With two new hotels in Marseille, NH Group is placing its bets on Provence

NH Hotel Group fully determined to earning his place under the Mediterranean sun

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The Spanish NH Hotel Group is betting on France and more specifically on Marseille's energy and potential in terms of business travel. Its first establishment, NH Collection, which opened to the public at the end of January 2018, was inaugurated on May 30 of this year. The group is opening a second prestige location at Palm Beach, near the seafront on the Corniche, under NH's trendy nhow brand and modeled on nhow Milan. The agency Provence Promotion has maintained a close relationship with this Spanish heavyweight and its 400 hotels around the world since 2013. This fruitful collaboration was rewarded with the "Invest in Provence" label recognizing these two initiatives in the Mediterranean city. And that's just the beginning!    

NH Hotel Group's management has fallen in love with Marseille. "The city has been radically transformed. It is perfectly aligned with our positioning and fits superbly into our strategy for conquering the French market," commented Hugo Rovira, NH Hotel Group's General Manager for Southern Europe and the United States, fully committed to earning his place under the Mediterranean sun.

Initially attracted by a magnificent Haussman-style building at the corner of Rue de la République and Boulevard des Dames, the group signed with the promoter Atemi to make full use of the 8,000 m2 (90,000 sq. ft.). After two years of work, the group has brought out the original beauty of this 18th century building under the NH Collection brand. Its strategic location makes it possible to target Euroméditerranée business travelers. Open since January 29, 2018, NH Collection offers 176 rooms and four conference rooms.  Equivalent to a superior four star, the hotel was inaugurated on May 30 in the presence of more than 300 guests.

Support for opening an NH Hotel Group establishment began with the search for a location alongside Euroméditerranée, and with the assistance of Business France for help regarding regulatory and fiscal issues as well as hiring. "For the opening, which took place in the low season, we created 50 jobs and will soon be increasing our staff to 70 employees," underlined Gustavo Martinez. The General Manager for NH Collection Marseille has developed partnerships with local companies - Henry Blanc, Noailles and Ricard - and called on Sophie Ferjani, the neighboring decorator, to design the restaurant which serves a cross between Spanish and local tapas! 

"We have a strategy of developing 20 hotels in France by 2021 with a particular look at Provence."explained Hugo Rovira, NH Hotel Group's General Manager for Southern Europe and the United States.

20 hotels to open in France within the next three years

NH Hotel Group has also placed its bets on a second prestige location. After seven months of work, the Palm Beach location on Marseille's Corniche will open its doors under the nhow brand as the first of its kind in France.

"This new initiative, along with the NH Collection on rue de la République, demonstrates NH Hotel Group's confidence in the region, especially in the tourism and hotel sectors," stated Béatrice Aliphat, Vice President of Provence Promotion. The Spanish group's investment was recognized with the "Invest in Provence" label awarded to Hugo Rovira.

"NH Hotel Group has invested €250M over the course of the past five years to reposition its hotels via four brands: NH Hotels, NH Collection, nhow and Hesperia Resorts. We have a strategy of developing 20 hotels in France by 2021 with a particular look at Provence. We may be opening a third NH establishment in Marseille."

Listed on the Madrid stock exchange, NH Group operates 382 hotels and has 16 million customers in 30 countries.