The various companies and business areas comprising the Hotusa Group recorded a turnover in 2007 of over 714 million euros. This figure, representing an increase of 18% with regard to the 606 million euros of the previous year, consolidates the growth experienced over the past few years by the Group which is chaired by Amancio Lopez Seijas. The Tourist Division – encompassing, amongst others, Hotusa Hotels, Keytel, Restel y Hotelius.com – contributes 72.2% of the Group’s total turnover with 515.6 million euros. In the Hotel Division area, of which Eurostars Hotels forms part, the Group continues to soak up the limelight in global sales contributing more than 198.5 million.

Assurances were given during presentation of the Group’s results held this morning in Barcelona by Amancio Lopez, who affirmed that “the figures for this year are typical of a transitional period during which various restructuring processes have been undertaken that will allow us to develop new areas of growth in the future, primarily in the company’s globalization”.

Making a breakdown of the above data, the chain of independent hotels, Hotusa Hotels, which added to its portfolio 316 establishments in 2007, exceeded the 228.7 million euros mark in turnover, representing an increase of 10% above the 2006 figure, while on the other hand and via its central bookings office, over 5.2 million accommodations were registered.

Keytel’s turnover increased by 13% to a total of 119.7 million euros. The hotel representative firm increased its portfolio last year with 256 new establishments. In addition, it launched a new brand, Prestige Hotels of the World, aimed in the direction of the sales and marketing services supply for prestige establishments in any corner of the globe.

The central bookings office, Restel, contributed 116.2 million euros, recording an increase of 30% over the 2006 turnover figures when revenue input was 89.7 million. On its part, the on-line bookings portal, Hotelius.com recorded a turnover of 15.5 million de euros, with a significant 25% growth in relation to the previous year’s results.

The remainder, i.e. 35.4 million euros, refers to the production generated by the subsidiaries or other partner companies attached to the organization, amongst them, the Viajes Baixas network of travel agencies (whose turnover increased 4% to reach a total of 30.1 million euros); the technology supplier company, IGM Web (with a revenue of 710,059 euros, an increase of 34% over last year).

The Group’s hotel division increased its sales by 28% in comparison to the year before, reaching a total of 198.5 million euros. This area of business, of which Eurostars Hotels forms part, added to the list 13 new establishments: Eurostars Isla Cartuja (Seville), Eurostars David (Prague), Eurostars Blue Tulum (Tulum, Mexico), Dylan Hotel and Exchange Hotel (New York, U.S.A.) Hotel Gran Ducat, Hotel Gran Ronda and Hotel del Compte (Barcelona), Suites 33 (Madrid) Hotel Area Central (Santiago de Compostela), Hotel Piazza Venezia (Rome), Hotel Cataratas (Iguazu, Argentina) and the Hotel Concorde (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

The company plans to continue adding to its portfolio between 10 and 15 new establishments per year, both inside and outside Spain, the majority of which will become part of the Eurostars Hotels chain, with an invoicing increase between 25% or 30%.

According to a statement by Amancio Lopez Seijas: “we have signed commitments for more than 20 projects for the period 2008-2010, the majority as property owners, which will mean entry into top level destinations such as Lisbon, Budapest, Munich or Berlin, in addition to new hotels in Mexico, Buenos Aires and New York, cities where we are already present”.

In Spain, during 2008, two small boutique hotels in Barcelona will be opened, as well as the hotel attached to the Palacio de Congresos (Congress Hall) in Oviedo (Asturias), a Santiago Calatrava building. Towards the end of the year, the opening is slotted of the Eurostars Madrid Tower 5*, located in the Cuatro Torres Business Area and which, as Lopez stated, “Because of its location, category and characteristics (it takes up most of a 235mt. high skyscraper), it is destined to become a landmark for our Group and, indeed, for the whole of Madrid’s hotel industry”.