Over the past year, the various companies and fields of business that comprise the Hotusa Group reached a global turnover of 601.073 million euros, a figure that exceeds by 32% the 456.5 million euros generated in 2005. These figures consolidate the growth of the company chaired by Amancio Lopez Seijas who termed the balance sheet results as “frankly positive and full of hope for the future”.

Hotusa Group’s business strategy is sustained through the diversity of its lines of business in all spheres of the tourist sector and the constant eagerness to increase international presence. Moreover, the firm backing in favour of innovative technology, development of Internet facilities and the taking advantage of all the related commercial opportunities that this encompasses are key factors in the comprehension of the excellent results generated by the organization.

In a breakdown of the data shown above, the production of the independent chain, Hotusa Hotels, the fourth largest hotel consortium world-wide according to the U.S. magazine Hotels, increased 25 %, reaching 209 million euros against the 167.7 million registered in the previous year. This figure is made up fundamentally through the 176.2 million turnover produced by the central booking office, through which a total of 5.2 million reservations were managed, 20% more than in 2005.

Of this total, 40% (2.1 million) were reserved via Internet, thus showing the growing importance of this channel in the distribution of the Group’s offer. According to Lopez “The new technologies and, in particular Internet, is allowing us to project our know-how towards a totally international level.”

Also worthy of mention is the ever-growing contribution by Hotusa Incoming Services, the international reception area, channelled through the different branch offices the company operates in Italy, France, United Kingdom, Austria and Argentina. In 2006, this area produced a turnover of 32.8 million, 21% over the previous year.

The direct operation division of the company reached a turnover of 154.9 million euros that represents an increase of 36% with regard to the 113.8 million generated in 2005. This line of business, of which the Eurostars Hotels chain forms part, added a total of 13 new establishments over the past year: Eurostars Angli (Barcelona, Spain), Eurostars Roma Congress Hotel & Conference Center (Rome, Italy), Eurostars Leon (Leon, Spain), Eurostars Plaza Acueducto (Segovia, Spain), Eurostars Plaza Delicias (Zaragoza, Spain), Eurostars Montgomery, Brussels Hotel (Brussels, Belgium), Eurostars Zona Rosa Suites, Hotel Suites Michelangelo (Mexico City), Gran Hotel Almenar (Madrid, Spain), Claridge Hotel (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Eurostars Thalia (Prague, Czech Republic) and Rembrandt Residence Hotel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands).

The company has plans to continue including between 10 and 15 establishments per year, both in Spain and at international level, the majority of which would become integrated in the Eurostars Hotels chain.

The Hotusa chairman pointed out that “Since 1993, the date when we commenced direct operation of our first hotel, we have demonstrated that we possess the capacity to manage hotels in any part of the world”. With a view to the future, the group is interested in making its presence in any destination “as long as it has the security of legal coverage, is well-positioned and, above all, shows good growth expectations”.

As Amancio Lopez stated: “Our growth will, in some cases, be implemented through direct investments, others will be the result of alliances with investors of all kinds, whether construction companies or investment funds”.

Likewise, the remaining companies comprising the Hotusa Group reached a joint total of 237 million euros. Of this total, 106.1 million came from the hotel representative firm, Keytel, that increased its revenue by 28%, due in part to the incorporation of 226 new hotels to its network. The central booking agency, Restel, provided 89.7 million euros, showing an increase of 60% over its 2005 turnover, while the on-line portal, Hotelius-com exceeded 11.6 million euros, a spectacular growth of 106% in comparison to the figure recorded the previous year. The remainder of 29.5 million euros comes from the production by other subsidiaries or entities in which the organization has shareholdings.