Apple Leisure Group Buys Majority Share in Spanish Alua Hotels & Resorts

Apple Leisure Group (ALG) has signed an agreement to purchase a majority share in Alua Hotels & Resorts.

ALG said it will integrate the Spanish hotel chain, which was founded in 2015, into its European division. It’s part of ALG’s larger strategic plan aimed at establishing a strong presence in highly popular tourist destinations across the Mediterranean.

Under the agreement, ALG will now manage 16 properties and more than 4,000 rooms in Spain, and position Alua as its midscale brand.

Javier Águila, CEO of Alua Hotels & Resorts, will assume the role of President of Apple Leisure Group Europe and will join the Executive Committee of the U.S. based parent company. Jordi de las Moras will continue as Managing Director of the European division.

ALG said the deal gives “the structure and capacity to manage hotel properties in Europe” and “will translate into opportunities for additional growth.” Meanwhile, Alua will become the American group’s hotel brand of reference for the mid-market sector, both in Europe and globally.

“The addition of Alua Hotels & Resorts to Apple Leisure Group’s portfolio is a true testament to our strong commitment to growing our company footprint in Spain,” said Alex Zozaya, CEO of Apple Leisure Group. “This acquisition is just the beginning of ALG’s European expansion plans and future contributions to the market’s burgeoning tourism sector.”

In November, ALG announced it will operate Groupo Inversor Hesperia’s four resorts in Spain under AMResorts’ brands beginning in 2019. The four hotels are currently operated under the Hesperia brand. Beginning in 2019, two will operate under the adults-only Secrets Resorts & Spas brand, and the other two under the family-friendly brands of Dreams Resorts & Spas and Amigo Resorts.

As part of the expansion plan in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), ALG now has offices in Palma de Mallorca. At the helm is Jordi de las Moras, managing director of ALG in EMEA, who is responsible for the expansion of the group’s hotel segment in the region.

“Acquiring Alua Hotels & Resorts allows us to expand on the strategic agreement that we already have with Hesperia by giving us the ability to offer not only sales and branding services, but also operations management to both owners and investors, as we already do in the Americas,” he said in a statement. “At the same time, we are adding a brand in a strategic segment for us, which we will work to grow in both the Americas and Europe.”