Iberostar investing €700M; adding sustainable properties in Aruba, Mexico & Peru

News / Hotels & Resorts

06-27-2018 11:05 am

Christine Hogg

Christine Hogg

Christine Hogg is the Associate Digital Editor at PAX Global Media. Prior to joining PAX, she obtained her Honours BA in Journalism from the University of Toronto. Upon graduating, she went on to write for several travel publications while travelling the world. Her longest trip was a three-week stint in Europe, and the shortest was a 16-hour adventure in Iceland. Get in touch: christine@paxglobalmedia.com.

A new brand identity is emerging for Iberostar Hotels & Resorts.

This year, the company celebrates its 20th anniversary in Mexico, and to mark the occasion, Iberostar has confirmed that several new investments are coming to Los Cabos, including a new 13-story tower in its Cancun Golf and Spa Complex by the last quarter of 2018, and a new property in Aruba and Peru.

READ MORE: Iberostar cutting single-use plastics

Between 2015 and 2017, Iberostar has invested more than €500 million to renovate more than 700 hotels. Over the next few years, the group will put €700 million towards renovating and transforming all 110 of its four-and five-star properties found in more than 70 destinations and 35 countries worldwide.

New concepts and segmentation

Earlier in the year, Iberostar announced that it was regrouping its properties into three new segments: City hotels, Ocean resorts, and Heritage—a new concept that places guests in a luxury property setting that pays homage to historic and cultural elements of the destination. Heritage properties have between 50 and 100 rooms, and are strategically placed in buildings with historic significance, such as within a UNESCO World Heritage building or landmark.

A fourth category, Iberostar Grand, was also announced. Guests who select the Grand properties can enjoy the elevated, maximum levels of Iberostar’s luxury hospitality in either of the three new segments.

Iberostar Bellevue

Yesterday evening, Aurelio Vazquez, COO for the Iberostar Group, Luis Jiménez, commercial director and marketing, Óscar Gonzalez, marketing manager EMEA, commercial director for the Americas, and Mariela Zaldivar, marketing Manager for Canada stopped by the Edelman offices in Toronto to provide a series of important updates to the trade media.

According to Vazquez, tourism is expected to experience double-digit growth in the next few years, and Canada continues to position itself as a very important market.

“We have important business with Canada’s main tour operators [Air Canada, Air Transat, Sunwing, and WestJet] and we want to improve the relationship for the next few years, because we’ve invested in the market, and increasing business is extremely important,” Vazquez said.

Iberostar takes great pride in four qualities, which are the location of the resorts, the strong gastronomy offerings, exceptional service, and its people. More than 28,000 individuals are currently employed by Iberostar.

Iberostar Herceg Novi

A Wave of Change

Social and environmental responsibility are at the forefront of Iberostar’s expansion plans. A new concept which is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, called Wave of Change, aims to minimize environmental impact in the following three ways: eliminate single-use plastics from all hotel rooms, restore precious coral reefs, and commit to sustainable fishing.

With more than 80 per cent of their properties located on the oceanfront, Iberostar recognizes the role it can play in protecting the planet. No plastic straws or water bottles will be available in the hotels, and all seafood served in Iberostar’s restaurants promises to be sustainably sourced. The Wave of Change began in 2017, and by 2019, all 110 Iberostar hotels will be plastic-free.

New investments in Mexico and around the world

According to Gonzalez, one day, Iberostar would like to have City hotels in major touristic destination cities like New York, Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid, in buildings that will act as a flagship location for the company.

Iberostar’s main proposal is quality, and customer service is something that’s in the brand’s DNA, Gonzalez said.

Iberostar Herceg Novi

Iberostar has a 90 per cent satisfaction rate when it comes to customer service, and on average, guests return 3.6 times to an Iberostar property. The company’s highest number of repeat guests come from Belgium at 56 %, followed by Spain (52%) and Cuba (50%). Canada currently ranks at 37%.

Canadians have spoken, and new destinations, according to Gonzalez, will take place in Marrakech, Morocco; Los Cabos, Mexico; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Arashi Beach, Aruba; Lima, Peru; and Perast, Montenegro.

There are currently 10 hotels in Mexico. The new 13-storey tower from the Cancun Golf and Spa Complex will be located steps away from the sea and will feature 154 luxury suites overlooking the turquoise waters along Mexico’s most spectacular shoreline, a new bar, restaurant and pool. The new restaurant will have a capacity for 232 people and will serve buffet-style breakfast and lunch, as well as a-la-carte dining on evenings.

Iberostar has also announced a new hotel in Los Cabos and a second Iberostar hotel in Litibu. Iberostar’s Los Cabos property, with more than 43 million square feet and 1.24 miles of beach front in Zacatón, was bought in November 2017.