Holiday Club acquires Hotel Ylläs Saaga

Holiday Club Resorts Oy has acquired the spa hotel Ylläs Saaga, located near the Ylläs fell. The seller is Ylläs Saaga Oy, whose main owner is the paper workers' union Paperiliitto. The deal was closed on 20 October 2011. Through the purchase, Holiday Club can significantly extend its activities at Ylläs.

The company acquisition is part of Holiday Club's strategy of active expansion at significant and profitable holiday destinations. Through the acquisition, Holiday Club can strengthen its position at Ylläs, which is one of Lapland's most popular and most rapidly-developing locations. The company already owns holiday villas on the Äkäslompolo side of the fell.

“The Ylläsjärvi region is a growing and developing holiday destination, and several construction projects have been completed in the area in the past few years. This makes the company acquisition a perfect fit for our expansion strategy. We want to be involved in developing the region further,” says Vesa Tengman, Managing Director of Holiday Club Resorts Oy.

“Holiday Club has franchise know-how that will provide benefits and added value to the development of the region. While we are selling the resort at Ylläs, we have acquired Holiday Club timeshares for our members at Katinkulta, Saimaa, Saariselkä, Punkaharju and Tampereen Kylpylä. We want to develop the services of our members, and the timeshare transaction allows us to offer them leisure time benefits with even more variety and class,” says Petri Vanhala, chairman of Paperiliitto r.y.

The acquisition comprises the hotel premises, the hotel business and land areas for construction nearby the hotel. The seller, Ylläs Saaga Oy, is owned by Paperiliitto (94.31%) and Hiihtokeskus Iso-Ylläs (5.69%).

Holiday Club Ylläs Saaga will open for business on 1 December 2011, and the current personnel of the hotel will transfer to Holiday Club with their current status.

Investment complements Holiday Club's service offering

The most diverse year-round spa and ski hotel in Ylläs, Saaga, was completed in 2003 in the heart of Sport Resort Ylläs. The hotel provides a wonderful view of the fell, and breathtaking scenery up to a distance of 100 kilometres. The 84 hotel rooms offer a view of the fell, or down onto the lake. The location on the hillside makes the hotel an effortless ski-in/ski-out destination; the Ylläs1 gondola lift is located directly alongside the hotel. Slopes, trails and trekking grounds are located right outside the door of the hotel. Furthermore, the spa department with jacuzzis and steam saunas offers great opportunities for relaxation. A total of 250 Chalets apartments are located directly alongside Ylläs Saaga; the hotel's services are directly accessible from 125 of them.

“I believe that we can also provide added value for holiday apartment rental, which is one of our key areas of expertise. Our aim is to agree on apartment rental and other forms of cooperation with the owners of the Chalets companies and apartments,” says Vesa Tengman.

Holiday Club Resorts Oy is the leading weekly timeshare company in Europe and a significant operator in the fields of holiday housing and tourism. The company is owned by the acting management, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, Finnish Industry Investment Ltd and a group of Finnish private investors. Holiday Club Resorts Oy has 32 resorts and more than 1,300 holiday homes. Three of these resorts – Åre in Sweden, Calahonda in Spain and Gran Canaria – are located outside Finland. The new spa hotel and holiday resort Holiday Club Saimaa will be opened in Rauha, Lappeenranta, in October 2011. During the financial year 2010–2011, the group recorded a turnover of €93.5 million and employed approximately 800 people.

Ylläs is known for its downhill and cross-country skiing opportunities in winter, and for the trekking routes in summer and autumn. The Ylläs fell is located in western Lapland, approximately 150 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. The fell rises 718 above sea level, allowing the slopes to have a maximum altitude difference of 463 metres and the longest slope are 3,000 metres long. It offers more height and length than any other Finnish ski resort. The Ylläs region consists of seven fells and two traditional villages. The villages on both sides of the fell are Äkäslompolo to the north, and Ylläsjärvi to the south. Both villages have plenty of options for accommodation, dining, get-togethers, programme services and shopping. The pristine nature and varied landscapes of the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park offer a wonderful setting for trekking, skiing and outdoor recreation.

 Mon 24.10.2011

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