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Spain has overtaken Britain as the country in Europe where the major hotel chains want to invest, a state of affairs which is clearly evident in Mallorca. A recent survey said that Spain had toppled Britain from the hot spot and Mallorca is enjoying major investment from the big hotel chains.

Top of the list is the Four Seasons Mallorca Resort in Formentor (formely the Hotel Formentor) which has been extensively refurbished and is due to open this summer by the Canadian group, in which Microsoft founder Bill Gates is one of the major shareholders.

The Virgin Group of Sir Richard Branson opened a hotel in Banyalbufar last summer and has since announced plans to add a new hotel on the same property. The also British owned Mandarian Oriental Hotel Group is transforming the Hotel Punta Negra in Bendinat into a luxury resort and and is due to open next year.

Travelodge, the British discount hotel chain has announced plans to open a city centre hotel in Palma. Two years ago the London based IHG Grouped opened the Hotel Kimpton in Santa Ponsa. A number of City of London based investment funds are also being used to buy Mallorca based hotels. A sizeable number of the top hotels in Mallorca are now in foreign hands.

Mallorca is considered to be a safe investment area by international hotel chains, a trend which looks set to continue.