This week we could talk about the expected contract renewal of Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini with Futbol Club Barcelona. We could also remember that just a few days ago this footballer finally won his first international title with the Argentine national team, and it would also be feasible to review an updated series of overwhelming records and statistics that turn the player into a global star.
However, the central point of this story is called MiM, the commercial name of a group of hotels that, with the same discretion as the player himself in his extra-sporting life, have been opening in such interesting locations as Sitges, Mallorca, Baqueira, Ibiza, and Andorra.
MiM, by the way, corresponds to the initials of Messi and Majestic, as it is with this Barcelona hotel group that the Argentine has partnered to start and grow this hotel venture.
Three protagonists
The inside story of this hotel venture was born in Barcelona and, apart from the footballer, has three co-protagonists: Malco Par, general manager of Majestic Hotel Group; Alfonso Nebot, director of Messi's family office; and Gemma Ravasi, operations director of the group.
Par, in his position for almost 13 years after a decade and a half with Núñez i Navarro, five years as a Ceac executive, and three as an Arthur Andersen auditor, begins the explanation about MiM: "From Majestic Hotel Group (MHG), with several owned establishments, we also wanted to position ourselves as a hotel operator, always in those market segments that we understood could add value to an investor-owner."
About the first hotel of this new brand, he is more specific: "We had already studied several alternatives when, at the beginning of 2017, the possibility of operating what is now the MIM Sitges hotel appeared to us through a common collaborator of both groups. We went to visit it, it seemed like a very interesting product and in line with our hotel portfolio, so that's where we started our journey."
Nebot, who has been working with the Messi family since 2009 in the patrimonial field, adds that the Majestic option was very clear to them when entering the world of hospitality: "They are great professionals and it is a luxury hotel chain with many years of experience in the sector," he adds. A former executive in private banking with brands such as Banif or Credit Suisse, he had a very clear idea that brings them here: real estate investment and diversification.
Going into the concrete, what was initially thought out was refined: "The goal was hotels of between 30 and 140 rooms, with top vacation locations, whether by the sea or in the mountains. For now, we have demonstrated this with the portfolio of MiM hotels we already have in Sitges, the Balearic Islands, and the Pyrenees."
Ravasi intervenes to talk about the philosophy of this growing hotel group: "I would say that MiM is young, dynamic, fresh, and eco-responsible," indicates the operations director, who has also been director of the Majestic and Inglaterra hotels.
"I also believe that despite being in distant locations and being different buildings from each other, what unites each hotel is a cheerful and unconstrained philosophy. And, by the way, all of them have LEED certification and responsible practice in the management of their energy resources," she adds.
All are LEED hotels
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, a sustainable building certification system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that started in 1993 and then spread to different countries. This certificate was a strong point for the launch of MiM in Sitges: "It was the first bet and after analyzing it we saw it clearly, 77 rooms, near the sea, and it already had LEED Platinum certification. Something that has since been a common denominator in the company, achieving that certificate in the rest of the hotels," says Nebot.
With the opening of the first hotel, Majestic thought of integrating the MiM brand into the Boutique division of MHG, although as the number grew and developed its own personality, the MiM Hotels by MHG chain was created, with common characteristics that differentiate it from the rest of Majestic's establishments. "They are located in highly relevant holiday destinations, while MHG's are urban destinations. They are also lifestyle, aimed at the high-end segment, although they are characterized by being a more casual and relaxed luxury, which is finally united by this LEED seal that has already been mentioned," summarizes Malco Par.
The MiM hotels are located in highly relevant holiday destinations, while MHG's are urban destinations
Gemma Ravasi knows all the establishments like the back of her hand. In fact, she visits them long before the property is acquired, supervises its conversion, its launch, and then the day-to-day operations. Every week she travels hundreds of kilometers by land or air to supervise the operation and details of each one. It could be said that she is the mother of each hotel and also a bit of each employee. She knows them well, as well as the virtues and traits of each one.
"Some are adults-only, like Ibiza and Mallorca, and others are more family-friendly, like Sitges or Baqueira," she indicates. "In the case of Sitges, it is an urban holiday destination aimed at both clients who come to visit Sitges, take a break in the magnificent Spa, or for MICE groups, as it has fully equipped meeting rooms and its proximity to Barcelona makes it an optimal option."
Regarding the hotel in Mallorca, she highlights that it is aimed at holidaymakers. It is 45 minutes from Palma in an area that has the most beautiful and natural beaches on the island, while, in a totally different sense, Baqueira is in the best enclave of the Aran Valley for skiers, it is aimed at families, couples, and even groups to enjoy the snow and the valley.
Like everyone else, Ravasi has a weakness: the island of Ibiza and the unique MiM hotel: "I would say it is our enfant terrible and it is aimed at an audience that wants to enjoy the island day and night with friends or as a couple, or spend a relaxed holiday in a very chic art deco building where fun is guaranteed and it is very close to the capital," she explains, with a wide smile as she talks about this hotel.
Andorra and beyond
The group's most recent acquisition is an establishment in Andorra La Vella: A Casa Canut, a hotel in the middle of Meritxell Avenue, a major shopping center in the country and whose most important characteristic was its good gastronomy. After a major renovation, it will reopen as the fifth MiM, although it will not be the last, as Alfonso Nebot already has in mind to add two more hotels to have seven properties open by 2023.
The locations are yet to be defined, although the only thing that is 100% certain is that they will not be in Madrid or Barcelona, as the philosophy of establishing themselves in holiday locations in Spain, but not in cities, is to be followed.
For now, there are already four hotels in operation, a fifth that could be ready in the winter of 2021-2022, and two more in the pipeline. Will there be more? The three executives, always cautious, do not advance further plans... Although given the pace of openings and the commercial success of each hotel, even in one of the worst years in the history of the sector, everything suggests that this adventure born in Barcelona has just begun and has an interesting future ahead.