The Dorelan philosophy takes its inspiration from a simple, fundamental concept: good sleep improves quality of life. It is upon this mantra that the company has built its house, pursued its mission and developed a cutting-edge design style dedicated to wellbeing.
Now, with nearly 50 years’ experience and a presence in 40 countries across the world, Dorelan is considered one of the leading players in the international hospitality sector.
Founded in Forli in 1968 by partners Pietro Paolo Bergamaschi and Diano Tura, the company specialised in the production of beds, mattresses, sommiers, bed bases, pillows and accessories. The high quality of the materials used, design tailored to meet the hotel sector’s every demand, flexible custom-made service and markedly Italian style of the many collections are the strengths that have allowed Dorelan to adopt a leading position in the market, both in terms of distribution (Italy and France lead the way, followed by Greece and Croatia) and contract.
“The move towards the hotel sector began around ten years ago,” explains Claudio Bondi, Dorelan Hotel Key Account Manager. “The quality of the products we supply and our constant presence alongside the client – in this case the hotelier – generated double-figure growth even in our first year of activity in the sector. Contract has grown impressively in recent years – by around 30% of our overall turnover, we estimate. This has contributed to the diversification of our production in terms typology and quantity. Moreover, it represents an important spotlight for us, particularly in Italy, where private clients can get a taste of the comfort and quality of Dorelan beds while they’re staying in hotels.”
And the hotels in question are certainly of the prestigious kind, with chains of the calibre of Accor, Best Western, Marriott, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Radisson Blu, Hilton, Relais and Chateaux. For some of these, customised products were supplied to satisfy the unique comfort-related demands of particular clients. This was the case with Dorelan’s most recent collaboration with the Accor Group: the brand created a bed system for Novotel (Italian market) featuring excellent comfort and quality characteristics. Dorelan also provides a bespoke LFK spring system, perfect for the naval sector due to its longevity, comfort and extreme resistance.
As a result, it’s already been chosen by Costa Crociere, MSC, French company Compagnie Du Ponant, British firm Thomson Cruises and numerous Italian shipbuilding companies for their exclusive yachts.
Equally important is Dorelan’s extensive presence in independent four- and five-star hotels, where the brand’s flexibility of production is really put to the test. One of the most recent projects is Forte Village Resort in Santa Margherita di Pula (Sardinia), where Dorelan is supplying a number of batches of high-quality bed systems with 30cm mattresses and different springs according to the client’s preferences. Again in Sardinia, and more specifically in Costa Rei, the brand fitted out 300 rooms for the Iti Hotel Marina Rei with slatted bed systems and LFK mattresses featuring 225 springs per square metre. On the subject of large-scale supply, we can’t not mention the Hotel Adler Dolomiti Resort in Ortisei (140 rooms furnished with the best Dorelan products, including high-end mattresses and rigid upper panel sommiers), the Ambasciatori Palace Hotel in Rome (151 rooms with complete bed systems) and the Almar Jesolo Resort, for which 200 rooms were fitted with rigid-base sommiers, mattresses with 326 springs per square metre and hypoallergenic, high-elasticity padding, fibre mattress toppers, settees and dormeuse beds.
The brand has thus succeeded in exporting its philosophy to the world via an industry that exists for wellbeing, hospitality and relaxation, all fundamental concepts in the sector. The next step, therefore, is to intensify these relations via the distribution channel. To this end, Dorelan recently opened a showroom in Lyon, with a further strategic opening planned for Paris – the beating heart of a country whose hospitality industry has already demonstrated great appreciation for the brand, with the Best Western Divona in Cahors, Airport Club Hotel in Blotzheim, Grand Hotel des Terreaux in Lyon and Best Western Villa Saint Antoine in Rennes all recently turning to Dorelan.
Part of the same strategy is the new exhibition space expected to open within the year in Dubai, as a way of promoting the brand ahead of Expo Dubai 2010, an event that is already generating exponential growth in the Emirates’ hospitality sector. Dorelan hopes that its new “Be Hotel” project will demonstrate its ability to adapt to any location or design request: “Be Hotel will represent a key factor in increasing our client base and introducing clients to the flexibility and attention to detail that define our brand.”
