DECEMBER 2022

Sabina Fluxá participates in a CEDE Working Breakfast in which she addresses the challenges of transformation in the hotel sector

The vice-president and CEO highlighted that the main catalysts are talent, innovation, and digitalization

Sabina Fluxá, vice-president and CEO of Iberostar Group, addressed the challenges of transforming the hotel and tourism sector at the Spanish Confederation of Directors and Executives (CEDE) breakfast meeting in November. The title of her talk was  "Leading a responsible tourism model."

The meeting, sponsored by Agbar and in collaboration with Deloitte, was presented by César Arranz, president of the Spanish Association of Finance Executives (AEEF) and vice-president of the Board of Directors of the CEDE Foundation. Mario Armero, a trustee of the CEDE Foundation, was the moderator.

Sabina Fluxá identified talent, innovation, and digitalization as Iberostar's main catalysts for transformation while remaining focused on promoting a model of responsible tourism. She noted the sector "is in a moment of transformation and faces great challenges."

 

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To face these challenges, Sabina Fluxá outlined Iberostar’s new strategic commercial alliance with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). IHG has more than 6,000 hotels and 17 brands. Through this agreement, IHG will market through its system up to 70 hotels of the Iberostar chain, under the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts brand that is licensed to IHG, becoming the 18th brand for the latter. Fluxá recalled that the incorporation has been made "preserving our autonomy and the management of our business, as well as maintaining our values and philosophy, with sustainability and quality as pillars." With this agreement, the size of IHG's global system increases by 3%, while Iberostar will maintain 100% ownership. According to Fluxá, through this strategic alliance, "We see an opportunity to promote the sustainable tourism we believe in."

During her CEDE talk, Sabina Fluxá highlighted the Wave of Change movement, Iberostar's ambitious commitment  to lead responsible tourism, which, she said, has served as a "catalyst for the Group's vision" and "inspired our own 2030 Agenda." This agenda sets out plans to send zero waste to landfill by 2025 and be carbon neutral by 2030, amongst other targets.

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Firm commitment to energy transition

With regard to the energy transition, Sabina Fluxá noted, "We have many initiatives already underway as part of our ambitious roadmap towards decarbonization." She informed the working breakfast guests, "We are promoting green hydrogen projects in our hotels in the Balearic Islands. We are pioneers in this." Adding, that Iberostar already has 100% electrified hotels in Montenegro and the Balearic Islands. 

In closing, Iberostar Group’s vice-president and CEO, said, "We have a firm strategy, based on caring for people and the environment, that relies on science and data." In this sense, she pointed out that Iberostar is also committed to training and development, "We are making great efforts to increase our training  and certify our hotels as hotel-schools."

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