Hosbec, the hotel employers’ association based in Benidorm, is expanding its footprint in Valencia province, where it already represents more than 12,000 lodging beds. This was one of the topics at a meeting held in the Valencian capital, where the sector again highlighted its disagreement with the new traveler registration regime and argued for a campaign to block its implementation.
Last Thursday the Hosbec leadership, represented by president Fede Fuster, Valencia vice president Javier Vallés, secretary general Mayte García, and Hosbec’s Valencia delegate Miguel March, held a follow up with members from Valencia city and province in the heart of Ciutat Vella at the Only You Hotel.
More than thirty executives attended this follow up on Hosbec’s actions with its members, addressing issues of interest for the Valencia city members and all province affiliates given their general relevance to the tourism sector.
As of the last meeting, Hosbec represents nearly 12,000 lodging places in Valencia, with around fifty hotels, four apartment complexes, a campground, a casino, and a hospital, reinforcing the broader supply that Hosbec accounts for. In the city, Hosbec’s representativeness approaches fifty percent, having been boosted in recent months by the inclusion of Ilunion Valencia, NH Hotels, Barceló Valencia, the opening of Estimar Hotels, and new openings such as SH Hotels and others like IGSA Albufera, Moontels Apartments, Unik Apartments, and the Cirsa Valencia Casino.
The agenda was ambitious, covering many issues on the table for Valencia’s tourism accommodation sector, including the moratorium approved by the City Council at the end of last May that suspended building permit processes for new tertiary uses. The accommodation sector has taken a proactive stance to offer joint solutions to the City Council and propose exemptions to this suspension for whole-building projects when relevant to hotels, keeping the objective of the suspension as a brake on the growth of tourist housing units that platforms could place well over 30,000 beds above the current hotel supply.
There was also discussion about the recently enacted Decree-Law regulating tourist housing and its impact on the sector in terms of renewals every five years in the registry and the regulation of a ten-day lease period that specifically affects this type of lodging registered with Tourism.
The issue affecting Valencia city regarding the difficulty in issuing licenses for outdoor terraces used by bars and restaurants for hotel activity was raised, noting a lack of coherence between the regulations for public venues, the municipal occupancy ordinance, and the Valencian tourism framework for hotel spaces and facilities. Hosbec continues close contact with local and regional administrations to explore collaboration paths and adopt solutions that foster economic development within the framework of the rules.
These are among the topics Hosbec handles in coordination with CEHAT at the national level and with the tourism bodies within CEOE, taking part in boards and defending the interests of Valencian business owners, including matters of intellectual property and the tariffs demanded by associations representing authors, audiovisual producers, and TV rights holders. In particular, it was discussed that a 150-room hotel could face annual rights costs exceeding 3,000 euros for public broadcasting, regardless of whether guests watch TV in the rooms.
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One issue that drew the most controversy was the entry into force of the Decree-Law 933/2021 on traveler documentation. If the Interior Ministry had not provided updates in the coming weeks, it would have taken effect on October 1 after nearly three years of extensions caused by the inability to meet the requirements and the slow progress of digital tools for communication. This regulation affects all Spanish tourist accommodation, car rental companies, and travel agencies. Across the industry there was a push to coordinate a campaign to oppose the implementation or to demonstrate the practical difficulty of compliance, given the potential for Spain to lose sales and see bookings redirected to other destinations.
Towards the end, the group also reviewed ongoing projects that Hosbec offers to its members, including the collaboration platform for hospitality analytics called Biontrend to access occupancy, revenue, overnight stays, rooms sold, average price, and RevPAR as more hotels join through their property management programs. New members were introduced to the Hosbec Product Club and a plan for a proprietary booking engine was announced to operate by the end of the month.
The Green Host initiative, launched in the summer, aims to inform guests about reducing their carbon footprint through reforestation projects in the Valencia Community, alongside a comprehensive schedule for the coming weeks. Hosbec will run accessibility training with the ONCE group and Ilunion, energy efficiency sessions with ITH, and a healthcare training program exclusive for its members across the Valencian Community.
The Valencia associate meeting was preceded by a guided tour of the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre, a collaboration the association has held since this summer to promote joint tourism experiences in Valencia and showcase the center’s permanent collection and the latest exhibitions, highlighting the city’s cultural appeal as a global reference.