“You’ve got to be international,” repeated Lorenzo Fluxá Figuerola over and over again to his children while they were growing up. The year was 1956 and during that time Lorenzo had acquired Viajes Iberia, a small, yet thriving travel agency with six branches and 40 employees. But Lorenzo had a much bigger dream, one of expanding the business – and the most likely way to do so was overseas.              

Years later, Miguel Fluxá would take over the reins of the family’s travel agency and work towards making Lorenzo’s vision reality. In 1973, Miguel founded the tour operator Iberojet, and six years later embarked on the company’s international venture, opening an incoming travel agency, Iberotravel, with offices in London and Manchester; and Visit US, with branches in Miami and Orlando, to deal with Iberojet customers. By 1986 Miguel had built a portfolio of companies with a consolidated and widespread reputation. This encouraged him to extend the range of services the group offered its customers by entering the hotel sector and opening the first IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts hotels in Mallorca and the Canary Islands.

After consolidating the group’s hotel business in Spain, the company continued with its expansion strategy, opening its first establishment in the Caribbean. The beachfront five-star IBEROSTAR Bávaro Resort opened in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic in 1993.

In keeping with the company’s ambitious expansion strategy, 1998 saw the creation of Iberworld, an airline specializing in charter flights with hubs in Palma de Mallorca, Madrid, and Tenerife. This was followed shortly after by founding of Iberojet Cruceros. By 2004, the original six travel agencies had become 500 branches situated throughout Spain, and one of the country’s leading tourism groups. That same year the company created the IBEROSTAR FOUNDATION. The key areas of action of this non-for-profit institution are social aid, cultural development and cooperation for development with a particular focus on children.

In 2006, the IBEROSTAR GROUP sold its tourism division dedicated to the outbound side of the business. The latest stage in its ongoing development was the launch of a new category of hotels – The Grand Collection – offering luxury accommodation for its most demanding customers.

Last year, GRUPO IBEROSTAR celebrated its 60 year anniversary, and since its very start IBEROSTAR has been dedicated to providing nothing less than quality offerings internationally, now holding more than 100 hotels of four and five stars in 16 countries around the world.

In keeping with its enterprising spirit, the fourth generation of the Fluxá family is now directly involved in running the company and is committed more than ever to continuing to invest in those countries it already operates in and to extending its business activity to new destinations and markets.

“When I was 12 years old, my father taught us something, which I believe is absolutely essential: you must have passion for your career,” explained Miguel. “I found this passion with IBEROSTAR, and I’m so proud of our continued growth and to today have top hotels globally. Quality is our most valuable asset and has positioned us at the forefront of today’s international tourism industry.”  

Fans of IBEROSTAR have plenty to look forward to now and well into the future as the company shows no signs of slowing down. As proof, just last year the company opened its first hotels in the U.S. with properties in New York City and South Beach, Miami. The new IBEROSTAR 70 Park Avenue is a four-star boutique property in the heart of Manhattan with 205 rooms spread across 16 floors. With its central location, guests are a short distance from key tourist attractions including Times Square, Grand Central Station, the headquarters of the United Nations, Bryant Park, and the Flatiron District. IBEROSTAR Berkeley, located in the famous Art Deco district of South Beach, Miami, opened this past December and is situated in a renovated 1940’s Art Deco building and features 96 beautiful, boutique rooms.

Back in Spain, IBEROSTAR Santa Eulalia Ibiza became IBEROSTAR’s first on the island of Ibiza (Spain) last year. This four-star, premium category hotel boasts 188 rooms and a prime beachfront location in S’Argamassa. As a part of its commitment to the Balearic islands, this hotel became the company’s fifteenth in the Balearic archipelago. Following several months’ work and an investment of over 13 million euros, IBEROSTAR Santa Eulalia Ibiza has now been completely renovated, becoming the company’s newest star in the Mediterranean. 

Not to be outdone by its luxurious accommodations and services, IBEROSTAR’s popular Iberostarchef on Tour returns for 2016-2017, bringing with it the finest haute cuisine to guests around the world. This year’s tour offers a very special blend of flavors and creativity, featuring nine of the most highly-acclaimed chefs on the international scene. Participating chefs in this year’s tour include Daniel Humm, Suzette Gresham, Ronny Emborg, Carlo Mirarchi, Jordi Cruz, and Manuel Berganza. They all hold Michelin stars and have managed to win over even the most demanding gourmet restaurants in New York, San Francisco and Barcelona. 12 months, 14 dinners, and 16 Michelin stars comprise this unique event, enabling IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts to bring the most exquisite international gastronomy to some of its most exclusive hotels situated in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Cuba. 

And with Cuba proving to be the hottest “it” place to visit this year, travelers can once again look forward to IBEROSTAR as they are set to take over management of their second hotel in Havana in January. With a total of 352 rooms and a prime location on the Cuban capital’s Malecón seafront esplanade, the future IBEROSTAR Riviera will have five-star status and form part of the company’s Premium Gold category. The IBEROSTAR Riviera will be IBEROSTAR’s 12^th hotel in Cuba, further consolidating the Majorcan chain’s commitment to this rapidly growing destination.