Latest news with #Bulgaria
Hospitality Net
13 hours ago
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Hyatt's Inclusive Collection Continues Expansion in Bulgaria with the Opening of AluaSoul Sunny Beach
Located in one of Eastern Europe's most popular seaside destinations—the 397-room adults-only hotel offers a vibrant all-inclusive experience on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today the opening of AluaSoul Sunny Beach, part of Hyatt's Inclusive Collection, in the heart of Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. The opening marks the continued expansion of the Alua Hotels & Resorts brand, strengthening Hyatt's commitment to offering a seamless all-inclusive travel experiences that suit every traveler. The opening of AluaSoul Sunny Beach complements the existing Inclusive Collection brand portfolio in Bulgaria, joining Secrets Sunny Beach, Dreams Sunny Beach, Alua Helios Bay and AluaSun Helios Bay, which opened in 2023. "The opening of AluaSoul Sunny Beach reflects our commitment to offering exceptional value and memorable moments for guests and World of Hyatt members," said Manuel Melenchon, Managing Director, South, for Hyatt in EAME. "As travelers continue to seek all-inclusive stays in Europe, we're dedicated to creating seamless experiences that allow guests and World of Hyatt members to relax in comfort while also connecting with local culture, exploring the destination, and enjoying stays that consistently exceed expectations." "We're excited to celebrate the opening of our newest Alua Hotels & Resorts property," said Ana Tomicevic, Global Brand Leader, Inclusive Collection, Hyatt. "Alua properties are designed for today's traveler—those seeking a modern, minimalistic stay with authentic local touches. The brand resonates with guests who value exploring their destination as much as relaxing at the resort. Sunny Beach, with its unique backdrop and vibrant energy, is the perfect setting for this next chapter." Juxtaposed between the lively Flower Street and the Sunny Beach Promenade, the adults-only AluaSoul Sunny Beach offers direct access to the famed Boulevard studded with local shops and a vibrant nightlife, offering a contemporary all-inclusive experience with a fresh, modern feel in the heart of this bustling beach town. Whether guests want to explore, relax, or a balanced blend of both, the hotel is thoughtfully designed to match every travel style—offering easy access to Blue Flag beaches, vibrant nightlife, and the rich culture and cobbled, picturesque streets of the UNESCO-listed Nessebar. "We're thrilled to welcome guests and World of Hyatt members to the new AluaSoul Sunny Beach. With a prime location in one of the most popular seaside destinations in Eastern Europe, the hotel boasts a truly elevated experience, combining a modern design with unforgettable entertainment and amenities along with the convenience of easy access to all that Sunny Beach has to offer," said Daniel Bielsa Gibaja, general manager of AluaSoul Sunny Beach. "Whether looking to relax and unwind, or make the most of the local nightlife, the hotel has something for everyone." Tranquil Guestrooms AluaSoul Sunny Beach's 397 guest rooms combine modern interior design with all the facilities needed for a relaxing stay, with many touting stunning views of the Black Sea. The hotel's neutral color-scheme with a touch of vibrant hues, are inspired by the local culture and the surrounding natural beauty. Amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, air conditioning and walk-in rainfall showers. Culinary Offerings From fresh local ingredients to international favorites, the hotel's six restaurants and bars offer something for every palate. Mare Nubium features hyper-local cuisine in an elegant à la carte setting, while Terra serves a wide range of local and international dishes buffet-style—perfect for a casual, quick bite. The Spot adds nightlife to the mix with live entertainment in a high-energy setting. Guests can also enjoy healthy snacks at Kentia's terrace, handcrafted cocktails at the poolside Agua bar, and bold Asian fusion flavors at Jojo. The all-inclusive offer includes three meals daily along with a late continental breakfast, snacks throughout the day, and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Engaging Amenities The property boasts two outdoor swimming pools - one for relaxation in the sun, and the other for activities. Guests seeking adventure can make use of the hotel's active offerings, which include water sports like windsurfing, jet skiing, parasailing, kayaking, boat rides and snorkeling. For guests placing an emphasis on wellbeing, the hotel's 24-hour fitness center touts floor to ceiling windows and is fully equipped with professional machines and free weights. Guests can also unwind in the hotel's modern spa, with the choice of a hot tub, sauna, steam room and sensation showers, or partake in a relaxing massage or rejuvenating facial or body treatment to further complement the hotel's wellbeing offerings. My Favorite Club AluaSoul Sunny Beach offers My Favorite Club, designed to provide guests with added comfort and convenience through exclusive benefits, upgraded accommodations, and amenities. These include early check-in and late check-out, access to a reserved area in the Terra restaurant, private hotel areas, and premium accommodation options. My Favorite Club suites, such as the Double Superior Frontal Sea View, are situated in prime locations within the hotel, offering panoramic views of the Black Sea. These rooms come with additional amenities, including a larger TV, a wider selection of toiletries, and a bottle of red wine, and more. Meetings and Events Flexible meeting space at AluaSoul Sunny Beach includes Sophia Hall, a 65 m² room which can accommodate up to 60 guests for meetings, presentations, training sessions or informal networking events, surrounded by the stunning Black Sea. To learn more about the rewarding ways members can enjoy all-inclusive experiences through World of Hyatt, visit Hyatt's Inclusive Collection. To learn more about AluaSoul Sunny Beach and save an additional 15% with the opening offer for stays through June 19, 2025, visit the resort's website. The term "Hyatt" is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates. Hotel website
Arab News
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Bulgaria cyber ‘elves' fight Kremlin and cruelty
SOFIA: A Bulgarian group of dozens of cyber activists at first clubbed together to battle Russian disinformation, but they have since found other foes — like animal abusers. They call themselves the BG Elves, which both refers to the kind-hearted characters of Scandinavian mythology and hints at a rivalry with the Internet's malicious trolls. The collective of about 70 anonymous cybersecurity experts have made a name for themselves by creating problems for their adversaries. One of their latest efforts was helping an animal rights NGO uncover evidence that led to the March arrest of a woman and a man accused of selling videos online of hundreds of animals being tortured to death. 'Our work was crucial, because for the first time a crime was solved in Bulgaria based on OSINT data, proving that our efforts can produce concrete results,' software developer Petko Petkov, the Elves' only public face, told AFP. OSINT refers to open-source intelligence, which is information gathered with digital investigation techniques like reverse image search and geolocation. In the summer of 2024, the NGO alerted the cyber sleuths to videos posted on Telegram of a masked woman torturing animals. The Elves tracked her down within hours. Using OSINT, they were also able to trace the locations where the videos of cats, rabbits and guinea pigs being tortured on camera were filmed by her accomplice. The videos sparked widespread protests in Bulgaria, and prompted the government to propose emergency legislation. Set up in 2023 in response to pro-Kremlin disinformation flooding Bulgaria, the group first zeroed in on the key players involved in the campaigns. 'There were about 10 of us in a chat group, we refined the concept, then put out a call for volunteers,' Petkov told AFP about the group's founding. They have grown significantly since and include experts in cybersecurity, social engineering and databases. 'We are not hackers, we are researchers,' said Petkov, 37, who moved from central Bulgaria to Kyiv shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Dedicated to activism, the Elves try to fight the deluge of disinformation by disseminating 'counter-propaganda that makes people think,' he said. 'We noticed that a (disinfo) narrative... takes some time to reach people. Our idea was to flood the space with humor and irony before the propaganda takes hold,' said Petkov. Recently, they launched a viral meme campaign targeting the main false claims about Bulgaria's accession to the eurozone, distributing the content through profiles embedded within major disinformation networks. In March, BG Elves supported a Romanian journalist in an investigation that exposed a Russia-linked disinformation and propaganda network funded through online advertising. In the wake of the recent arrests, Bulgaria proposed a bill in parliament, which allows for higher prison terms of up to 10 years for torturing animals. Nearly 300 people have been convicted of such offenses in the last five years, but few end up in prison. Petya Altimirska, president of the animal welfare association CAAI, who had reached out to the Elves for help in the abuse case, has since received numerous reports of 'even more serious' cases, adding that the cyber sleuths are already 'on it.' While the group was praised for exposing the animal abuse, it has also faced criticism and numerous threats for its provocative approach and alleged political bias.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Globe Trade Centre SA (FRA:G91) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Revenue Growth and Strategic ...
Release Date: May 29, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Globe Trade Centre SA (FRA:G91) reported a 9% increase in combined revenues for the CE and German residential portfolio. The company improved its occupancy rate by 2 percentage points in the first quarter. Significant disposals added approximately 88 million to the company's cash position, demonstrating the high quality of its asset base. The portfolio is well-diversified across sectors and geographies, with 51% in offices, 30% in retail, and 19% in residential properties. The company has strong relationships with banks, which aids in refinancing efforts and managing upcoming maturities. FFO1 declined to around 12 million due to increased interest costs from new funding. The company faced increased finance costs due to additional senior facilities in Bulgaria and Germany. There was a loss from the revaluation of assets due to capitalized expenditures on completed properties. The weighted average interest rate increased to 3.63%, impacting financing costs. Administrative expenses increased, partly due to the integration of the German portfolio and additional employees. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with FRA:G91. Q: Could you elaborate on the short-term blocked deposits and what drove their increase in the first quarter? A: The increase was due to a voluntary dedication of 45 million for deleveraging the company. We will decide how to utilize these funds, potentially for repaying bank loans or other facilities. - Unidentified_2 Q: Is the 45 million dedicated for deleveraging restricted to specific uses, such as bond repayment? A: The funds could potentially be used for bond repayment or senior facilities. We have not concluded on this yet, but it will help manage credit metrics. - Unidentified_2 Q: Can you provide details on the 37-38 million CapEx spent on investment property in Q1? A: The spending was on developments, fit-outs, and building maintenance. Approximately 20 million was spent on developments, including renovations, with the remainder on fit-outs and improvements. Most of it was financed through cash. - Unidentified_2 Q: What are the expected major cash outflows in the coming quarters? A: Significant cash outflows include interest costs and 42 million for an option to buy 10% of the German portfolio. We aim to finance these from external sources. - Unidentified_1 Q: Could you clarify the impact of the German portfolio on financials, particularly the increase in interest costs and admin expenses? A: The German portfolio's initial lower occupancy contributed to lower gross margin, but improvements are underway. Admin costs increased due to additional employees in Germany. Other finance expenses were largely one-off items. - Unidentified_2 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Henry leads GB gold rush at European Championships
Lauren Henry won gold in the women's quadruple sculls at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris [BBC] Great Britain surged to the top of the medal standings with five gold medals on the final day of the European Rowing Championships in Bulgaria. Lauren Henry, a reigning Olympic champion in the women's quadruple sculls, won gold in her first senior international regatta in the single sculls. Advertisement And a new-look GB crew continued their domination in the women's quadruple sculls, without Henry in the boat, as they defended their European title in Plovdiv. Britain also claimed a first ever men's quadruple sculls gold, while both the men's and women's boats won gold in the eights to take GB's total medal tally for the regatta to six gold, a silver and two bronze medals. Germany were second in the medal standings with five golds and one silver. "It's very, very special," said Henry, 23, after following up her British record time in the heats with victory in Sunday's final. Advertisement "I wanted to come here and make a mark and make a name for myself and I feel like I've done that. "I want to be world champion, I want to be Olympic champion, I want to break the world best time, I want to be the most successful British single sculler ever. That's my aim. I've still got many years to go but watch this space." Sunday's gold rush followed four medals for the British team on Saturday. Paralympic champion Benjamin Pritchard won the PR1 men's single sculls in a new world-record time of eight minutes 40.38 seconds, while Sam Murray and Annie Caddick claimed silver in the PR3 mixed double. Advertisement There were also bronze medals for GB in the women's four, and Eleanor Brinkhoff and Megan Slabbert in the women's pair.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Henry leads GB gold rush at European Championships
Great Britain surged to the top of the medal standings with five gold medals on the final day of the European Rowing Championships in Bulgaria. Lauren Henry, a reigning Olympic champion in the women's quadruple sculls, won gold in her first senior international regatta in the single sculls. And a new-look GB crew continued their domination in the women's quadruple sculls, without Henry in the boat, as they defended their European title in Plovdiv. Britain also claimed a first ever men's quadruple sculls gold, while both the men's and women's boats won gold in the eights to take GB's total medal tally for the regatta to six gold, a silver and two bronze medals. Germany were second in the medal standings with five golds and one silver. "It's very, very special," said Henry, 23, after following up her British record time in the heats with victory in Sunday's final. "I wanted to come here and make a mark and make a name for myself and I feel like I've done that. "I want to be world champion, I want to be Olympic champion, I want to break the world best time, I want to be the most successful British single sculler ever. That's my aim. I've still got many years to go but watch this space."Sunday's gold rush followed four medals for the British team on Saturday. Paralympic champion Benjamin Pritchard won the PR1 men's single sculls in a new world-record time of eight minutes 40.38 seconds, while Sam Murray and Annie Caddick claimed silver in the PR3 mixed were also bronze medals for GB in the women's four, and Eleanor Brinkhoff and Megan Slabbert in the women's pair.
