Global Hotel Alliance Enters Italy; The Lungarno Collection Becomes Its Latest Member

GENEVA, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Hotel Alliance ("GHA") is delighted to welcome the Lungarno Collection as its latest member, as the rapidly-growing alliance now extends its reach into Italy.

Owned by the Ferragamo family, the Lungarno Collection was established in 1995 in Florence. With stunning locations in the heart of Rome, Florence and Tuscany, each of the hotels, retreats and villas in the Lungarno Collection has its own distinct, original personality but all share a common creativity, attention to detail and style, reflecting elegance, contemporary design and quintessential Florentine craftsmanship. The Collection includes luxury hotels, design hotels, private villas and exclusive Swan Sailing boats.

Leonardo Ferragamo, Chairman of the Lungarno Collection, relates, "We create places and services where the individual is seen as the motivation for an authentic, personal experience, inspired by the principles of Italian creativity and inventive spirit."

GHA's CEO, Chris Hartley is delighted to welcome Lungarno: "Italy has always been an important target market for the alliance, as so many of our customers have that country in their travel plans; and Lungarno's membership has made it worth the wait. Their hotels fit perfectly with GHA's philosophy of collaboration among independent, regional brands, which have a strong local identity."

For Valeriano Antonioli, Lungarno's Chief Operating Officer, joining GHA is a big step to gaining international recognition for the brand. "GHA will give us extended access to markets, such as the UK, Germany, India, China and Russia, which are vital to our hotels' future success, but which are expensive to reach, with our own resources, as a small brand. We are especially excited about participation in the loyalty programme, GHA Discovery, which will enable us to communicate to a database of nearly two million loyal customers from around the world. Our Lungarno guests will be able to choose across a portfolio of unique Local Experiences offered worldwide by the GHA Discovery programme. We are also thrilled to share our rare locations and the elegant 'Tuscan style' with the guests of the Global Hotel Alliance."

The Lungarno Collection officially joined Global Hotel Alliance on 15th July 2011, and becomes its fourteenth member brand.

About Global Hotel Alliance

Based on the airline alliance model, Global Hotel Alliance ("GHA") is the world largest alliance of independent hotel brands. It uses a common technology platform to drive incremental revenues and create cost savings for its members, while offering enhanced recognition and service to customers across all brands, through a unique loyalty programme, GHA Discovery. GHA currently comprises of Anantara, Doyle Collection, First, Kempinski, Leela, Lungarno Collection, Marco Polo, Mokara, Mirvac, Omni, Pan Pacific, PARKROYAL, Shaza and Tivoli hotels & resorts, encompassing almost 300 upscale and luxury hotels with 65,000 rooms in 51 different countries. www.gha.com

About Lungarno Collection

Lungarno Collection is a diverse collection of Italian boutique and design luxury hotels, residences, and villas owned by the Ferragamo family.

SOURCE Global Hotel Alliance