Hotels

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

by

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

Hotel chains are strengthening their loyalty programs for a reason that has nothing to do with hotels: AI

by

Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt, three of the largest hotel chains in the world, are accelerating their loyalty programs to get direct reservations, he explains Financial Times. The immediate objective is to save the 15-25% commissions they pay to Booking or Expedia, but the real concern is another: to prepare for when AI agents book trips for us. Why is it important. Who controls the relationship with the client when the AI agents become widespread will control the business. Hotel chains have seen this movie before: This is what happened to e-commerce stores that sold directly, but were disintermediated by Amazon Marketplace. Or to the bloggers who went from publishing on their own websites to platforms like Substack, which promised range and parne. Or the developers who went from selling software directly to depending on the Apple and Google stores. Or, ahem, the media that lost control of distribution to, basically, Google. The facts. Hotel chains are promoting their programs: Marriott Bonvoy reached 260 million members in September, up 18% from a year ago. Hilton is making it easier to access higher tiers while partnering to use points outside of its wallet. Marriott’s CFO has already stated that AI bookings “could be cheaper than OTAs.” Translation: they prefer to pay commissions to OpenAI than to Booking. But only if they maintain control of the data and the relationship with the customer. Between the lines. The obsession with loyalty programs has its logic. If they can get 260 million people to be “Bonvoy members” with registered preferences and accumulated points, when the AI ​​agents arrive they will have to count on them. Or so they hope. Because this strategy assumes that AI agents will care about brands. But maybe not. Yes, but. A really useful conversational agent will scan all the available offer, compare prices in real time, read thousands of reviews and book. Without needing to see any interface. Without the brand mattering too much. Optimizing for price, location and reviews, not whether it’s a Marriott or a Hilton. If the customer never sees the brand, many decades and many dollars invested in brand recognition evaporate. The big question. Who will we trust more: Booking, which we know charges the hotel a commission, or an AI agent whose incentives we do not know to take us to one place or another? At least current platforms are transparent: they charge the hotel and you pay for what you see. With opaque agents making decisions for us, we won’t even have that. In perspective. This pattern will be repeated in dozens of industries. Insurance comparators, marketplacesrestaurant reservations, investment selection… Any digital intermediary whose value is “helping you choose” can be replaced by an AI agent that chooses for you. Hotels will not be the only ones building loyalty walls. Any company whose contact with the end customer is intermediated by digital platforms should be preparing. Because AI agents won’t arrive in five years. The first ones are already here, clumsy, but improving every quarter. In Xataka | AI agents are very useful, until they turn against you to leak information: the dangers of ‘prompt injection‘ Featured image | Michael Mrozek

There are so many people in Madrid that even its surroundings are being touristized with luxury hotels. And that raises suspicions

by

Navalagamella is a town of just over 3,000 inhabitants located in the Community of Madrid that has been grabbing headlines for years for a peculiar reason: there, on the southern slope of the Cerro Alarcón reservoirbetween pine forests and holm oaks, a luxury hotel is about to be built with more than 60 roomsrestaurants, sports center and gym, among other services. A complex dedicated to relaxation located less than an hour from Madrid and which arrives preceded by the controversy. His interest, however, transcends Navalagamella. In a place in Madrid… More specifically in the southern slope of the Cerro de Alarcón reservoir, in Navalagamella, near Valdemorillo, a new luxury hotel which has come preceded by controversy. For his defenders It will boost the town’s economy, promoting “quality” tourism and generating more than a hundred jobs. For its detractors, it is an error that will have a negative impact in the environment and raises doubts about how it will affect issues as basic as water supply and treatment or traffic. More than an infographic. The project is not exactly new. In fact takes years talking about the Vivood chain’s plans to set up a large resort in the heart of Madrid’s mountains, less than an hour’s drive from the capital. The novelty, the reason why it has rung againit is because it has begun to take shape. In September the Navalagamella City Council launched a statement to announce the start of works on Cerro de Alarcón and the demolition of the old yacht club. The Newspaper assures In fact, preliminary felling has already been carried out, which will allow work to start at any time. The Consistory has not been the only one to speak out. Shortly after Ecologists in Action raised his voice to underline two other ideas. First to warn that, despite the initial commitment of the promoters to “respect the trees”, oaks, pines and cedars have already been cut down. Second (more serious) to insist that the work has started under a license granted by the City Council in July despite the fact that the appeal for a previous license is still pending in the courts. A “Landscape Hotel”. The project has not only caused people to talk because of the controversy that preceded it. It also stands out for its proposal. The future complex of the Vivood chain moves away from the traditional concept of a vertical hotel and opts for a horizontal construction, made up of small pieces spread across the mountain. EPE speaks specifically 55 bungalows and villas with 66 rooms, as well as restaurants, a sports club and beach clubpier and parking. The idea is to use mineral mortars, treated stone, materials that integrate the buildings into the environment. When announcing the start of the works, the Navalagamella City Council spoke in fact of a “Hotel-Landscape in Cerro de Alarcón”. Vivood already has a similar complex in Benimantell. “We were very clear about our essence: betting on a different luxury, based on disconnection, silence, relaxation… This is what we have been doing in Alicante”, explained in June 2023 to Idealista the CEO and founder of the company, Daniel Mayo. Right or wrong? Significant projects usually arouse as much criticism as they do enthusiasm. And the future luxury hotel in Navalagamella is no exception. For the City Council It will “promote” the region as a “quality tourist destination”, generate employment, promote training in the sector and “contribute significantly to local economic development.” According to the calculations managed, the project will create more than 150 positions. Regarding the legal framework of the works, he insists that the hotel has all the permits, including environmental reports. “It remains to be seen what costs it will have”. Not everyone shares his optimism. On the contrary, Ecologists in Action remember that the complex will be located next to a Special Protection Area for Birds and warns that the works have destroyed trees and threaten to cause an even greater impact. “The hotel will have the possibility of hosting and celebrating mass events, with the consequent noise pollution and its negative effects on the local species,” warns the environmental group, which insists that the project fails to comply with the Habitats Directive and will also cause “inconvenience” for those who already reside in the area. Among other issues, it warns about the demand for water and traffic. Recently EPE visited the region to talk to neighbors who also have doubts about the real impact of the hotel. There is concern that it will end the tranquility that the inhabitants of the residences of Cerro Alarcón or how it will affect neighboring towns. “The most affected road would be the one that connects the town with the urbanization, and it remains to be seen what costs this story will have for the Valdemorillo City Council,” Julia reflectsa neighbor of the area. The backdrop. The Navalagamella project stands out for something else. One of its main attractions is its proximity to Madrid, a city that lives its own tourist boom and offers a potential market with thousands of families eager to have weekend options without having to travel hundreds of kilometers. The future Cerro Alarcón hotel reflects the interest (and enormous potential) aroused by rural Madrid in the mountains and pre-mountains. Also the challenges that this brings for the environment or public services in areas with a now limited population, as is the case in Navalagamella, where they live. 3,100 people. Images | Navalagamella Town Hall Via | The Spanish Newspaper In Xataka | The coast of Huelva has been touristed for decades. Now one of its last virgin areas will become a megaurbanization

In 2023 New York closed the tap to Airbnb to protect his home. Two years later, only hotels are happy

by

To desperate problems, imaginative solutions. A few years ago New York decided to stop the housing crisis which has long dragged with a measure that put the focus directly on Airbnb. The baptized as Local Law 18 made renting floors to tourists, for short stays, of less than 30 days, results Much more complicated and thus achieve a double objective: enforce the sector regulations and protect the low housing offer in the city. The norm premiered just two years ago. And the balance is far from being the ideal. A name: Local Law 18. New York is not the only city that has proposed to limit the supply of holiday rental. Something have done in Florence, London, Barcelona either Madridto name just a handful of examples. The attempt of the Big Apple resulted in particularly media, both because of the repercussion that the city has and its content. The known as Local Law 18approved in September 2023, imposed limitations to those who were dedicated to lease their houses for periods of less than 30 days. From entry NY demanded that the Caseros register and prohibited AirbnB (and similar platforms) to manage reservations if the accommodations did not meet that requirement, a measure similar to that incorporated with Spain with their “Single record“Not only that. In addition to registering, the law established that the landlords must comply with certain guidelines That in practice it limits who (and especially how) can be put in the market: nothing to rent whole houses, only rooms, the hosts must be present and the number of guests is also very restricted. A double objective. With the new standard the New York authorities pursued two goals. The first, to facilitate the coexistence in the apartments blocks in which residential and holiday floors lived. The second (and most important) Palliar The housing crisis that dragged the city. Two years later the communities of neighbors of the Big Apple may have fewer problems with groups of noisy tourists, but there are serious doubts that the second purpose, the really ambitious, has been achieved. The best test was left a few days ago by the newspaper The Wall Street Journal in A broad analysis With a title that is at the same time a sentence and demonstrates that (at least) the debate remains open: “The campaign against Airbnb in New York has not improved the housing offer.” Although since September 2023 New Yorkers have more complicated to offer their floors in Airbnb or Booking does not seem that this has translated into a distension of the residential market. On the contrary, The newspaper affirms Conservative: “It is more difficult than ever finding an apartment to rent in the city.” And that is something that can be checked by consulting both prices and housing stock available in NY. What do the data say? That New York floors have not stopped becoming more expensive in the last two years. Zillow shows for example that the average long -stay rental price is now in $ 3,750150 more than a year ago. “The law does not seem to have a significant impact on getting leases more affordable,” confirms a TWSJ Jonathan Miller, manager of a real estate appraisal company. According to its calculations, the market has even reached a historical maximum of $ 4,700 per month in Manhattan, although it acknowledges that factors such as lack of new work influence that figure. Airbnb also handles data that show that NY tenants do not have it easier today than before the local law 18. The platform is an interested party and that must be taken into account when driving Your figuresbut they are eloquent: the New York City rental index rose 8.1%, that of Manhattan 8.6%, Brooklyn 7.7%and Queens 6.5%. The portal also warns of the “load” involved in rental for the pockets of the periphery families. “Almost three million New Yorkers pay more than 30% of their income for rent,” prevents. A percentage: 2.45%. It is not just about the cost of rent. The housing stock available in NY still is not what is said Boyante, which a priori would facilitate prices to soften. Miller assures That last July the vacancies for residential rental in Manhattan marked a meager 2.45%, near the historical minimum. In that same idea affects Airbnb, which a few days ago launched A statement regretting that, despite the fact that short -term rentals in New York have fallen more than 90%, “rental vacancies have dropped 0.5%” with respect to 2023. And everything, insists the platform“without signs of a significant improvement in housing availability.” But … how is it possible? The million dollar question. And it has no easy answer. To start there is something obvious and that is that the NY market It takes time facing challenges such as the rise of rentals or the shortage of the stock, which do not respond to a single factor. In addition the Big Apple is not the only US region that has dealt with The increase of housing, aggravated by the lack of new work. In your analysis TWSJ It provides data Interesting that helps to understand why local law 18 has failed to reverse the trend and its effect has barely appreciated: although two years ago there were thousands of floors available to tourists on Airbnb, they actually suppose only a small part of NY’s huge real estate cake. In early 2023 in the city there were around 38,500 Airbnb units, As needed The economic newspaper, a very low fact if one takes into account that in the free market there were more than one million residential units. Right now the special compliance office has registered only 3,000 rentals in the short term that the strict requirements of the law meet and can be announced legally. That does not mean that the remaining thousands of floors are leased by New York families that use them as stable and permanent homes. Another fact: 35,000 homes. There are owners who, not being … Read more

In Madrid there were no economic hotels left, but there was a “virgin” space for tourists: polygons

by

Like most of the large cities on the planet, prices for stay in Madrideither for a long time like a short stay, they have shot themselves. If we focus on tourist accommodations, already We tell it Recently: it’s not a sensation, hotels are more expensive than ever In Spain, and in cities such as the capital They are prohibitive. In fact, tourists are beginning to look for other destinations Like Morocco. The solution for hoteliers is in the surroundings: the polygons. The new face. Three years ago it was already coming. Then, he counted in a Report the ABC That on the outskirts of the M-30, where many still believe that Madrid is blurred in gray ships and empty streets at the afternoon, the polygon Julián Camarillo It offered a radically different image. This almost 200 hectares enclave, located between the linear city and Suanzes stations, had begun to transform into a vibrant, accelerated and multifaceted area, a reflection of a city in constant mutation. Its streets combine industrial vestiges from the 50s to 80s with new constructions, hotels, artisan breweries, gastronomic spaces, technological centers and an incipient cultural vocation. As happened before in Barrios Like Shoreditch in London or the District 22@ from Barcelonathe polygon seemed to position itself as an urban laboratory where the post -industrial laboratory gives way to the allegedly modern. Tourist destination Three years later, The country counted That in Julián Camarillo, which once was territory marked by half -empty offices, aged industrial buildings and unused solar, a phenomenon as unexpected as unstoppable is brewing: its transformation into an incipient hotel district. Yes, what at first glance seemed a little hospitable environment has become A tourist reef Thanks to its proximity to the center of Madrid and at the low cost of accommodation. Here is a proper name: the Catalan businessman Óscar Sánchez, founder of the Bestprice chainhas been one of the pioneers to bet on the enclave, describing it as an “oil well” for the potential it offers to those who risk. Its hotels, located only eight subway stops from Puerta del Sol, attract young visitors who prioritize the price aesthetics. The figures endorse it: since 2020 they have Opened eight hotels in the area and there are at least seven others in project. From illegal loft to functional hotels. Apparently, the previous attempts For redefining the area they did not prosper with equal success. At the beginning of the century, the New York Soho model with the loft fashion was attempted, and then promoted the term Madbit to attract to Technology companies. Both initiatives collided with the lack of regulation and a weak corporate demand. Instead, hotels have grown without institutional campaigns or brand names for the neighborhood. The specialized real estate agency in the area confirmed the country that many office promoters are transforming their projects into tourist establishments due to the evidence that the demand for accommodation exceeds that of work space. This boom coincides with something we have gone counting: he normative hardening Towards Airbnb and Tourist Housing The historical record of visitors in Madrid, where 10.4 million tourists were reached in 2024. The Carabanchel node Urban Fever. In the background, international consultants have confirmed the effervescence of the sector. Colliers has identified more than 60,000 square meters available for new hotel projects in Julián Camarillo, although warns that urban limits slow down the rhythm, so many of the New establishments They are small and functional, with less than one hundred rooms. Most are classified as a star hotels, and together they add more than 1,500 active rooms. Meanwhile, chains Like Ibis or Spark by Hilton They add to the model initiated by Bestprice, consolidating the area as the one that wakes up most between investors. Other consultants, Like Engel & VölkersThey observe a similar trend in industrial polygons from other cities such as Valencia, Bilbao or Barcelona, ​​where land prices and the lack of alternatives in the center push the hotel sector to colonize spaces traditionally relegated to the manufacturing activity. Asequible accommodation. The triumph of this model is Understand alone. The logic behind this transformation is because there are every time Less active factoriesoffices do not absorb enough demand and tourism needs affordable spacewell communicated and functional. With rates of between 60 and 70 euros per night, 20 minutes from the center of Madrid, hotels in polygons such as Julián Camarillo fill that hole. Carabanchel adds. Something similar is also happening to the south of the capital, although here with the aim of giving a housing alternative to creative young people at a step in the city. It The world told. In the heart of Carabanchel, a neighborhood more and more associated with urban artHE Inaugurated Node Carabanchela half stay hotel that redefines the concept of flexible accommodation with a thousand rooms designed for creative young people, students, digital nomads “and people in vital transition.” With one investment of 100 million In euros, the gigantic complex includes fully equipped studies and apartments, and offers a community experience focused on art, music and coworking, with spaces such as rehearsal rooms, podcast, theater, gym, swimming pool, sporting tracks and a scourge on the roof for concerts and cultural events. Replicating other models. Node aspires not only to accommodate, but to actively integrate into the local fabric through collaborations With schools, galleries and neighborhood artists, promoting a living and shared community. Driven by the Node Living company With the support of Bain Capital, this is its third project in Madrid and is part of an international expansion that replicates a model born in Brooklyn and already present in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London and Barcelona. Mutant neighborhoods. Be that as it may, all these proposals have a common denominator: Madrid is made big And it reinvents itself because its nerve center has become A theme park of Closed Coto. Of course, the spontaneity with which they have Grown polygons like Julián Camarillo To tourist district modes, they … Read more

The hotels have been asking for years and photocopying our ID when doing check-in. They cannot and should not do it

by

“The DNI, please.” That is the phrase with which they usually receive the receptions of hotels and lodging when we register in them. In many cases these hotels not only prove our identity, but even photocopy that document. It is something that we will see this vacation very much, but the AEPD just ratified a warning that already made months ago. Of photocopy of the DNI, nothing. The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has published a note in relation to the “application for copies of identity documents in lodging.” In it he explains how current laws for hotels and lodgings do impose certain obligations by registering travelers, but Your conclusion is clear: “A copy of the identity document should not be requested.” What does the law say. He Royal Decree 933/2021of October 26, specifies the documentary registration obligations in lodging activities and motor vehicles. According to this law, those responsible for those businesses – for example, hotels’ receptionists – are obliged to collect certain data from natural persons who use their services, prior to those start of those. ” It is true that they must check the identity, but from that to ask us for the ID to photocopy it half a world. The DNI provides too much information. In fact, according to the AEPD, “request a copy of the National Identity or Passport document violates the principle of Data minimization (…) And it is an excessive data processing. “The ID contains more data than hotels need to comply with the regulations, but there is also another danger. Identity Supplant. That in the hotels someone makes a photocopy of our DNI “implies, among others, an unnecessary risk of impersonation of identity, which must be avoided or, at least, effectively mitigated,” they explain in the statement. It is something that can effectively generate a real threat to people who end up becoming victims of scams. That is why police itself recommends that when they ask us for a copy of the ID – for example, for online efforts – Let’s modify it before sharing it. And a copy is not suitable. In the AEPD they explain that sending a copy of the identity document is not even adequate because that copy “lacks sufficient suitability to comply with the purpose of the norm.” A Enough form. In the AEPD they point out that Royal Decree 933/2021 requires very specific data (indicated in sections A.3, A.4, B.3 and B.4 of Annex I), namely: Name, surname Sex Identity and type document number Nationality Birthdate Usual residence address (town, country) Fixed / mobile phone / email Number of travelers Kinship relationship between travelers (if there are minors) Date of the contract, and of the entrance and exit Payment data (type of payment, holder, payment date) And all these data can be provided by completing a form, which can also be done online through the Internet or in person in the lodging. The hotel can check the data. In the establishment where we stayed, it would no longer be necessary to make a photocopy of the ID: “It could be enough to visually verify the correspondence between the data provided and the identity document exhibited.” There are in fact other options that the AEPD indicates for that data validation: Through digital certificates Through the data associated with the means of payment used Sending host security codes so that they use them as authentication factors If you share the ID, do it with a water mark. There are very easy ways to add water marks to the document if we have to share it with anyone. One of the most striking is Saferlayera tool that It can be used directly from a browser and “modifies” the ID by adding an unequivocal pattern that makes it clear that this document is a copy and that it still allows you to consult the DNI data. There have already been fines. The AEPD has been pronouncing on the cases in which various entities request photocopy of the DNI. He did it for example in the case of Messaging companiesand it has been warning about the practice that is already common in photocopy hotels. However, there have been fines to companies for requesting these copies unnecessarily. It happened at the Marins Playa Hotel, to which he fined With 30,000 eurosand also to Orange, who received a fine of 100,000 euros for the practice of confirming the identity of customers during package deliveries and photographing the DNI on both sides. In Xataka | I’m sorry, I’m not going to sign the box of my personal data

Spain has declared the Airbnb war. So hotels have uploaded prices

by

Last week the Ministry of Consumer claimed Airbnb that Block about 66,000 “illegal” ads of tourist apartments spread throughout Spain. The fight against Break of Tourist Floors In our country it continues to give many headaches, but blocking those ads points to a direct consequence already known and feared by tourists. New York is more exclusive. The city that never sleeps He planted face to short -term rentals offered by Airbnb, VRBO or Booking. The goal was to alleviate the abuses and exorbitant prices with which the New Yorkers dealt every time they had to look for residence. Eighteen months later the conclusions of the measures were worrisome and universal: the prices of the floors that were maintained in that catalog of services rose, and what people did when looking for rentals to live (not holidays) was New Jersey end. And the lesson of Barcelona. The city is the only one that has limited tourist floors since 2014. This would allow many of them to return to the traditional rental market and thus the average rental price would fall. As indicated in In the countrya PWC report demolishes those two myths after analyzing what has happened since 2014 to 2023 in that city: The accumulated growth of traditional rentals has been 2.2%, totally insufficient. Much of the homes that were rented via Airbnb have not returned “to the traditional market The rental price has fired 72% in that period More expensive hotels. And those who have benefited from the situation have been hotels. In 2024, the average price per room and night It was 187.8 euros In Barcelona, ​​8% more than in 2023 and 30% more than in 2019. Barcelona is already the third most expensive destination in its hotel offer in Spain only behind Marbella and the Balearic Islands, according to a study by Cushman & Wakefield’s consultant. 12,000 empty homes. The Apartur Association of Tourist Apartments in Barcelona indicates that there are 12,000 empty homes that do not go on the residential rental market. They do not according to them for two reasons: the price limitation, which reduces profitability, and the High Okupation. The solution would be to offer both legal certainty and tax incentives for owners. Otherwise, those responsible for the association say, the situation will continue to be equally problem or more. Madrid points to the same (worrying) destination. The housing problem goes beyond tourist floorsand although the intention of the Ministry of Consumer is good, it is not likely that these more than 65,000 homes will pass to the residential market to relieve the situation. A report From ESADEECPOL reveals how homemade prefer seasonal rentals (between 1 and 12 months) because it does not force signing five -year contracts or limiting prices as in some areas (Caraluña, the Basque CountryNavarra and Asturias). The other consequence: empty houses. Adolfo Meras is the president of Madrid, an association that represents 5,000 homemade housing housing. According to him, “there are many homemade who They leave their empty houses due to the lack of guarantees and because they are not willing to do without their homes during the five years that the Law of Urban Leases marks. “They prefer to have their empty houses to be able to dispose of them occasionally and if they need it, to rent them with the conditions imposed by the law currently. My apartment like bonus. The Mabrian firm has conducted a tourist offer monitoring study, and according to data cited in the country, the photo of the tourist rental is different from the one that We imagined. Tourist floors are not controlled by large funds: large holders (more than 11 homes) represent 2% of total hosts. Individuals (a home), 74.1% and small holders (two to 10), 23.9%. Three out of four hosts, therefore, “use their properties as a route to obtain additional income, while extending the ability to accommodate tourist accommodation in the destinations,” emphasizes Carlos Cendra, partner of Mabrian. Tourism punishment. The limits that have been imposed on Airbnb in the past in cities such as Barcelona or New York, and that gradually leave extending to other citiesthey are not relieving the housing problem because those tourist floors They do not become residential rentals. The direct consequence is the rise in prices in the existing tourist offer, both in Airbnb or Booking and in hotels, something that ends up being a problem for tourism. It can reduce it, which will placate the anger of those who criticize mass tourism, but it does not seem to be causing these cities to solve their housing problem. Image | Jorge Fernández Salas In Xataka | After expanding throughout the planet, touristification has reached Antarctica. And it is already taking its toll

Japan has realized that to welcome 60 million tourists, something lacks: workers in the hotels

by

Japanese tourism does not come out of accounts. Not at least if the government maintains its goal of reaching in 2030 the 60 million of foreign tourists, considerably above record which already registered last year. An Apir study shows that reaching that goal would require that many (many) work in the tourism sector. Birth crisis and where the accommodations They already drag A personnel deficit. Thus Japan takes risks to have to reth OMOTENASHI. A figure: 36.8 million. 2024 was a memorable year for the Japanese tourism sector. The popularity of destiny, the Paulatina recovery of international trips after the pandemic stop and the Weakness of Yen allowed Japan to reach a New record of tourists and expense. Its flow was so high that in some regions it caused friction with the local population, as in Fujikawaguchiko, where they reached Install a screen To cover the views of the Fuji. The figures help to better understand how the year was. In 2024 Japan received 36.8 million of international tourists, above the record reached before the pandemic (in 2019 they were counted 32 million) and with a total expenditure that exceeded the 51,000 million of dollars. 2025 has not started badly. According to the National Tourism Organization in January, the 3.8 million of foreign visitors. An objective: 60 million. The 2024 balance is high, but Japanese authorities seem to know little. Your goal is to maintain the trend and reach the 60 million of foreign visitors in 2030, a data that expects it to arrive accompanied by an expense of billions of dollars. The goal is so ambitious that it has already caused a certain debate. At the end of 2024 a columnist of The Japan Times He wondered If the country is “prepared” to receive that flood of travelers and in February another newspaper, The Mainichipublic An editorial in which he stated that Japan should “change the focus” of the sector to the increase of visitors. As? Going from “quantity to quality.” One question: Is it possible? That is what they have wondered in the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (Apir). What exactly does the entry of 60 million of tourists? What size and resources should the sector have to assume such demand? To answer these issues, they basically set the muscle of the Japanese tourist tissue. Its conclusion is curious: with the current trend and if it maintains the goal of the 60 million, the sector will find a deficit of hundreds of thousands of workers, a work emptiness that will affect hotels and food services. A prognosis: 536,000. To be accurate the estimated workers’ deficit is 536,000 employeeswhich would mean a problem to address the flow of tourists that the Government aspires to move in five years. Many vacancies may seem, but two trends that “throw” in the opposite sense are understood: on the one hand it is expected that the flow of tourists will increase, on the other that the templates of the hotels and food services are in 2030 a 1.9% lower than last year. A challenge: employment. According to The data collected by The Asashi Shimbunone of the main newspapers in the country, to meet the increase in demand and compensate for the labor deficit, the level of productivity of the sector should increase 2.8% per year. Apartages, the reality is that companies face two draft challenges. One is the demographic derives of the country, which It has been for years losing inhabitants and lime its population of employment population. The other challenge is the capacity of the sector to capture workers. Right now there are accommodations that already drag a considerable template deficit. In 2024 Nikkei spoke more specifically businesses that lack more than 20% of the labor they would really need. “We are definitely seeing a shortage of personnel in the industry,” I recognized Recently a This Week in Asia Masaru Takayama, responsible for a travel agency based in Kyoto. “Many companies in the tourism sector had to fire personnel during pandemic and those people found employment in other sectors,” Takayama abounds. “Now tourism has returned to normal and, with more activity than ever, we have lost those people who have gone to new careers. We have lost their skills and knowledge.” A proposal: 40 million. APIR is not limited to pointing out the personnel deficit to which Japan risks if it maintains its goal of reaching 60 million tourists. The organism also launches A recommendation: rethink that goal, reduce it to 40 million and change the approach. Your proposal goes in The line of The Mainichi: No matter how many tourists arrive (if there are 40, 50 or 60 million) as what they do with their portfolios once they are in Japan. “Instead of focusing on the number of foreign visitors, we should encourage them to spend more,” Yoshihisa Inada points outfrom the University of Konan and responsible for the study. A question: What would you mean? The calculations They are clear from the institute. With 40 million the flow of foreign tourists would still be 8% higher than that of 2024 and the country would continue to suffer from a labor -handed deficit in the tourism industry, but much lower: in that case APRI estimates it in around 138,000 people. To meet demand, there would therefore an increase in annual productivity of 0.7%. Beyond the number of visitors and their symbolic value for the country, the big question is … staying at 40 million and renouncing those extra tourists would stop stopping entering a lot of money? After all, the Government not only aspires to move 60 million travelers in 2030. He wants that farm to arrive accompanied by a tourist expense of around 15 billion yen, about 101,000 million dollars. APRI Calculate That to maintain that goal with 40 million visitors, traveler spending should exceed 227,000 yen (€ 1,400) from 2024 to 375,000 (2,300). A conclusion: “You can”. For a little there are few doubts. “If we improve the … Read more

If you have the feeling that hotels are more expensive than ever in Spain, the data is right

by

If you have the impression that hotels are more expensive than ever, no, they are not your impressions. As the sector grows in Spain and the flow of foreign tourists reaches record levelsanother key indicator for accommodations also rebound: prices. Grow. At a good pace. Above Even inflation. And do so coinciding with A boom of the tourist floors that has already led to the administration to take action by Its impact In the residential offer. The data are of course revealing. A fact: 94 million. 2024 was a good year for Spanish tourism. Or at least this is reflected by the data handled by the Government, which in January He checked Due to the figures harvested by the sector: throughout 2024 the country received about 94 million foreign visitors, a record balance that exceeds the data of 2023 by 10% and arrived accompanied by a 16% rebound in spending, which in counting and sound money translates into around 126,000 million of euros. The Ministry of Industry and Tourism Trust In addition, the streak is maintained in 2025. Its estimates suggest that during the first four -month period will receive 26 million tourists, 9% more than last year, with an even more pronounced rise in spending. Things are somewhat different if we talk about the trips of residents in Spain, than in The third quarter Of 2024 they suffered a slight fall. January data 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2O19 Daily average rate (ADR) € 112.8 104.9 95.7 85.7 62.2 82.1 81.4 Hotel Price Index (IPH) 141.9 133.7 124.2 112.1 95.2 106.5 105.4 Income by available room (Revpar) € 64.1 58.9 51.7 33.7 12.6 44.6 43.3 And prices? The flow of tourists imports, but it also matters the evolution of prices in hotels. And the INE data are in that case even clearer: the so -called daily average rate (ADR), which shows the daily average income obtained by occupied room, has grown at a good pace in the last years. The data varies depending on the month (as does the flow of tourists), but if we take as a reference August the progression is clearly appreciated: in 2024 it was 146.9 euros, in 2023 of 136.8 and before the pandemic, in 2019, it was at 109.3. In December it was 117, the largest ADR at the end of one year. Are there more clues? Yes. The income by available room and what the INE calls “Hotel price indices” (Iph). The latter is an interesting clue because it shows the evolution of prices that apply to customers housed in hotels, from the optics of the offer and including both normal rates and those charged on weekends in professional circuits, such as Turoperadores, large groups and companies. In December 2024, the iPph was 144.8 compared to 137 of the same month of 2023 and 109.7 of 2019, just before the pandemic. In general, it is the highest indicator for a year closure of the entire historical series, which starts in 2002. In its analysis, the INE takes into account all LPS Hotels, from the most basic to the five stars. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Going down even more in detail. A few days ago economist Ángel Talavera shared in X A series of data of Oxford Economics and Hover Analytics that help to better understand how hotels prices in Spain have evolved over the last five years. Specifically, it indicates the last rise in the rates, but above all its increase with respect to those charged before COVID-19. “Already almost 40% above prepandymia prices, which represents 20% more expensive by adjusting for inflation,” Precise The expert. Your data They reflect an increase in income from available room even greater, of almost 50%, and they arrive accompanied by some interesting reflections, such as the businesses that rise most are precisely those most expensive and cheapest, standing out with respect to intermediate accommodations. Comparing with the CPI. Another of the keys indicated by Talavera is the evolution of the cost of accommodation with respect to the evolution of IPC and the differences between them. The expert appreciates a clear “decoupling” Since mid -2022, with a significantly higher increase in hotel prices. The data The Ministry of Industry and Tourism also help to get an idea of ​​the evolution of the General Price Index and the specific tourism and hospitality. The trend is especially interesting in recent years, coinciding with the rise in rates in accommodations, largely driven by destinations such as Marbella or Ibiza, with historical prices. The data correspond to full years, except in the case of the current exercise. And what are the reasons? There are several keys. The economist points out an especially interesting: the double speed at which national and abroad tourism progresses. The data of Hotel occupation The INE shows that while the second grew 8.2%, that of the residents experienced a slight fall. TO The less at the country’s lodging receptions its number decreased 0.7%. Among the foreigners, the arrivals of the United Kingdom, Germany or France, countries with a per capita income higher than the Spanish. Over the last years the sector has also been marked by The boom of holiday rental, which has already forced the administration (both The central as at the level regional and local) to move file to control its impact on the residential market. The INE also shows how the Price index Tourist apartments has increased sensitively. Images | Martijn vonk (Unspash) and Segitur In Xataka | Spanish tourism faces the real risk of dying of success. There are already guides that advise three of its great destinations

Hotels televisions are very limited. LG and Samsung want to solve it in a very simple way

by

Hotel televisions serve for rather little. As a general rule, these screens serve to see a handful of channels that may not be interested in theme or language, or to consult information about the hotel. Be that as it may, the reality is that if we want to see something before sleeping we depend quite the mobile, the tablet or the laptop. How to solve it? Very easy: activating Google Cast, something that LG and Samsung You will do on your televisions from now on. Hotels and TVS. As a general rule, the televisions that we find in the hotels have activated the “Hospitality mode” or “Hotel Mode”. This mode serves to apply the same configuration to many televisions and limit functions such as the maximum volume, the canal list, the configuration menu, the installation of apps or Access to the HDMI port. On some occasions, the HDMI block is as simple as hitting the television to the wall. Reasons for using this mode? Several. One is clear and it is to prevent some guests can bother others by putting the highest TV of the account, for example. Another is to prevent the user from being discharged, log in and forget about closing it and another, no less obvious, is that if the hotel has a system of Pay Per View open the HDMI port or the casting It means losing money. The counterpart is that the host can be forgotten to connect a Fire TV stick or a chromect, a laptop or even a console that is the case. There are guides To unlock televisions, but perhaps it is not interesting to expose something wrong and you have to give explanations to the establishment. Image | Unspash The Korean proposal. If the user wants to see something on TV, what less than to give him the option. Thus, LG and Samsung have chosen to open Google Cast on their next hotels. These will be presented at the ISE 2025 in a few days. This technology is already commonly used in all homes and, basically, allows content to be broadcast on the TV just by clicking a button. Google Cast adds to Apple Airplay, technology that reached TVs for LG hotels in 2023. General recommendations. Be that as it may, it should not be forgotten that hotels wifi networks may not be so safe and/or robust as the network of our house. So, It is convenient to use a VPN whenever possible and avoid entering personal information. Cover image | Unspash In Xataka | The new hotels record promises that they will not ask us for more data. Nor the hoteliers themselves are convinced

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.