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Palladium Hotel Group To Operate Hard Rock Hotel Marbella
HARD Rock Hotel Marbella is set to open its doors in June, under the management of Palladium Hotel Group, following the agreement signed between Hard Rock International, Stoneweg Hospitality, Bain Capital Credit and the Spanish hotel chain. Following the ongoing success of Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife and Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, Palladium Hotel Group has aligned once again with Hard Rock International to operate a third franchised site under the brand. Opening this summer in the centre of sought-after Puerto Banus, the four-star property was previously the Andalucia Plaza Hotel and has undergone extensive renovations since its acquisition by Stoneweg Hospitality and Bain Capital Credit in 2021. The Costa del Sol is an area of expertise for Palladium Hotel Group, which will now be operating three hotels in the region following the opening of Palladium Hotel Costa del Sol in 2019, and Only YOU Hotel Malaga in 2021. Hard Rock Hotel Marbella will offer fantastic facilities and premium services, while providing the immersive music environment for which Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos are known.
The four-star Hard Rock Hotel Marbella will feature
383 exclusive rooms and suites, two swimming pools, including a spectacular infinity pool with premium bar service, as well as exceptional leisure facilities, and one of the largest meeting and event centres in Marbella with an extension of 1000m2.
Stoneweg’s Managing Director Hospitality, Miguel Casas highlighted, “We are very pleased with this agreement that involves the synergy between a great brand such as Hard Rock Hotels, the hotel management experience of Palladium Hotel Group and our experience in real estate to promote Hard Rock Hotel Marbella. Puerto Banús is a perfect destination for the Hard Rock Hotels brand and its magnificent offering. Its inimitable style, its gastronomic and leisure offering and its eagerness to impress guests will make this hotel a reference point for the area.”
“We are thrilled to be bringing Hard Rock’s signature
sense of hospitality to the Costa del Sol and to be working in partnership with Palladium Hotel Group”, said Graham Kiy, Area Vice President, EMEA at Hard Rock Hotels. “Hard Rock Marbella will seamlessly weave into the fabric of this vibrant year-round destination with its live entertainment space, conference rooms, stylish design and culinary offering.” Palladium Hotel Group’s CEO, Jesús Sobrino, commented “We are thrilled that Stoneweg and Bain Capital Credit have enlisted Palladium Hotel Group to manage the new Hard Rock Hotel Marbella. It is a brand that we know exceptionally well having consistently delivered good results for Hard Rock International’s first two European properties in Ibiza and Tenerife. We are excited about this project because it will be our first hotel in Marbella, which is a significant international destination and particularly popular with the UK market. There is no doubt that the hotel will prove a huge success and add value to the destination and the Hard Rock brand.”
In true Hard Rock style, music and entertainment
will be at the heart of the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella experience. From the iconic music memorabilia collection, sourced from Spanish artists and musicians to reflect the hotel’s location, to a full musical immersion experience through Hard Rock’s Sound of Your Stay® programme, which will allow for in-room guitar jam sessions, streaming playlists available upon check-in and in-room delivery of a Crosley vinyl player. To those looking to relax and disconnect to reconnect with themselves, Hard Rock Hotel Marbella will feature unique facilities, a Body Rock gym, Rock Om yoga programme and the Rock Spa wellness centre, complete with five treatment rooms, a sauna and relaxation room.
The hotel is located just 500 metres from the Mediterranean Sea, and only 50km from Malaga International Airport, excellently connected to many international destinations. Likewise, the main golf courses on the Costa del Sol are easily accessible from Hard Rock Hotel Marbella.
April/May 2022 Travel News £31 Million
Invested in Tourism Recovery and Future Growth
TOURISM NI has highlighted early signs of
success for its investment across a range of programmes, initiatives and campaigns to support the recovery of the tourism sector throughout Northern Ireland. £31 million has been invested by the Department for the Economy and Tourism NI over the last two years in a Tourism Recovery Action Plan to provide a measure of protection for businesses and ensure that the tourism industry can meet the future needs of domestic and international visitors.
Left to Right; John McGrillen, CEO Tourism NI, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons and Joanne Stuart, CEO NI Tourism Alliance.
New Zealand Brings Forward Border Reopening Date
THE New Zealand Government have announced that their international borders are set to reopen to vaccinated travellers from visa waiver countries from 1 May.
From 12 April, Australians heading to New Zealand
will no longer be required to complete an isolation period. With fully vaccinated arrivals from visa-waiver counters, including United King Dom, US, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Singapore, gaining entry from 1 May. From 1 May, fully-vaccinated travellers from visa- waiver countries can head to New Zealand without the requirement to isolate upon their arrival, given that a negative pre-departure test result is provided. A negative rapid antigen test result must be provided upon arrival, along with a day 5/6 test.
Speaking about this announcement, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern stated “Reopening in time for the upcoming Australian school holidays will help spur our economic recovery in the short term.”
UK International Departures up by 716%
RECENT studies delving into international departures for the UK has found a significant increase in comparison to the same period back in 2021. Circus has accumulated the busiest airports alongside their busiest destination whilst conducting the study, which seen Belfast International’s busiest destination as Alicante and Belfast City Airport travellers rush to Amsterdam.
Despite the increase between the year, it was highlighted that a 17% decrease in departures across the Easter period was observed from that same time at Easter 2019.
The most popular international route from the UK this Easter, is scheduled to be London Heathrow to New York JFK, with 71 flights over the four-day weekend. This is then followed by services from Heathrow to Dubai, Dublin and Amsterdam.
South Africa Scraps PCR Tests For Fully-Vaxxed South Africa’s Domestic restrictions have also been
FROM Wednesday 23 March, fully-vaccinated travellers heading to South Africa will no longer be required to provide proof of a negative PCR result. However, unvaccinated travellers will still be required to provide proof of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to the traveller’s arrival into South Africa.
MALTA’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne has announced that the Health Authorities will be proceeding with their COVID-19 exit roadmap as planned.
In fact, as from Monday 11th April 2022, incoming tourists travelling to Malta from a country on the red list will be allowed in with a negative PCR test (taken up to 72 hours prior to arrival) or a recognised Covid recovery certificate which cannot be older than 180 days. Apart from this, Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister also announced that as planned, as from the 10th April 2022, a vaccine certificate is no longer needed for persons to attend standing outdoor events, or seated indoor events. “The decision to ease further COVID-19 restrictions related to travel continues to be a turning point in the Government’s efforts to drive the Maltese Islands back to normality. We are committed that the coming months
airline partner, Loganair, will operate regular flights to Edinburgh from 17th May 2022. The new service will bring welcome connectivity for the North West for leisure breaks, visiting family and friends, and a business link with the Scottish capital.
Steve Frazer, Managing Director at City of Derry Airport, explained “Loganair’s 55 minute direct connection to Edinburgh will initially be available three days per week on a Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, with increased frequency during the peak summer months when additional flights will be available on a Thursday and Saturday.
“As the Gateway of the North West, we continue to monitor the travel needs of our local catchment area across Derry-Londonderry, the Causeway Coast & Glens and Donegal. A direct connection to Edinburgh has been greatly missed in recent months, particularly for those regularly commuting to study or work, or visit family and friends, and we are delighted that Loganair will be taking to the skies to provide this much-needed service.”
Hard Rock Hotel, Marbella Mr. Frazer added “Edinburgh is an amazing
eased as vaccinated people or those able to provide a negative test result will be allowed back into sports and entertainment venues.
The outdoor mask mandate has also been scrapped
but but face-coverings ares still required inside public spaces.
Malta Relax Covid-19 Travel Restrictions
will generate excellent results in terms of tourism inflows as well as ascertain our ultimate goal of making Malta a hub of tourism excellence for the years to come,” outlined Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo. “The Malta Tourism Authority welcomes this announcement which will definitely continue to pave the way forward for the tourism sector to continue recovering after the pandemic. Today’s announcement essentially means that persons who, for some reason or other, are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to visit Malta without the need for mandatory quarantine. This is great news for the tourism industry and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to explore the Maltese Islands,” Mr Johann Buttigieg, Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority added.
City of Derry Airport Connects To Scottish Capital With Loganair CITY of Derry Airport’s long-standing Scottish
destination and has something to offer for everyone on a leisure break – history and culture, family fun, unique food and drink experiences, nightlife – the options are endless! And of course, Edinburgh is a key UK business hub providing essential corporate connectivity for the North West region.” Kay Ryan, Loganair’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “As the UK’s largest regional airline we are committed to connecting people both for leisure and business
purposes through partnerships with key
airports. We look forward to launching this convenient new direct service and welcoming passengers on board.” Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Graham Warke added “The launch of regular flights between City of Derry Airport and Edinburgh is fantastic news for our City and District, and the wider North-West. It further improves connectivity and provides a service for people travelling for business or pleasure, or perhaps to visit family or friends. Edinburgh is a beautiful city steeped in history, with so much to offer and to interest visitors. It is brilliant that we will have now have a direct link for people in the North West to avail of.”
Recent research and analysis of available data suggests that closer to home markets, particularly the Republic of Ireland, are buoying tourism performance. It also points to growth in domestic staycations. During June-September 2021 data collated by Tourism NI on spend in hotels, bars, eating places and attractions increased by one quarter compared to the same period in 2019. Spend by Republic of Ireland residents more than doubled during the same time period, while domestic spend grew by almost one third and GB spend rose by 10%. Significant increases were evident for online reviews left by Republic of Ireland residents for NI accommodation establishments during June-December 2021, indicating a positive visitor experience. Tourism NI’s consumer research indicates that approximately half of Republic of Ireland visitors to Northern Ireland during 2021, and the first two months of 2022, were first time leisure visitors. Results also suggest continued strong demand from Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland residents for a Northern Ireland trip in spring and summer this year. Hotel forward bookings paint a positive outlook, particularly for weekends. Tour operators also indicate strong order books going forward. It is anticipated that tourism performance will return to 2019 levels by 2023/24. Commenting on recovery Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said;
“As we continue to emerge from the pandemic with increasing optimism we must all continue to work hard to maintain the increased numbers of close to home visitors who buoyed performance during the pandemic, and work to attract new and returning visitors from international markets. There is still potential for significant growth and we will rebuild step by step, market by market, starting close to home. We know that the fundamental desire to travel remains, that closer-to- home markets will recover first and that visiting friends and relatives, as well as destinations which are familiar, are the holidays most likely to be considered first.” Tourism NI Chief Executive John McGrillen said; “The Tourism Recovery Action Plan has supported Tourism NI to roll out a number of major initiatives including a heavyweight consumer marketing campaign under the Northern Ireland – Embrace a Giant Spirit brand, bespoke business mentoring, increased support for the conference and events sector and a boosted sales programme in key markets in partnership with Tourism Ireland”. “We will continue to offer support across the industry for a wide range of additional activity to ensure that businesses are best equipped to thrive. While the last two years have been painful for many, our partnerships across tourism and hospitality have deepened. It is this spirit of resilience and collaboration that will ensure we are ready to meet the many exciting opportunities ahead, not least the return of The Open to Portrush in 2025”. Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance Joanne Stuart added; “The significant support provided by the Department and Tourism NI during the pandemic was critical to the survival of the tourism industry, which in effect lost twelve months trading through closure and traded under significant restrictions since the July 2020 reopening”. “The importance of marketing campaigns to promote Northern Ireland as a destination in our home markets is clear to see. Support at this level is key and building on this investment will enable the tourism industry to play its part in rebuilding a strong regional economy and achieving the 10x economic vision”
Indonesia Eases Restrictions with Quarantine-Free Travel
INDONESIA have become the latest country to remove select covid travel restrictions.
From the beginning of April, fully vaccinated travellers entering Indonesia will no longer be subject to a quarantine period.
Bali, Batam and Bintan Islands have already made the move and the two weeks of success has encouraged the rest of the country to follow.
Arriving travellers will still be required to complete a covid-19 test.
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