Page 22 - February 2022

Creating Shared Value

Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome, Italy

Founded in Spain in 1978, NH Hotel Group has combined
organic growth with carefully-chosen acquisitions and is now
one of the 25 largest chains in the world and operates across
Europe, America and Asia. Here, RLI speaks with NH Hotel
Group CEO Ramón Aragonés about the global growth of the
company and what the future holds for the business.

ith an urban and experiential character, NH Hotel will belong to the company’s core mid-scale brand NH Hotels and the
Group currently operates a total of 353 hotels and remaining sites will belong to their lifestyle (nhow), upper-scale (NH
Wover 55,000 rooms across 30 countries. Situated Collection) and luxury (Anantara) brands. These upcoming openings
across key cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bogotá, Buenos will be concentrated in Southern Europe and Latin America.
Aires, Dublin, London, Madrid and New York, there are 170 hotels in Along with their strategic priority of growing in the upper-scale and
Southern Europe, 126 in Northern Europe, 55 in Latin America, one in luxury segments, the business is looking to grow in the resorts segment,
the US and one in Tunisia. especially in Southern Europe. They also want to strengthen their
“When lockdowns began in March 2020, we set two essential presence in the Nordic capitals and pursue opportunities to enter Paris,
objectives,” explains Ramón Aragonés, CEO of NH Hotel Group. Moscow and Miami.
“On the one hand, we wanted to guarantee the health and safety of “Our partnership with Minor, our brands NH Hotels and
professionals and clients to recover their trust in the sector through it NH Collection will grow in Asia in the upcoming years too.
whilst on the other hand, we wanted to preserve the sustainability of In 2022 and 2023, the NH brands are expected to debut in
the company by putting in motion a comprehensive contingency and China, Dubai, Qatar, Doha and Australia,” comments Aragonés.
cost reduction plan.”
In reaction to the pandemic, in May 2020 they launched Feel Safe NH Collection Madison Avenue
at NH, a new set of measures implemented across the Group’s 350 New York, US
plus properties to address the health crisis. Grouped under ten main
lines of action and endorsed by specialists, the measures encompass the
digitalisation of hotel services, the adaptation of sanitation processes,
the incorporation of safety distancing policies and the use of personal
protection elements, among others.
Even in these challenging times, the company has still inaugurated
some very exciting additions to their portfolio. An example of this is the
NH Collection New York Madison Avenue, a completely renovated
hotel with 288 rooms that features a cutting-edge interior design with
a nod to Madison Avenue’s golden age of advertising and views to the
Empire State Building.
Meanwhile in October last year they launched the NH Collection
Copenhagen, their first hotel in the Nordic countries and one of the few
five-star hotels in the city. The site is located in an emblematic building in
the picturesque neighbourhood of Christianshavn in a unique location.
“Finally, in November, we opened the boutique hotel NH Collection
Venezia Murano Villa, perfectly combining industrial architecture with
Venetian history. It is located in an old glass factory on the isle of Murano
and offers incredible views of the Venetian lagoon,” explains Aragonés.
In the pipeline the business currently has 17 hotels, consisting of more
than 2,600 rooms by the end of 2024. Among the new additions, seven
22 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2022