Travellers mixing business with leisure – bleisure – helped boost profits by Spanish chain Melia by 34% in the first half of the year.
The profits for the six months to June 30 came in at €60.4 million as global revenue per available room rose by 7.7% year-on-year and by 15.7% in Spain.
The increase in revpar was attributed “almost completely” to improving prices especially in the Mediterranean region and Canary Islands.
Meliá Hotels International chief executive, Gabriel Escarrer, said: “The first half of 2017 reveals a solid evolution both in the level of income and revpar, as a result of our effort to maintain the competitive edge that makes us leaders in the holiday segment, and the excellent position gained in the emerging ‘bleisure’ segment, where we are leaders in offering customers high added value experiences and services.
“Meliá has also continued to actively invest in the repositioning of the portfolio in order to increase its profitability, to enhance our brands’ penetration in the superior and luxury segments, and to be ready for the summer season, which is critically important for our operations throughout the world.”