Be Live Hotels, the hotel division of the Globalia group where Air Europa is integrated, negotiates with the BlueBay Hotels chain merge to create a group that would add more than 21,000 rooms and more than 90 hotels of which the latter would contribute 62 establishments, and Globalia 31 establishments.
Both hoteliers have distributed their hotels in more than 15 countries, as explained by the companies in a joint communiqué, about a process that is being accompanied by EY and PwC, in parallel with the sale attempted by Globalia of its airline Air Europa and its broadcasting area led by Hawk and Travelplan, all of them plunged into bulging losses.
The group resulting from the merger of Be Live and Bluebay would add presence in the main holiday destinations of Spain, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Cuba, Portugal, Morocco or Colombia, among others.
BlueBay currently has a portfolio of 62 hotels in 42 different destinations, as stated on its website as Vozpopuli forward. On Globalia’s side, the Be Live network, which started in 2000, has a network of 31 accommodations.
Negotiations, which have not yet been closed, are conducted by Globalia CEO Javier Hidalgo and BlueBay President Jamal Satli, and one of the leaders of the new group is aimed at former novillero Javier Blanco, husband of Juan José Hidalgo’s young daughter, Cristina Hidalgo.
Globalia also has an open process to integrate its travel agency business with Avoris (Barceló) although the plans of both groups have been postponed at best, since although it is not ruled out that the operation leaves, many complications appear in this environment of severe crisis.
Also, before the coronavirus pandemic emerges, Globalia had also reached an agreement to sell Air Europe to Iberia for 1 billion euros, although they are now renegotiating the price and deadlines for taking it forward (Iberia opens for the first time to cancel the purchase of Air Europa).
However, as REPORTUR.com.ar picked up, Luis Gallego, still president of Iberia, opened the door for the first time that the purchase of Air Europa finally did not take place. “If we get to a meeting point that’s good for both sides, we’ll do the operation, and if we don’t, we won’t do it,” said Gallego, IAG’s future CEO. (https://www.reportur.com/mexico/2020/08/03/duenos-air-europa-buscan-fusionar-hoteles-bluebay/)
