Minor Hotels’ Yuan Fang on Expanding into Greece and Beyond

Yuan Fang, Senior Vice President of Development for Europe and the Americas at Minor Hotels, highlights the group’s ambitions for Athens, the Southern Aegean, and Crete, as part of a broader European expansion strategy.

GTP: Could you introduce Minor Hotels and share its vision and core values with our audience?

Yuan Fang: Minor Hotels is a global hotel group operating more than 550 hotels, resorts, and residences in 56 countries, pursuing a vision of creating a more passionate and interconnected world.
As a hotel owner, operator and investor, Minor Hotels caters to the needs and desires of today’s global travellers through its diverse portfolio of eight hotel brands (Anantara, Avani, Elewana Collection, NH, NH Collection, nhow, Oaks and Tivoli) and a portfolio of related businesses. Minor Hotels is rapidly accelerating its global growth ambitions.
Its vision is to be a leader in delivering exceptional experiences that anticipate and satisfy customers’ aspirations and positively impact stakeholders.
Our passion will always be, as entrepreneurs, seeking new possibilities and solutions to emerging challenges through creativity to bring value to customers, partners, and shareholders.
We’re big enough to deliver, but small enough to care. This balance leads us forward with equal parts ambition and responsivity, with formidable infrastructure and nimble adaptability.
Minor Hotels’ success is driven by five core values: customer focus, results orientation, people development, innovation, and partnership. These values guide the group’s efforts in delivering exceptional experiences and fostering meaningful connections with guests and stakeholders.

GTP: What recent developments have taken place within Minor Hotels, particularly regarding its brands in Europe and the Americas?

Yuan Fang: In Europe, this year we have opened some amazing properties such as Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna Hotel, situated in a listed palace built in 1873 by Theophil Hansen. Also, NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa Hotel, which combines two historic buildings, the New Student House and the Seurahuone hotel, one of the best-preserved heritage sites in Helsinki and the heart of Finnish culture and social life since the beginning of the 20th century.
Last year, we launched the Tivoli brand in Italy with Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort & Spa, located in the heart of the Portopiccolo complex, a luxury marina on the Adriatic coast; and in Spain with Tivoli La Caleta Tenerife Resort, former Sheraton. This year we have added Tivoli Palazzo Gaddi Firenze Hotel, built by the noble Gaddi family in the late 16th century, offers the experience of living in a palazzo in the heart of Florence’s historic centre.
During 2024, we have also opened Avani Museum Quarter Amsterdam Hotel, located just down the road from Museumplein, the square with the most important museums; and three new hotels in Paris: NH Paris Gare de l’Est Hotel, NH Paris Opéra Faubourg Hotel and NH Paris Champs Elysées Hotel, which will become NH Collection after a renovation period.
Outside of Europe, a few recent highlights in terms of hotel launches include Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, which opened in October as the second Anantara on the island, and Anantara Santorini Abu Dhabi Retreat which launched in Q1. Our NH Hotels & Resorts brand made its debut both in Africa in July in Sandton, the financial centre of Johannesburg in South Africa, and in the Maldives with the launch of NH Maldives Kuda Rah Resort in September.

GTP: With a focus on luxury and resort experiences, what urban opportunities do you see as vital for the brand’s growth?

Yuan Fang: Luxury and resorts have long been a priority for Minor Hotels in terms of growth, especially with our brands Anantara and Tivoli, but also, we are eager to keep growing in the upscale and upper upscale segments with our core and lifestyle brands NH, NH Collection, Avani and nhow. This is especially important if a new opportunity fits with our brands and is in a location where we are currently not present.

If we talk specifically about the urban segment – where we are present in key capital cities such as Madrid, Rome, Lisbon, Berlin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, or London – we are focused on looking for opportunities in key cities in Greece, France, the United Kingdom, Nordic countries, as well as in major cities in the United States. Also, we have a significant presence in the urban segment in many European capitals such as Madrid, Paris, Rome, Helsinki, and London. With this broad expertise in some of the key cities in Europe, it makes sense to launch some of our brands in Athens too.

GTP: Can you elaborate on Minor Hotels’ plans for expansion in Greece? What specific markets or destinations within Greece are you targeting?

Yuan Fang: In Greece, we want to grow with cluster hotels and develop numerous projects, both in urban and resorts segment.
By areas, our priority is to grow in Athens, Southern Aegean, and Crete.
By brands, we want to grow with all of them. For example, in Athens, it would make a lot of sense to have NH and NH Collection properties, while in luxury resorts, we can grow with Anantara and Tivoli. For Upper-upscale resorts, we could have NH Collection, Avani, or NH, depending on the main feeder markets of each destination.

GTP: What specific characteristics, and market signals does Minor Hotels consider when evaluating the potential for hotel investment in Greece?

Yuan Fang: Minor evaluates several criteria to determine destinations, including RevPAR growth, market demand, existing tourism infrastructure and connectivity, and long-term growth potential. We also consider economic and political factors that may influence market stability and development. Although the basic market criteria apply to all our brands, the final decision is also based on the positioning of each brand.
Apart from all these criteria, guests are crucial when developing the expansion plan. This way, we listen to the needs and preferences of our customers.

GTP: How does the Greek market fit into your broader expansion strategy for Europe?

Yuan Fang: Minor Hotels currently has a wide presence in the resorts segment in the most consolidated destinations, such as Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Some examples are Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort, NH Marina Portimão Resort, Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Benahavís Marbella Resort, Tivoli La Caleta Tenerife Resort, and Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort & Spa. Thus, Greece is a natural growth location for our company in this sense, especially due to the potential of our feeder markets.

Also, we have a significant presence in the urban segment in many European capitals such as Madrid, Paris, Rome, Helsinki, and London. With this broad expertise in some of the key cities in Europe, it makes sense to launch some of our brands in Athens too.

GTP: Given the current trends in luxury tourism, what innovations or offerings is Minor Hotels considering to attract high-end travelers?

Yuan Fang: We now perceive a trend of more sophisticated tourism, in search of unique experiences and integration into the local culture. One-of-a-kind experiences remain a key driver of destination and hotel selection, with travellers looking for increasingly meaningful connection to people and place — through culinary tourism for example. But they are also seeking less predictability and more flexibility in the way they plan itineraries, highlighting the importance of serendipity in shaping lasting memories.
An established trend that’s not going anywhere soon: nature and sustainability will continue dominating narratives around hotels and travel in 2024. In this sense, we have set up specific sustainability criteria that all our hotels must follow.
Besides, travel is expected to put mind and body wellness at the forefront with a fully immersive and sometimes unconventional approach. Trips will be rooted in relaxation, self-improvement, and wellbeing. As the world reimagines the way we value our health and our environment, wellness travel is seeing a sharp rise in popularity among tourists.
As an example, and tapping into this growing trend, Anantara has just launched Layan Life by Anantara in Phuket, linked to Anantara Layan Phuket Resort. Layan Life is a new world-class retreat concept from Anantara Hotels & Resorts that is aimed at transforming the wellness experience, combining cutting-edge technology and state of the art modern wellness with the timeless wisdom of ancient Thai traditions. Another example of how Anantara is tapping into current travel trends is The Vietage by Anantara, which launched a second luxury railway carriage earlier this year in Vietnam, providing a slow and sustainable travel experience through picturesque countryside.

GTP: What do you believe are the key factors driving investment in the luxury hospitality sector today, especially in light of the R&R Forum’s focus?

Yuan Fang: In my opinion, key factors driving investment in the luxury hospitality sector are the resilience of the luxury segment in the different cycles of the economy, the growth of High-net-worth individuals and the behavior of travellers in investing more time and money in post-pandemic experiences.

GTP: How does Minor Hotels ensure its resorts and urban properties meet the expectations of luxury travelers in terms of service and experience?

Yuan Fang: We have global standards by brand, but also local standards that are adapted to each hotel and consider not only the location, but also the preferences and needs of the guests, local culture, and traditions, etc.
We ensure we meet the expectations of this kind of travellers by offering them top experiences both inside and outside the hotel, where they can interact with local communities. Always with the best service and facilities in incredible hotels, some of them located in historic buildings.

GTP: What challenges do you anticipate in expanding Minor Hotels’ presence in the competitive European market?

Yuan Fang: We are very selective with projects for any of our brands. Many different factors need to fit into each brand. We have an ambitious growth plan, but we must be very sure of each of the projects we sign.

GTP: How do you see the future of luxury tourism evolving in the post-pandemic landscape, and what role will Minor Hotels play in that transformation?

Yuan Fang: In recent years we have observed an evolution in customer preferences towards more personalized and memorable experiences, where the hotel not only serves as accommodation, but becomes an integral part of the destination. We have also been able to observe that there is a trend towards sophisticated tourism which seeks to integrate with local culture, avoiding massive tourist experiences. Technology is also very present, more and more travellers prefer to manage their trips digitally, using mobile devices for autonomous planning and personalization.
Sustainability and well-being continue to grow as priorities for more and more people, with a growing pursuit of responsible environmental practices and immersive approaches to mental and physical care.
In this scenario, we seek to strengthen our position in the luxury segment, and we aim to achieve this through our Anantara brand, which brings expertise and recognition in this segment.

By : Nikos Krinis