What new strategy have you defined for the NH Hotels group?
Federico Gonzalez Tejera - Our strategy now involves abandoning the NH Express budget hotel and concentrating our offer around NH hotels, mid-range and top-of-the-range establishments that are essentially business hotels. We have also added the Nhow brand, comprising hotels with surprising designs and radical architecture, and the Hesperia resorts. In this context, the big news is the launch last July of a 'plus' four-star segmentation, the NH Collection. In analysing our portfolio, we identified a number of establishments that had all the elements to become 'upper upscale' hotels as a result of the renovations under way.
What do you offer business travellers in this collection?
FG - We want to anticipate their expectations. When guests arrive at the hotel, for example, they will be asked if they need a shirt ironed at our expense, so that it is impeccable for their morning meeting. Free WiFi, with a speed of 1MB, is also a standard feature of the NH Collection. On the supply side, with 32 establishments by the end of 2014 and 50 by the end of 2015, the NH Collection will be present in the group's key markets, starting with Spain and Italy. New NH Collection properties are also expected in London, with the conversion of the NH Kensington, and in Amsterdam, with the transformation of the NH Krasnapolski. In Madrid, the NH Collection Eurobuilding reopens its doors in September. With its 400 rooms, ultra-technological meeting rooms and designer décor, this former Hesperia is the flagship of the brand. What's more, the urban hotels in our resort brand, with large meeting capacities, will be joining the NH Collection, like the Hesperia Tower in Barcelona and its 5,000 m² conference centre.
What about Paris? What about emerging countries?
FG - Paris is one of our top priorities, and we hope to have a presence there within the next two years. In terms of emerging markets, Latin America offers excellent prospects, particularly in Mexico, Chile and Colombia. China is also in our sights thanks to our main shareholder, the Chinese conglomerate HNA, which is active both in the airline industry with Hainan Airlines and in the hotel industry with its Tangla brand. We're going to start managing some of HNA's hotels in China in 2015 to familiarise ourselves with how this market works.
