The peak season in Barcelona has been moving earlier for years, before summer and Easter. The Mobile World Congress (MWC), since its arrival in 2006, and especially after its expansion when it moved to Hospitalet de Llobregat, has evened out the seasonality of hotel activity and created a new peak at the beginning of the year with its 109,000 visitors. This has been further enhanced by the arrival of other trade shows such as Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), which will hold its fifth edition in the city starting this Tuesday. ISE doesn't attract as many delegates as MWC, but its attendance is growing year after year. The industry estimates that for every ISE booking, three are made for MWC. The audiovisual trade show, directed by Mike Blackman, welcomed more than 85,000 attendees last year and is registering 10% more bookings for this week's edition. The trade fair alone books around 8,000 rooms through its booking agency. "It's very good for hotels, both because of its scale and because it's held in February. Historically, it was a very bad month, and MWC and ISE have made it a good one," says Manel Casals, director of the Hotel Guild. Hoteliers know this and have been preparing for a week of high occupancy. This is the case at the Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, popularly known for the UFO that Richard Rogers placed on its roof. "It's not quite MWC, but it's getting close," confirms sales manager Silvia Bullich. However, unlike what happens with MWC attendees, those attending ISE are staying longer. Those attending Mobile World Congress, who already know the city after so many years, aren't coming the weekend before or are delaying their return to do some sightseeing, something that those attending ISE are doing, with stays of between four and five nights, and some even between six and seven nights.

Approaching its 50th anniversary, the Catalan company Hotusa is preparing to achieve a new milestone: surpassing 300 hotels in its portfolio and maintaining its position as the hotel chain with the most properties in Spain. The family-owned company will close 2025 with 297 hotels and will soon add more, having signed 28 contracts during the second half of the year, which will be incorporated into operations throughout next year. Of these new properties, 12 are located in Spain and the rest in Europe, its priority market, although there are also some in the United States.

The hotel chain Hotusa has fully repaid the loan it received from the State, through the public company SEPI, to address the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. The company chaired by Amancio López Seijas has repaid the last 56 million of the total 241 million it received in 2021.