Latest news with #Iberostar
Bloomberg
14-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump Piles Fresh Sanctions on Cuba's Flailing Tourism Industry
Cuba's crucial and struggling tourism industry was hit with more US sanctions, as President Donald Trump's administration ratchets up pressure on the communist-run island and its top officials. The State Department expanded its ' restricted list ' on Monday with the addition of 11 entities, including the Iberostar Selection La Habana, a new 42-story hotel in the capital. Known as Torre K, the hotel opened this year and is Cuba's tallest building.
TTG
30-06-2025
- TTG
Four Iberostar properties that make selling adult-only holidays a breeze
This all-suite, all-sea view star is an adults' hideaway made for romance. Set on a tranquil stretch of Santa Ponsa Bay, Majorca, the four-star resort has direct sea access, though guests can also kick back in the large pool and indoor or outdoor whirlpool baths of their suites. If your clients upgrade to a Star Prestige room, they'll gain access to two exclusive sun terraces with a further pool and Balinese-style sunbeds. The resort's main dining spots continue the soothing sea views and for a special date night, all-inclusive guests can dip outside the tariff to enjoy live Teppanyaki cooking in the Japanese restaurant. It's the perfect way to round off a day which may have included teeing off on a nearby golf course or relaxing over a treatment in the spa. Iberostar Selection Sabila Cool and contemporary is the vibe at this resort in a prime beachfront location on Tenerife's Costa Adeje; the only five-star adult-centric property in the region. Foodies will delight in the Gourmet Market where there are seven food stations to choose from serving the likes of tapas and Mexican dishes, the dining experience enhanced by background music and a sea view. A spa and fitness centre, five bars and even an on-site modern art gallery are among other pleasing diversions. Sun worshipping clients? They'll love the Priority Location Beachfront rooms which have views on two sides and huge private terraces with Balinese-style beds. Upgrade them to Star Prestige and they can also enjoy the resort's rooftop pool. Check out this video from Iberostar's video series "For Travel Agents, by Travel Agents", filmed with Murray Travel owner, Scott Murray on a recent visit to Iberostar Selection Sabila: Iberostar Selection Santa Eulalia Ibiza
Times
28-06-2025
- Times
Sometimes an easy family ‘fly and flop' is just what you need
For ages I've been wanting to take my four small grandchildren away, partly for the fun of it and partly to give my daughters a break. So where do you go that is going to please children who are aged between two and six as well as my grown-up daughters and partner, who are very 'foodie', and me, who is less foodie, more, er, 'cocktailie'. While I do a lot of solo travelling and dragged my own kids all over the world when they were small (India, Cambodia, Egypt, for starters) I remember them begging, 'Please, Mum, can we have a normal holiday with no artefacts?' So I knew for this trip we needed something as easy as possible. This is where a good all-inclusive comes in and the snobbery around them is silly. A break from shopping and cooking is a boon to parents of little ones. A place where everyone can eat and drink what they like without having to think about bills is relaxing. My experience is you get what you pay for, because I have done cheap all-inclusives where the food was inedible except for the roast dinners people had around the swimming pool alongside huge rum and coke floats at 11am. Yes, really. • More great all-inclusives in Mallorca The Iberostar Selection Albufera Park resort in northeast of Mallorca appealed to us because the flight is short. We were all excited. One of my grandsons told his mum, 'Tell Grand Suzanne not to take weapons to the airport.' Smart advice. One imagines the perfect family holiday but families are complicated and life happens. Or, worse, it stops. A couple of days before we were due to go my son-in-law's mother died suddenly. She was an amazing woman and integral to my grandchildren's life. We were all in shock. Do you go on holiday while grieving? What is the right thing to do? The little ones didn't understand, of course. It was obvious my son-in-law could not come, but could he join us halfway through the week? Everyone was brilliant. The hotel staff were understanding and I changed his flight with easyJet. I was amazed to get through on the phone and talk to a guy who was sympathetic to our plight. • Best beaches in Mallorca We arrived determined to make the best of it despite the sadness. Small children keep you in the present and my grandsons, who are five and six years old, were excited we were picked up by a minibus. The reception at the hotel is genius as there is a large slide for tired and fractious kids (keep that as a surprise). It's brilliant because it makes check-in fun. The resort had upgraded my room, but we wanted to be together as that was the point of the holiday. As it was, our 'family premium' room was big enough. A bunk bed arrangement in one part of the room with a sliding door and a big bed on the other side gave us what amounted to two bedrooms. We overlooked the main pool with its water slides and ladybird-style showers. Then there was the breakfast buffet, which is my middle daughter's favourite thing in the world. My eldest is not so keen on buffets and I don't get up for breakfast if there is coffee in the room, but the children adored it, ladling chocolate sauce on to potato waffles. Indeed, the food was pretty great all round. It was fresh and there was a huge variety, much of it cooked in front of you. Our favourite was the lunch beach grill restaurant, Tamarindos. Steak, chicken and fabulous sausages were barbecued there, and they offered beautiful salads too. The kids were happy with very good pizza and burgers, while the adults had lobster and paella. • What to do in Mallorca There are restaurants to book and it's nice to be served. The grown-ups tried the Greek (Kyknos) and Spanish (Martinete) restaurants but the food was not any better than the buffet. Apart from the main kids' pool, there are six other pools, which are calmer, and a superb beach. We all did different things at different times. My favourite was the rooftop pool, where you could help yourself to drinks and look out over the bay and Playa de Muro beach. It was peaceful and feels five-star luxe. As for booze, they knew how to do a proper margarita so I coped, put it that way. Much is designed around kids, especially small kids. There are trampolines and all kinds of activities. The swimming pool carpet was a hit, as were the giant Transformers appearing at dinner. Ours were too little for the kids' club stuff and I think kids' clubs require children who are extroverted. However, our lot were entranced by the shows. I know it's illegal, but I don't like Abba, never mind Abba imitators. Still, the children loved the acrobats and the 'I love the Nineties' night. • Mallorca's top family hotels We barely left the resort, but we did go up the road for pony rides. A Shetland pony is heaven if you're a three-year-old girl. And the Albufera Nature Reserve is nearby with the Balearics' largest wetlands. Oh, and we went on a boat trip from Muro beach into the bay and around the caves of Cap de Formentor with an hour's stop at Formentor beach — easy, as you can sit inside if the sun is too hot and there is a bar and snacks on board. But really you can do as little or as much as you like. My son-in-law eventually arrived and while sun and sea are not a cure for bereavement it was good to be together. • Read our full guide to the Balearics I had a terrific facial and a massage at the spa (treatments from £70), though the indoor pool is a bit underwhelming, but that's a niggle. The other niggle was the loudness of the shows. If your room is near the stage it's impossible to settle little ones to sleep as it's so noisy. It also seemed a bit much to have to have to pay for beach sunloungers (£18 a day for two), but these are, as I say, niggles. In our circumstances we could not have the perfect family holiday and we are far from a perfect family anyway, but it gave us some time out. The holiday fantasy is everyone gets on and no exhausted child has a temper tantrum. It's unreal, but the fact that each of us relaxed and had a few perfect moments at such a difficult time says everything about what Iberostar provides. The children even asked me if they could live there, so there you go … my grandparenting job was done. For Moore was a guest of Iberostar ( which has all-inclusive family rooms at Albufera Park from £246. Fly to Palma This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue By Siobhan Grogan Spread over low-rise buildings in a peaceful bay in the southwest of Kos, this all-inclusive hotel is directly on the beach in Lambi, with five pools, a mini-waterpark and a spa. There are seven restaurants including a gelateria and Greek taverna, plus swim-up rooms and suites with private pools for extra Seven nights' all-inclusive from £871pp, including flights, checked luggage and coach transfers A 20-minute seaplane ride west of Malé, Kuramathi was one of the first resorts to open on its own island in the Maldives's Rasdhoo Atoll in 1975 and has honed a winning fly-and-flop formula since. Waft between a mile-long sandbank lapped by the Indian Ocean, a beachside spa, a champagne bar, nine à la carte restaurants and a house reef, where the snorkelling is excellent. Details Seven nights' full board from £1,659pp, including flights ( Choose between seven outdoor pools or Portugal's longest golden sand beach at this five-star property at Praia da Falesia in the Algarve. There's no need to leave if you'd rather not, because this sprawling resort has 12 restaurants, a huge kids' club, a clifftop golf course, an impressive spa and rooms decorated in traditional Portuguese style with hand-painted tiled headboards and terracotta floors. However, the coastal town of Olhos d'Agua, with its waterpark, beach promenade and boat tours, is about a ten-minute walk. Details Seven nights' B&B from £626pp, including flights and checked luggage (
Skift
27-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
One Clever Hotel Ad, A Resort Brand's Climate Warning and Avoiding AI Hype
On today's pod we talk about Ritz-Carlton's award winning video, Iberostar's climate concerns, and lessons on AI from startup investors. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Friday, June 27. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Ritz-Carlton campaign recently won advertising's top prize for luxury ads at a prestigious festival in Cannes, France, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill. The Ritz-Carlton's 'Late Checkout' campaign took home a Gold Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, beating out 181 other brands in the luxury category. The ad, which cost less than $1 million to produce and distribute and features actor Josh Hutcherson, became the most-shared content across parent company Marriott International's luxury portfolio last year. O'Neill writes Ritz-Carlton's win highlights the opportunities for luxury hotel brands willing to embrace creative risk. The campaign avoided traditional media buys and opted to prioritize long-form content instead of 8-second, vertical video bites for TikTok. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Spain-based hotel group Iberostar says climate change is the biggest risk to its business. The company is also calling for more investment in the tourism sector to counter its impact, writes Climate Reporter Darin Graham. Chief Sustainability Officer Gloria Fluxà Thienemann said at the London Climate Week this week that Iberostar operates more than 80% of its portfolio in exposed areas like beachfront regions. Thienemann added Iberostar is intensifying efforts to protect its properties, especially in the Caribbean. Thienemann also said the cost of action to deal with climate change will be much less than the cost of inaction. A recent World Travel and Tourism Council report estimated that the travel industry will need up to $250 billion to combat climate change. Finally, What do travel investors really think about AI, startups, and the future of travel? Skift editor-in-chief Sarah Kopit spoke to three venture experts for insights at the Skift Data+AI Summit earlier this month. One takeaway: Avoid AI hype, and focus on solving real problems. Investors are turned off by pitches that focus too much on AI but lack market understanding. 'It's a tool; it's not a solution,' said one investor. Another investor said startups could disintermediate search engines like Google or online travel agencies — if they offer real value to travelers and suppliers. The biggest winners in prior industry-transforming tech revolutions often came onto the scene later in the process, building upon knowledge from the first waves of new companies. Skift's in-depth reporting on climate issues is made possible through the financial support of Intrepid Travel. This backing allows Skift to bring you high-quality journalism on one of the most important topics facing our planet today. Intrepid is not involved in any decisions made by Skift's editorial team.
Time Magazine
26-06-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: Iberostar Group
With oceanfront escapes that double as environmental labs, Iberostar hotels are redefining what climate action can look like in the travel sector. Many of the family-owned Spanish company's 100 hotels are on coastlines protected by coral reefs, some of which are dying. Iberostar operates coral labs and underwater nurseries at some properties, collaborating with scientists from Stanford University and other organizations to develop reef resilience strategies. 'We are firm believers that science will show the way, and that helps us use our resources in the best way possible,' says Gloria Fluxà Thienemann, vice-chairman and chief sustainability officer at Iberostar Group. The company eliminated single-use plastics in 2020, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, and reduced its landfill waste by 70% between 2021 and 2024—all in pursuit of net zero by 2030, a goal it aims to reach 20 years ahead of its industry. 'We move fast…because we really see the need,' Thienemann says. Guests don't seem to mind; the company, which has properties spread across 14 countries, saw an 8% increase in revenue from 2023 to 2024.
