Fusion & Acquisition

🏖️ Siblu acquires Camping De Tol in the Netherlands and Domaine Sous Les Pins in France. In the Netherlands, Camping De Tol spans 12 hectares in Nunspeet, an hour from Amsterdam, with plans to expand from 173 camping-caravanning pitches and 119 mobile homes to 260 mobile homes. This marks Siblu's sixth location in the country. In France, adding Domaine Sous Les Pins grows Siblu's La Pignade Village in La Tremblade from 487 to 580 pitches.

🏨 Invesco Real Estate sold an asset, the NH Collection Milan CityLife hotel, opened in 2022 and located in Milan’s CityLife district. The hotel has 185 rooms and is part of Schroders Capital European Leased Hotel Fund. Schroders Capital, managing €3.6 billion in hotel investments, now has three hotels in Italy, including the Westin Milan and the St Regis Venice, and employs a team of 40 experts across Paris, London, and Amsterdam. The sale is part of Invesco’s plan to reallocate funds for strategic investment opportunities.

🏖️ Migros, a Swiss retail and insurance giant, has sold its tourism subsidiaries Hotelplan and InterHome. Hotelplan was acquired by Dertour Suisse, a subsidiary of German Dertcour, for an undisclosed amount. HomeToGo purchased European competitor InterHome for 150 million Swiss francs (€160 million), with a potential additional payment of €90 million by 2029. HomeToGo, founded in 2014, boasts 15 million listings in 200 countries and has previously acquired Tripping.com in 2018, Amivac in January 2022, eDomizil in March, and 51% of KMW Reisen and Super Urlaub in December 2023.

🏨 Between October and December 2024, Preferred Hotels & Resorts added ten new properties worldwide including Europe. The European additions include Kitzhof – Mountain Design Resort in Austria with 160 rooms, César Lanzarote in Spain with 20 rooms, Appenzeller Huus – Huus Loewen in Switzerland with 120 rooms, and Das Achental in Germany with 130 rooms. Further international openings are Aurika Mumbai International Airport (India) with 325 rooms, Aurika Udaipur (India) with 139 rooms, Hotel Las Islas (Colombia) with 55 rooms, L'Ermitage Beverly Hills (California, USA) with 114 rooms, Gamboa Rainforest Reserve (Panama) with 166 rooms, and Hotel Magnolia (Chile) with 40 rooms. This expansion is part of a record growth year since 2019 for the luxury independent hotel portfolio.

🏠 Driftwood Capital launched Driftwood Lifestyle & Luxury (DLLUX) led by Alinio Azevedo, former CEO of Aspen Hospitality, managing 12 assets including eight owned by its funds. Since 2019, Driftwood invested over $2 billion in luxury residences and brands, with projects like Westin Resort & Spa Cocoa Beach and Dream Miami. A new investment fund exceeding $3 billion targets luxury travel markets in the U.S. and internationally.

💰 Kering, owner of Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta, reported a 62% drop in net profit in 2024 with a 12% decrease in revenue to €17.19 billion. Gucci sales plummeted by 23% last year, impacting Kering's results. Kering parted with Gucci's creative director Sabato de Sarno, appointed in 2022, aiming to revitalize the brand. The luxury market's overall slowdown in 2024, along with Gucci's underperformance since Alessandro Michele's tenure, affected the whole group. Despite setbacks, Kering maintains strong liquidity for future investments.

📝 Since January 7, professionals have noticed a significant loss of reviews on their Google Business profiles, ranging from a few to several hundred. The decrease in reviews sparked discussion on social media and Google forums. This issue turned out to be a display bug from Google, not an actual deletion of reviews, as verified by Guest Suite. Google Business Profile administration confirmed no reviews vanished. Google is expected to fix this bug soon, highlighting the importance of customer reviews for local SEO.

🌲 The Department of Maine-et-Loire and the City of Angers have handed over the management of Terra Botanica to Groupe Looping, a leader in European regional amusement parks. Since its opening in 2010, Terra Botanica has focused on plants and biodiversity and was previously managed by the two communities under a public interest group. In a strategic move, a 40-year administrative emphyteutic lease was granted to Groupe Looping, committing to a €59 million investment plan over the next decade, including themed accommodations with lodges and a hotel, and the development and modernization of facilities and attractions. The legal firm Cornet Vincent Ségurel, led by associate lawyer Frédéric Marchand, advised the public interest group Terra Botanica, the Department of Maine-et-Loire, and the City of Angers throughout the transaction.

🏦 Elior Group, an international leader in catering and multiservices, introduced a new logo featuring a bison as a symbol of power, endurance, and community. This rebranding aims to enhance the visibility and coherence among its brands—Elior Group, Derichebourg Multiservices, and Elior in France and internationally. The unified identity reflects a strategy to serve clients with complementary, custom services and showcases potential synergies. The logo also represents career growth opportunities for employees.

🏖 Four Seasons and RAK Properties partner to launch the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Ras Al Khaimah. The luxury seaside destination in Ras Al Khaimah will feature approximately 150 rooms, suites, and villas, plus 130 private residences spread over a 400-hectare site with views of the Persian Gulf and Hajar Mountains. Amenities include spas, restaurants, and a marina. Construction starts early 2026, residential sales to begin by the end of 2025, with Bart Carnahan announcing the strategic UAE expansion. Killa Design is tasked with architectural design.