Barcelo Hotels

Founded in 1931, Barcelo initially specialized in transport. During the 1950s they established themselves on the tourism market, while the sector was experiencing a boom in Spain. The company began its activity as a travel agency in 1954, which led to the creation of the Barcelo Viajes division 10 years later. In 1962, the company launched its hotel division under the name ‘Barcelo Hotels & Resorts’ and opened its first establishment in Majorca, before unveiling a new concept of affordable hotels for families: Barcelo Pueblo (the pioneer of resorts).

Barcelo started growing internationally in the 1980s with the acquisition of the tour operator Turavia, followed by the opening of hotels in the Caribbean and Costa Rica. All the while they were continuing to expand in Spain, particularly in the Balearic Islands and other key destinations. The 1990s marked the group’s arrival on the North American market, but also its development in Europe in countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece and Italy as well as the main Spanish urban destinations, starting with Barcelona. It subsequently strengthened its presence in Latin America (Venezuela, Uruguay, Mexico, etc…), in North America – via the acquisition of Crestline Capital in 2002 – and at the same time began to attack the African continent.

Following the incorporation of the Western Hotels Management hotel chain into its portfolio in 2015, which includes over 4000 rooms in 13 establishments in Latin America, Barcelo unveiled its new brand architecture: Royal Hideaway Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Barcelo Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts and Allegro Hotels. As of 1 January 2017, its portfolio had 128 establishments worldwide with a total of 29,394 rooms, making it the 40^th largest hotel group in 2017.