The Minor group is continuing to strengthen its presence in both Europe and the Middle East. Although its opening is a long way off – on the horizon of 2030 – the NH Riyadh Prime Square Hotel will notably complement the group's offering in Saudi Arabia with a 121-room and suite hotel featuring a business centre and meeting spaces, in addition to a rooftop pool bar-lounge.
However, well before that, starting from January 2027, the Thai hotelier – owner of the Spanish group NH since 2018, in addition to its Anantara and Avani brands – will open two new establishments in Europe, in partnership with the investor Salomon Hospitality. In Budapest, a fourth address for the group is thus in preparation in the 7th arrondissement, the NH Budapest District VII, which will offer 76 rooms.
In Barcelona, the group is preparing to open its ninth property for business travellers. It will benefit from a location well-suited to professional trips, being just a stone's throw from the Fira Barcelona exhibition centre, as well as Plaza España and Montjuïc. Located on Avenida Paralelo, one of the Catalan capital's major thoroughfares, this existing property will undergo a complete refurbishment before being rebranded under the NH Hotels & Resorts sign during 2027. It will offer 70 rooms, a gym, several dining areas – including a terrace and a lobby bar – as well as meeting and event rooms.
" Thanks to these new signatures, we are strengthening our European portfolio and pursuing our asset-light growth strategy ', said Gonzalo Aguilar, CEO of Minor Hotels Europe & Americas. As part of this growth, the group has also acquired a jewel of Austrian hospitality, the Grand Hotel Europa in Innsbruck. The city's first luxury hotel when it opened in 1869 and still its only five-star establishment, it has welcomed numerous prominent figures visiting the Tyrolean capital, including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Rolling Stones. This is largely because, as early as 1883, it added a focal point for receptions, balls and other high-society events: its famous Barocksaal.
" The Grand Hotel Europa is much more than a hotel: it is part of Innsbruck's history, said Dr Ernst Hutterer, owner of the establishmentOur ambition is to guide this exceptional estate towards a new future while respecting its heritage Currently closed, the establishment is to undergo major renovation to restore all its former glory to both its iconic ballroom and the entire venue, ahead of joining the NH Collection brand in 2029.
Located just a stone's throw from the railway station, yet not far from the historic heart of the city or its congress centre, the hotel will have around 120 rooms upon its reopening. The project indeed provides for an increase in its accommodation capacity and the addition of new floors, as well as the creation of a rooftop bar, in order to make the hotel a new benchmark for hospitality in Innsbruck.
