Hilton Hotels has signed four new European resort properties, as it looks to expand its leisure-focused offerings in the main European holiday markets. Signings are across a mix of the group’s brands, as it seeks to offer holiday resorts at a variety of price points for consumers.
The latest additions to the pipeline are in the Algarve, Ibiza and Crete, and they join an existing roster that includes openings previously committed in Italy, Greece, Croatia and Malta.
The rising demand for resort properties, and also for all-inclusive package pricing, has been a characteristic of the leisure hospitality market since the pandemic. Hotel brand groups have responded, with Hilton for example signing more than 20 resort hotels across EMEA in the last year, across six of its brands.
Ibiza partnership
Hilton has signed two resorts in Ibiza, via franchise agreements with property owner Hotel Investment Partners, a business ultimately owned by Blackstone. Both will launch under Hilton’s Curio Collection, opening in time for the 2024 summer season. The Cala San Miguel will open with 196 rooms, offering guests direct sea and beach access while also having two swimming pools. A sister hotel, the Club Cala San Miguel is a smaller, adult only resort with 96 rooms.
On the Greek island of Crete, a further signing is the Numo Ierapetra Beach Resort, which will operate under a franchise agreement with NUMO Hospitality. The 132 room property in the south eastern corner of the island has an open air cinema among its many guest facilities. And in Portugal’s Algarve region, a new resort expected to open in 2026 will operate as the Hilton Alvor. The 363 room property will include five restaurants and six pools, in a beachside location.
Summer 2024 openings
These four properties join the growing roll call of new Hilton resorts, which include several more opening in time for summer 2024. Two resorts, in Chania, Crete and Corinthia, are joining the Curio Collection brand after Hilton and property owner Brown Hotels from Israel agreed a strategic partnership that is expected to see the pair work more closely on expanding their interests across various locations in Greece.
The Corinthia property is just 60km from Athens, and will have 166 five star rooms, while on Crete, the Chania resort is being expanded, with the addition of a further 53 rooms which should be ready for the summer 2024 season. Other Mediterranean additions include Curio Collection resorts in Sardinia and in the Croatian coastal destination of Opatija. And on the island of Malta, renovations have been taking place at the upcoming DoubleTree resort in Qawra. The resort includes a private beach club and meeting facilities, with a capacity of up to 800 guests.
