Egnazia Ospitalità Italiana, a 200 million growth plan in luxury
Melpignano: 'The goal for 2030 is to exceed 250 million in revenues'
by Enrico Netti
A business plan that focuses on the management of 5-star hotels alongside the acquisition of new hotels or resorts. All while continuing to focus on the destination Italy. This is the roadmap to 2030 that will lead Aldo Melpignano, founder and CEO of Egnazia Ospitalità Italiana, to have around twenty structures compared to the current nine. "A development path that leverages over 200 million investments over the next five years in synergy with partners," explains Melpignano. A path that will double the aggregate turnover realised with the management of the hotels. "With the nine facilities we manage, 2025 will end with revenues of 103 million while the turnover of our management company will be 14 million," says Aldo Melpignano, CEO of Egnazia Ospitalità Italiana. "The budget for next year will be 130 million with 12 hotels under management and that of the management company will grow by 2 million. The goal for 2030 is to exceed 250 million in revenues generated by the facilities under management and 20 with the management business'.
The group will soon have its own identity with a brand that will emphasise the quality of the offer and service, thus entering into direct competition with other luxury hospitality multinationals. As part of this development path, Thursday will see the inauguration in Alto Adige, near Brunico, of Castel Badia, a 5-star hotel resulting from the collaboration between the Kronplatz Group and the Gasser and Knötig families, and Egnazia Ospitalità Italiana, which handled the development of the entire project, manages the structure. The castle was built around the year 1000 and in the past also housed a Benedictine monastery. There are 29 rooms, including a three-storey chalet surrounded by greenery with a private garden. In this operation Melpignano has also entered the shareholding 'with a small share. In the projects we follow, we are well disposed to invest in a minority share, generally between 5 and 25 per cent, sharing the risk and success with the property'.
In the roadmap of the patron of Borgo Egnazia in 2026 there are two more stages: the first is in Costa Smeralda with the operation at La Tiara di Cervo in Costa Smeralda, a project of Alfonso Dolce, Domenico's brother and ceo of Dolce&Gabbana. "It will have all-suite flats with hotel services similar to the villas of Borgo Egnazia," says Melpignano. "It will be inaugurated in May and we will directly take care of the management of services and hospitality. At the same time, work is underway on what Melpignano calls his first 'urban resort'. The ad will manage a hotel in a medieval hamlet owned by a noble Capitoline family a short distance from Rome. 'The borgo will be completely renovated and will become an accommodation facility, a beautiful space'. Then, in 2027, there is the landing in the heart of Milan with the Hotel Diana, a historic Art Nouveau hotel that will be managed by the Group. "We are developing our own concept based on modern classics such as the Hotel Costes in Paris on Rue Saint Honoré and the Chiltern Firehouse in London," the CEO continues. "The Diana will have between 80 and 90 rooms (there are currently 106 ndr). Between 2028 and 2029 the entrepreneur is looking at two other projects: one in Sicily, in the area between Noto, Pachino and Marzamemi, and the other in southern Umbria. The focus remains on the Alpine arc. 'There is an important gap between the main destinations in France and Switzerland and Italy, with a potential that is still not very well expressed,' Melpignano concludes. 'Several resorts in Trentino and Valle d'Aosta can become competitive, while Cortina can compete with Saint Moritz. We are open to collaborations in already established destinations, but we are also looking for emerging resorts with high growth potential'.
