Booking.com has temporarily stopped taking new reservations for the five-star Steigenberger hotel at Camp de Mar, in the south-west of Mallorca, after media reports about the ownership of the building.
The reports
According to investigations published in the international press, the ultimate beneficial owner of the hotel property is the Iranian banker Ali Ansari, who has been sanctioned by the British government over alleged links to the financing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ansari is not subject to European Union sanctions.
The reports linked him to several other properties in Europe, including hotels in Frankfurt and Kitzbühel and a shopping centre in Oberhausen, held through a network of companies. Booking.com is reported to have suspended listings at a number of these properties.
The hotel’s response
The hotel confirmed that Booking.com had temporarily suspended reservations, which it attributed to unverified assumptions in recent reporting. It stressed that operations continue as normal for guests, partners and staff.
The Steigenberger brand describes its relationship with the owner of the building, the company Royal Golf Hotel Camp de Mar SA, as a standard landlord-tenant arrangement, saying it is a long-term tenant with no further ties. It did not comment on the ownership structure.
What it means for guests
Existing reservations are not affected, and the hotel can still be booked directly or through other channels. The hotel, set on the seafront at Camp de Mar near Andratx, is popular with German visitors and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
Wider context
Online travel platforms, as well as banks and other businesses, are under growing pressure to check who ultimately owns the properties and companies they work with, and to avoid any links to sanctioned individuals. In practice, that means platforms are increasingly willing to suspend listings while questions about ownership are clarified.
