threw the input rate had gone so well, that the city He folded his price. A measure for which Italy sought to restore the balance between the rights of residents and the massive arrival of visitors. A nation has followed the popular enclave: Japan. Mass tourism and fiscal burden. We have been telling: Japan does not stop Receive touristsand given the unstoppable increase, a growing number of Japanese municipalities It has begun To look at the rates used in other enclaves Like Venice: Implement specific taxes for foreigners, in an effort to compensate for the growing costs that tourism activity imposes on local communities. According to Nikkeithese measures mainly include accommodation taxes per night, but are also expanding towards more innovative taxation forms that seek to exclude local payment residents, applying the principle of “who causes, pays.” The objective is clear: preserve fiscal viability of towns and cities that face a reverse demographic pressure (populations in decline in front of booming tourism) and sustain fundamental public services without moving the burden to those who live there permanently. Accommodation tax. Since Tokyo pioneered a pioneer fixed tax per person And by night in the accommodations, others 11 locations They have joined, the most recent of them Atamiin the prefecture of Shizuoka, which began to collect a tribute from 200 yen per night April 1. This tax, which will generate about 600 million annual yen, will serve to finance the new Atami Tourism Office and local activities such as fireworks festivals. The model adopted by most cities consists of fixed rates, staggered depending on the price of accommodation, to facilitate their collection and minimize the administrative load on hotels and hosts. However, there is a unique case with Kutchanin Hokkaido, which since 2019 imposes A 2% tax On the cost of accommodation in its resort area, a pioneering measure that other municipalities, such as Rusutsuthey study to replicate. Miyajima and the model. One of the most significant developments has been the tax applied by Hatsukaichi for access the island of Miyajimathat since October 2023 gravel with 100 additional yen to each ferry passenger. The measure, inspired by the principle of the so -called as “cause pays”seeks that visitors (not residents) absorb the costs derived from their presence, such as waste management, traffic and water and sewerage services. Unlike other rates aimed at promoting tourism, this is a general tax that can be used for any area of ​​the local budget. With a population of just 1,400 people and 4.85 million visitors in 2024, Miyajima was has become a symbol how mass tourism can overflow the operational capacity of a heritage enclave without adequate corrective measures. Biei: Combined taxes. Another illustrative case occurs in Bieialso in Hokkaido, who proposed A double taxation to balance the impact of tourists: a 200 yen accommodation tax per night and a parking charge in the Shirogane Blue Parkone of its main tourist attractions. With 2.39 million visitors in 2023 but only 158,000 overnight stays, most tourists are one -day hikers, which motivated A mixed scheme For everyone to contribute. Both measures are expected to collect more than 239 million annual yenresources that will be used both to maintain services and to support agricultural policies, in an attempt to reinforce the local economy from multiple fronts. Challenges and risks. As both prefectures and municipalities adopt their own variants of these taxes, new challenges arise, including the double taxation risk in areas where regional and local rates coincide. In addition, given that the fiscal performance of these measures depends directly on the concentration of accommodation facilities, the regions with the highest proportion of visitors without prolonged stay can be at a disadvantage, accentuating territorial inequalities. Solution? Some local governments (such as Sadoin Niigata) have considered alternatives such as Input taxes generalized to the island, which would simplify the collection and guarantee a more equitable distribution of the tax burden between short and long -term visitors. Local response to a global phenomenon. In short, the backdrop of this proliferation of tourist rates is still A paradox Increasingly common: destinations of international fame that at the same time face the collapse of their resident population and the overload of their services for the massive influx of those tourists once longed for their economies. As He counted in Nikkei Mneaki AokiProfessor at the University of Kanagawa and advisor to the tax systems of Miyajima and Biei, the “cause pays” adapts well to places where tourists exceed largely in number to the permanent inhabitants. Faced with tourism as a blessing and burden, these mechanisms seek a more pragmatic solution: conserve hospitality without sacrificing tax sustainability (or local quality of life). In that sense, Japan, with its meticulous normative approach, becomes a RARE Av of policy laboratory that could inspire other countries under the same dilemma, going from “copying” Enclaves like Venice to become a pioneer with their own initiatives. Image | Pexels In Xataka | Venice has just activated his plan against mass tourism: an entry rate that doubles its price In Xataka | Japan has realized that to welcome 60 million tourists, something lacks: workers in the hotels

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