Tui aims to make its Tui Blue brand the “leading leisure hotel brand in the world” and believes it is “well-placed to achieve that”.
Speaking at the first Tui Talks press event in London, the hotel chain’s managing director Louise Bates said the brand had 100 properties in 18 countries, with another set to open in the Dominican Republic next week, and at least another five more to open next year – including the Tui Blue Sensatori in Majorca in April.
The hotels are exclusive to the Tui Group but not the Tui tour operator, meaning that guests can book directly with the properties from outside Tui’s tour operating source markets.
Bates said she had a “global growth plan that’s not just reliant on Tui’s core source markets of the UK, Germany and Scandinavia”.
“We think there is a lot of scope to expand. I would like us to be the leading leisure hotel brand in the world and I think we are extremely well-placed to do that,” she said. “When you see a major brand playing in the leisure space, they don’t adapt very well. Whereas we’ve got a really good handle on how to deliver it.”
Tui Blue has four sub-brands: Tui Blue Sensatori for luxury, Tui Blue For Families, Tui Blue For All and Tui Blue for Two for couples.
“All have our core values, but they are delivered slightly differently in each,” said Bates.
She said the properties were either owned, managed or leased, but all styles were “designed for the modern consumer”.
Hotels focus on consumer trends and needs, enrichment through experiences and connections both with the people customers had travelled with, and with the local environment and community, she added.
Food and beverage is based around local and seasonal produce as part of a strong focus on sustainability, Bates said.