FROM CRISIS
PROFILE
THE OPPORTUNIST
Possibility
FROM CRISIS
MARC RAHOLA ' S OD HOTELS AIMS FOR INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION .
Contributed BY KAREN KROLL
Launching a hotel enterprise at any time is risky . Launching one in a global recession is an even greater gamble . For Marc Rahola , founder and CEO of Ibiza , Spain-based OD Group , it was one key to success . " Crisis is always a change moment ," says Rahola , who started the lifestyle hotel company in 2009 , and the disruption offers an " opportunity to make something happen in another way ."
That ' s what Rahola and his team are striving to do with their hotels , which include three in Ibiza , one in Barcelona and one in Mallorca . In 2019 , OD Côte d ' Azur on the French Riviera will open . Plans are underway for 2020 openings in Madrid and Miami .
One of the pillars underpinning OD Hotels ' approach to hospitality is excellent location , often near top restaurants , shops and museums . " The city is the experience ," says Rahola , who believes that the hospitality industry is suffering from an " Airbnb effect ." High costs have prompted travelers to look for alternatives to traditional hotels and book shorter stays . When they do travel , " they want to be in the center of the experience ," which is where the company puts its hotels - OD Barcelona in the L ' Eixample District is a short walk to Passeig de Gràcia and its Catalan Modernist architecture , as well as upscale shopping .
Rahola and his team strive to bring some of the aesthetic of each location within the hotels - what he calls " having the flavor of the city ." OD Ocean
44 hotelsmag . com April 2018