Gran Dorado

Gran Dorado was a holiday villages company based in the Netherlands. Till the merger in 2002, it was the biggest holiday villages company of Europe. Today's owner is the French company Pierre et Vacances, en 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 of 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 is changed to Gran Dorado Lesure N.V.
In the beginning of 1996, the company has 6 big holiday villages. In the same year, Gran Dorado takes 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 cmpanies are operating 2 years under name Gran Dorado/Creatief, in 1998 the company gets the new name Gran Dorado N.V.
===Merger with Center Parcs===
In the beginning of 2002, Pierre & Vacances became the overall owner of the Gran Dorado company. Shortly after that, P&V took over the Center Parcs-chain from Scottisch & Newcastle. By that time, the two largest holiday villages companies are in the same hands. Halfway the year, Center Parcs and Gran Dorado are merged together. The Netherlands Competition Authority does not allow a merger with all 40 holiday villages, so the following was decided:
* 5 of the original Gran Dorado-villages will go to Center Parcs
* 1 original Gran Dorado-village will go to RP Holidays
* the remaining 34 villages, of which a large part belonged to Creatief Vakantieparken, will go to Landal Greenparks.
Note: when nothing is written in either the column "Today's owner" or "Today's name", than 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
Country	Name 	City 	Region 	Opening	Added to portfolio	Owner after merger	Name after merger 	Today's owner 	Today's name
 	Gran Dorado Domaine de Chodes* 	Malmédy 	Luik 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Domaine de Chodes 	Novasol Vakantieparken 	Domaine de Chodes
 	Gran Dorado Domaine Long Pré* 	Stavelot 	Ardennes 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Domaine Long Pré 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Village les Gottales* 	Trois-Ponts 	Ardennes 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Village les Gottales 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Heilbachsee 	Gunderath 	Rhineland-Palatinate 	1982 	1984 	Center Parcs 	Center Parcs Park Heilbachsee 	Sunparks 	Sunparks Eifel
 	Gran Dorado Hochsauerland 	Medebach 	North Rhine-Westphalia	1994 	1994 	Center Parcs 	Center Parcs Park Hochsauerland	 	
 	Gran Dorado Parc Sandur 	Emmen 	Drenthe 	1999 	1999 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Parc Sandur 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Het Hart van Drenthe* 	Zwiggelte 	Drenthe 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Het Hart van Drenthe 	Hogenboom Vakantieparken	Hogenboom Het Hart van Drenthe
 	Gran Dorado Het Land van Bartje* 	Ees 	Drenthe 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Het Land van Bartje 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Hunerwold State 	Wateren 	Drenthe 	? 	1997 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Hunerwold State 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Ameland State* 	Nes 	Friesland 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Ameland State 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Vitamaris* 	Schiermonnikoog	Friesland 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Vitamaris 	 	
 	Gran Dorado De Berkenhorst* 	Kootwijk 	Gelderland 	1975 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal De Berkenhorst 	 	
 	Gran Dorado De Groene Heuvels* 	Ewijk 	Gelderland 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal De Groene Heuvels 	Hogenboom Vakantieparken	Hogenboom De Groene Heuvels
 	Gran Dorado De Veluwse Hoevegaerde 	Putten 	Gelderland 	? 	1997 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal De Veluwse Hoevegaerde 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Klein Ruwinkel* 	Scherpenzeel 	Gelderland 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Klein Ruwinkel 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Landgoed ’t Loo 	Oldebroek 	Gelderland 	1997 	1997 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Landgoed ‘t Loo 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Natuurdorp Suyderoogh* 	Lauwersoog 	Groningen 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Natuurdorp Suyderoogh 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Aerwinkel* 	Posterholt 	Limburg 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Landgoed Aerwinkel 	 	
 	Gran Dorado De Lommerbergen 	Reuver 	Limburg 	1968 	1997 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal De Lommerbergen 	 	
 	Gran Dorado De Schatberg 	Sevenum 	Limburg 	? 	1997 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Domein de Schatberg 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Het Roekenbosch* 	Blitterswijck 	Limburg 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Het Roekenbosch 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Loohorst 	America 	Limburg 	1981 	1981 	CenterParcs 	Center Parcs Park Loohorst 	Sunparks 	Sunparks Limburgse Peel
 	Gran Dorado Reevallis* 	Vijlen 	Limburg 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Reevallis 	 	
 	Gran Dorado ‘t Vosseven* 	Stramproy 	Limburg 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal ‘t Vosseven 	eigen beheer 	Bospark ‘t Vosseven
 	Gran Dorado Weeterbergen 	Weert 	Limburg 	1985 	1985 	RP Holidays 	Roompot Weeterbergen 	 	
 	Gran Dorado De Vers* 	Overloon 	Noord-Brabant 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal De Vers 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Duc de Brabant* 	Diessen 	Noord-Brabant 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Duc de Brabant 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Het Vennenbos* 	Hapert 	Noord-Brabant 	1970 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Het Vennenbos 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Beach Park Texel* 	De Koog 	Noord-Holland 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Beach Park Texel 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Golf & Beach Resort Ooghduyne	Den Helder 	Noord-Holland 	? 	1999 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Ooghduyne 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Bosch en Zee* 	De Koog 	Noord-Holland 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Bosch en Zee 	Hogenboom Vakantieparken	Hogenboom Bosch & Zee
 	Gran Dorado Zandvoort 	Zandvoort 	Noord-Holland 	1989 	1989 	Center Parcs 	Center Parcs Park Zandvoort 	Sunparks 	Sunparks Zandvoort aan Zee
 	Gran Dorado Beulaeke Haven* 	Wanneperveen 	Overijssel 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Beulaeke Haven 	/ 	Waterpark Beulaeke Haven
 	Gran Dorado De Elsgraven* 	Enter 	Overijssel 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Landgoed de Elsgraven 	 	
 	Gran Dorado De Vlegge* 	Sibculo 	Overijssel 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal De Vlegge 	 	
 	Gran Dorado De Witte Bergen 	IJhorst 	Overijssel 	? 	1997 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal De Witte Bergen 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Resort Haamstede* 	Burgh-Haamstede	Zeeland 	?		\ 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Resort Haamstede 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Villapark Livingstone* 	Burgh-Haamstede	Zeeland 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal Villapark Livingstone 	 	
 	Gran Dorado De Koornmolen* 	Zevenhuizen 	Zuid-Holland 	? 	1996 	Landal Greenparks 	Landal de Koornmolen 	 	
 	Gran Dorado Port Zélande 	Ouddorp 	Zuid-Holland 	1990 	1990 	Center Parcs 	Center Parcs Port Zélande 	 	
==See also==
* Center Parcs
* Landal Greenparks
==References==
* Dutch Wikipedia
==External links==
* Website of Landal Greenparks (with many Gran Dorado parks
* Website of Center Parcs (with 5 Gran Dorado parks
Category:Companies of the Netherlands
Category:Hotel chains
nl:Gran Dorado