Gran Dorado Explained

Gran Dorado Resorts
Predecessor:Vendorado
Successor:Center Parcs
Foundation:
  • 1980: Vendorado
  • 1989: Gran Dorado
Defunct:2002
Location Country:Netherlands
Locations:40
Area Served:Belgium, Germany, Netherlands
Industry:Tourism

Gran Dorado was a holiday villages company based in the Netherlands. Until the merger in 2002, it was the biggest holiday villages company of Europe. Today's owner is the French company Pierre et Vacances, and is merged with the Center Parcs company.

History

Gran Dorado Resorts was originally found by the owner of the Dutch chain store company Vendex, famous for the Vroom & Dreesmann company. Therefore, the first name of the company was Vendorado. Vendorado Leisure N.V. was founded in 1980, in 1989, the name was changed to Gran Dorado Lesure N.V.

At the beginning of 1996, the company had 6 big holiday villages. In the same year, Gran Dorado took over another Dutch holiday villages company, called Creatief Vakantieparken. The company immediately grew to a company with 40 holiday villages and around 7500 bungalows, and was by then the biggest holiday villages company of Europe. The two companies were operating 2 years under the name Gran Dorado/Creatief, in 1998 the company acquired the new name Gran Dorado N.V.

Merger with Center Parcs

At the beginning of 2002, Pierre & Vacances became the overall owner of the Gran Dorado company. Shortly after, P&V took over the Center Parcs-chain from Scottisch & Newcastle. By that time, the two largest holiday villages companies were in the same hands. Halfway through the year, Center Parcs and Gran Dorado merged. The Netherlands Competition Authority did not allow a merger with all 40 holiday villages, so the following was decided:

Note: when nothing is written in either the column "Today's owner" or "Today's name", then the name of owner and park is still the same as in the columns "Name after merger" and "Owner after merger". A * indicates that the holiday village was first owned by Creatief Vakantieparken.

Overview of all holiday villages of Gran Dorado
CountryNameCityRegionOpeningAdded to portfolioOwner after mergerName after mergerPresent ownerPresent name
Gran Dorado Domaine de Chodes*MalmedyLuik?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Domaine de ChodesNovasol VakantieparkenDomaine de Chodes
Gran Dorado Domaine Long Pré*StavelotArdennes?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Domaine Long Pré
Gran Dorado Village les Gottales*Trois-PontsArdennes?1996Landal GreenparksLandal Village les Gottales
Gran Dorado HeilbachseeGunderathRhineland-Palatinate19821984Center ParcsCenter Parcs Park HeilbachseeSunparksSunparks Eifel
Gran Dorado HochsauerlandMedebachNorth Rhine-Westphalia19941994Center ParcsCenter Parcs Park Hochsauerland
Gran Dorado Parc SandurEmmenDrenthe19991999LandalLandal park SandurCenter parcsCenter parc Sandur
Gran Dorado Het Hart van Drenthe* ? 1996 Landal Het Hart van DrentheHogenboom VakantieparkenHogenboom Het Hart van Drenthe
Gran Dorado Het Land van Bartje* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Het Land van Bartje
Gran Dorado Hunerwold State ? 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal Hunerwold State
Gran Dorado Ameland State* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Ameland State
Gran Dorado Vitamaris* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Vitamaris
Gran Dorado De Berkenhorst* 1975 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal De Berkenhorst
Gran Dorado De Groene Heuvels* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal De Groene HeuvelsHogenboom VakantieparkenHogenboom De Groene Heuvels
Gran Dorado De Veluwse Hoevegaerde ? 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal De Veluwse Hoevegaerde
Gran Dorado Klein Ruwinkel* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Klein Ruwinkel
Gran Dorado Landgoed ’t Loo 1997 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal Landgoed ‘t Loo
Gran Dorado Natuurdorp Suyderoogh* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Natuurdorp Suyderoogh
Gran Dorado Aerwinkel* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Landgoed Aerwinkel
Gran Dorado De Lommerbergen 1968 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal De Lommerbergen
Gran Dorado De Schatberg ? 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal Domein de Schatberg
Gran Dorado Het Roekenbosch* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Het Roekenbosch
Gran Dorado Loohorst 1981 1981 CenterParcs Center Parcs Park LoohorstSunparksSunparks Limburgse Peel
Gran Dorado Reevallis* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Reevallis
Gran Dorado ‘t Vosseven* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal ‘t Vosseveneigen beheerBospark ‘t Vosseven
Gran Dorado Weeterbergen 1985 1985 Roompot Weeterbergen
Gran Dorado De Vers* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal De Vers
Gran Dorado Duc de Brabant* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Duc de Brabant
Gran Dorado Het Vennenbos* 1970 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Het Vennenbos
Gran Dorado Beach Park Texel* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Beach Park Texel
Gran Dorado Golf & Beach Resort Ooghduyne ? 1999 Landal Greenparks Landal Ooghduyne
Gran Dorado Bosch en Zee* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Bosch en ZeeHogenboom VakantieparkenHogenboom Bosch & Zee
Gran Dorado Zandvoort 1989 1989 Center Parcs Center Parcs Park ZandvoortSunparksSunparks Zandvoort aan Zee
Gran Dorado Beulaeke Haven* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Beulaeke Haven/Waterpark Beulaeke Haven
Gran Dorado De Elsgraven* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Landgoed de Elsgraven
Gran Dorado De Vlegge* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal De Vlegge
Gran Dorado De Witte Bergen ? 1997 Landal Greenparks Landal De Witte Bergen
Gran Dorado Resort Haamstede* ? \1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Resort Haamstede
Gran Dorado Villapark Livingstone* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal Villapark Livingstone
Gran Dorado De Koornmolen* ? 1996 Landal Greenparks Landal de Koornmolen
Gran Dorado Port Zélande 1990 1990 Center Parcs Center Parcs Port Zélande

See also

References

External links