An established family business, five hotels ranging from four-star superior to five-star and five-star luxury, approximately 900 rooms in total, more than 600 employees and current revenue of around €40 million. These figures mark the starting point of a new development phase for GB Thermae Hotels, focused on gradually reducing seasonality and extending the hotels’ opening periods.
Together with investments in the offering, market positioning and the evolution of the thermal spa experience, this strategy lays the foundations for double-digit revenue growth in the coming years. It builds on a wealth of experience developed in the heart of one of Europe’s oldest thermal spa destinations.
GB Thermae Hotels, an Italian hospitality group owned by the Borile family, today embodies a vision of hospitality rooted in the ancient tradition of thermal bathing and reinterpreted through a contemporary understanding of health, wellbeing and quality of life.
The Group has developed a model in which the thermal spa experience is not an additional hotel amenity, but one of the main reasons for staying. The GB Thermae Hotels thermal spa method is based on ancient hyperthermal water and patented thermal mud, whose effectiveness is supported by scientific research. Every property has its own private thermal spring and in-house thermal spa, a medical and scientific approach to wellbeing, and a proprietary cosmetics line integrated into its spa concept.
This shared foundation gives rise to five distinct expressions of hospitality: Abano Grand Hotel, Lifestyle Spa & Fine Dining, a five-star luxury property combining wellbeing, elegance, innovation and exceptional hospitality; Grand Hotel Trieste & Victoria, Contemporary Thermal Luxury Spa, a five-star hotel offering a contemporary interpretation of Italy’s historic thermal hospitality; Hotel Terme Due Torri, a five-star property evolving into an Adults Hideaway & Spa concept for an adult international clientele; Hotel Terme Metropole, a four-star superior property focused on Oriental Spa & Resort, bringing thermal traditions and Eastern philosophies together in a holistic experience; and La Residence Terme & Idrokinesis, a four-star hotel embodying the Thermal Rehab concept, dedicated to rehabilitation, prevention and functional recovery not only for older guests, but also for athletes, executives and anyone seeking to improve their health and performance.
The Group’s distinctive assets: water, mud, science and expertise
Thermal water and bioactive mud become resources for health and wellbeing through a body of expertise built over time, combining specialist teams, medical and scientific knowledge, and programmes tailored to individual needs.
The thermal water emerges naturally at 86°C after travelling more than 80 kilometres underground over a period of 30 years, becoming enriched with mineral salts along the way. Combined with clay from the Euganean Hills, it produces thermal mud that undergoes a natural maturation process and has been the subject of scientific studies, including research by the University of Padua, as well as recognition at European level.
The Group’s contemporary vision is reflected in its ability to evolve tradition without losing its identity. The therapeutic properties of thermal treatments are brought together withprevention, restoration of balance, functional recovery, longevity, luxury lifestyle and mind–body harmony, extending the meaning of a thermal spa stay beyond traditional concepts of treatment and relaxation. Across the Group’s five Thermal Destination Spas, the value of this natural resource is translated into personalised experiences and programmes within a hospitality model developed and refined by the Borile family.
A family business born of passion and innovation
The story of GB Thermae Hotels began long before its involvement in hospitality. It started with Aldo Borile, who worked in Abano’s hotel and thermal spa sector as a construction technician in the 1960s and patented a hydraulic pump designed to optimise the extraction and transportation of underground thermal water. These origins foreshadowed one of the future Group’s defining qualities: the ability to combine the area’s natural heritage with technical expertise and a constant drive for innovation.
In 1977, Aldo Borile and his wife Adelina acquired Hotel Terme Metropole and introduced a new approach to thermal spa holidays, which they called ‘modern thermalism’. This first property became the foundation of a business venture that expanded over the years to encompass the Group’s five hotels today.
GB Thermae Hotels is led by the second generation of the Borile family — Cristina, Chiara and Alessandro — who are carrying forward the founders’ vision while developing the model to reinterpret Abano’s thermal heritage through hospitality, health, prevention and contemporary wellbeing.
“Our family history is the foundation on which we want to build the Group’s future. We believe that preserving the authenticity of GB Thermae Hotels also means having the courage to evolve, innovate and embrace new expertise. That is why we are investing not only in our properties, spas and guest experience, but also in strengthening our organisation and management. The recent appointment of a CEO who will work alongside the family is part of this journey and marks the beginning of a new phase of development. Our aim is to strengthen the Group’s positioning, accelerate growth and introduce our thermal hospitality model to new markets and audiences, while preserving the values and identity that have guided us for fifty years,” says the Borile family.
