‘From Silken Hoteles we are fully committed to Morocco’

Taking advantage of his presence at the 2025 edition of FITUR, the general manager of Silken Hoteles, Javier Villanueva, in this interview with Atalayar, describes the company's balance sheet for 2024, its international expansion projects in Morocco and Portugal, and the distinctive features of the chain.

For yet another year, Silken is present at FITUR, the leading tourism fair. What is the balance of the company's activity during 2024?

Not only for Silken: for the whole sector it has been a magnificent year. In particular, we have closed the year with a record both in sales, where we have exceeded 135 million euros, and in margin, with a double-digit ebitda, a RevPAR [revenue per available room] above 100 euros... We are also very happy with the openings we have generated during the year, with four new hotels. We have also put an end to the leverage generated by the pandemic. Overall, it has been a great year.

Speaking of new openings, the last time we interviewed you, at the 2023 edition of FITUR, you spoke to us about Silken's expansion projects in Morocco. Today, two years later, what is the status of this expansion?

With our partner in Morocco, Noamane Belghiti,, President of Groupe Globalia, we have increased the number of contracts we have signed.. It is true that, for the moment, no asset has materialised. But it is a country with great possibilities, especially in the tourism sector, and Silken Hotels is going to fully commit to Morocco. We have already signed contracts to manage establishments in Dakhla, Nador, Casablanca, Tetouan, Cabo Negro,Tangier, Ouarzazate and Agadir. We believe that 2026 will be the year in which the assets will be operational, and in two or three years we will have all these assets operational.

In addition to Morocco, another country in which Silken Hoteles has interests is Portugal. What future projects do you have in the neighbouring country?

With Morocco and Portugal, what we want is to return to the internationalisation of the company. We were in Belgium, we had projects in London and Berlin, but we had to pull back. Now that the sector is warming up again, it is time to expand again, and the countries that are closest to us are Portugal and Morocco, which are sister countries. In Portugal, the Porto project didn't come off in the end, but we have other projects in Portalegre and in Arcos de Valdevez, in the Porta Do Mezio National Park. We are very excited about both projects: they are properties that give us their trust and are a starting point to go out to many more countries.

In the medium or long term, do you plan to move into other countries?

Yes, the thing is that we tend to go hand in hand with local investors and we are working in other countries, considering other possibilities. What is clear to us is that we are basically an urban hotel chain, so it will be easier to see a Silken in Milan or Paris than in the Dominican Republic. But, having said that, we are open to any proposal that comes to us, basically from European cities, that maintain the company's DNA. We don't go just anywhere: they have to be premium locations, where design and comfort are the predominant features.

Beyond the economic aspect, you boast of being, more than hoteliers, hosts. What are the particular features that distinguish Silken from other hotel chains?

In the hotel sector, it is very easy to offer a bed and a shower with pressure. But there are many hotel chains and, in the end, the important thing is the experience you give the customer or the relationship you have with the hotel owners. And I think that this closeness, this flexibility that you have are the fundamental features that make us be chosen by our clients.