5 November 2026

A discovery at Balkonis

In our previous investigation into immigration call-centre scams, we identified Ori Behrend as the operator of Znavit Services S.L., the Spanish branch of a network of fraudulent immigration-related call centres known as the “Immi Net.”

But our investigation also uncovered another business connection: Behrend was associated with URGELL PREMIUM 18 S.L., the company behind Hostal Balkonis, located at Carrer del Comte d’Urgell 18 in Barcelona.

This discovery took our investigation in an unexpected direction, from immigration services into Barcelona’s hospitality industry. Was Balkonis an isolated accommodation venture, or was it part of a wider network of businesses connected through shared ownership, management and operational relationships?

A search through historical domain-registration records led us to an email address associated with Ori Behrend, flipico[@]gmail.com, and a collection of domains linked to Barcelona hostels and tourist apartments. The records brought Hostal Argo, Felipe II, Bella Lola, Colkida (formerly Agua Alegre) and Balkonis into view, alongside earlier accommodation projects, including Que Tal, Medea, Midway Ramblas and Primavera Hostel.

Following these domains, we discovered that several of the hostels were closely connected to ARIBO LLURIA S.L., a Barcelona company established in December 2009 and administered by Arnald Riu Boquet for the“intermediation in the rental of properties, apartments and rooms.”

The early hostel network and Riu’s role as an intermediary

Over more than a decade, Riu established or administered different companies used to operate individual hostels. These included BRUC PREMIUM S.L. for Hostal Martinval, ARGO 305 S.L. for Hostal Argo, HOSTALFEL 329 S.L. for Hostal Felipe II and HERA 2023 S.L. for Hostal Hera.

Despite operating under different company names and tourism licenses, these businesses shared one central figure: Arnald Riu Boquet, who served as their administrator.

The business of intermediating in property rentals and managing accommodation for international clients was not new to Arnald Riu Boquet’s family. His father, Nicanor (“Nick”) Riu Camps, was involved in ADAMAS VILLAS adamasvillas[.]com, a Barcelona-based business specialising in luxury holiday-villa rentals and concierge services.

The earliest traces of Riu’s involvement in an intermediary role in Barcelona’s hospitality business led us to QUE TAL COLLECTION S.C.P. (J64924590), an earlier business historically linked to two hostels: Hostal Que Tal (HB-004104) and Hostal Martinval (HB-004495).

As we traced the companies and tourism licenses associated with these establishments, we found indications that Riu administered hostel operations through companies distinct from the individuals and businesses associated with their licenses.

Two examples illustrate this arrangement.

• Hostal Agua Alegre (HB-004292), later renamed Colkida, appeared in historical documentation associated with ARIBO LLURIA, while subsequent tourism-register records identified Salvatore Nicola Ladik as its licence holder. Ladik and Marco Albino Bettini, two Italian nationals with business interests in Brazil, were also associated with ROMANI PATRIMONIAL LTDA, a Brazilian real-estate company established in 2008.

• A similar separation between operating companies and other business interests emerged at Hostal Felipe II (HB-002040). Its earlier operator, BUSINESS EXPORT ON LINE S.L., was linked through its business associates to real-estate interests in Abu Dhabi, before HOSTALFEL 329 S.L., another company administered by Riu, entered the picture in 2016.

These cases raise questions about whether Riu acted as an intermediary or proxy for other investors, although the precise ownership arrangements and contractual relationships remain opaque.

A platform label: Emiliya Group

We found another indication that several of these hostels operated as part of a wider commercial network when we discovered that the hotel-booking and comparison platforms Skyscanner and PriceTravel classified establishments associated with Ori Behrend and Arnald Riu Boquet under the names “Emiliya” and “Emiliya Group.”

Our investigation identified six hostels associated with these classifications: Balkonis, Hera, Sant Antoni, Felipe II, Martinval and Argo. Furthermore, we also found that the name Emiliya, or Emilia, also appeared in historical guest-review responses associated with Martinval and Argo.

The Gómez connection and the law office at Martinval

Our investigation identified two additional business relationships surrounding the hostels administered by Arnald Riu Boquet.

The first involved Esther Gómez Díaz and José Manuel Gómez Díaz, associated with the Mataró-based construction businesses GOMSERRA S.L. and PROMOTORA SINTAGMA S.L., part of the Promotora Gómez business network.

Esther held a formal representative role at ARGO 305 S.L. and was also appointed as a representative of HERA 2023 S.L. The financial filings of both hostel companies contained contact details associated with Promotora Gómez, including separate email addresses for José and Esther and a shared company telephone number.

These connections raise questions about the Gómez family’s involvement in managing, renovating or providing services to the hostels, particularly in light of the substantial asset write-downs recorded by ARGO in 2024.

The second connection led us back to Hostal Martinval, at Carrer del Bruc 117.

The building also housed the registered address of ARIBO LLURIA S.L. and was associated with the law office of Aranzazu (Arantxa) Gil Huet. At the location, the legal office had no mailbox and just showed the sign “Business Coaching”.

But Gil Huet is not just a lawyer as our investigation identified Gil Huet as a potential co-investor in ARIBO LLURIA’s €867,000 capital increase in 2025.

Conclusions: A network of hostels, opaque ownership and unusual financial records

A network connecting Ori Behrend and Arnald Riu Boquet

What began as an investigation into Ori Behrend’s involvement in immigration-related call centres led us to a network of Barcelona hostels connected through historical domain registrations, shared business relationships and a succession of operating companies.

We identified several establishments whose operations were associated with companies administered by Arnald Riu Boquet, including Martinval, Argo, Felipe II and Hera, while Ori Behrend was associated with Hostal Balkonis.

The discovery that several of these establishments were also classified under “Emiliya” or “Emiliya Group” on hotel-booking platforms provided an additional indication of a shared commercial identity.

However, despite identifying numerous companies, administrators and historical business relationships, we could not establish who ultimately controls the wider network.

The limitations of public tourism registers

Our investigation also revealed significant gaps in the transparency of Barcelona’s tourism-registration system.

Although public tourism databases identify hostels by their HB licence numbers, the available records do not provide a complete, readily accessible account of who actually operates each establishment, how operating rights have passed between successive companies, or who ultimately owns the underlying properties.

The distinction between the registered licence holder, the company managing the hostel and the beneficial owner of the property was often impossible to establish from the public records alone.

Although in several cases, we identified earlier SCP partnerships, later SL companies and individual licence holders, the lack of transparency makes it difficult to determine who ultimately benefits from these businesses, who controls their operations and how responsibilities are distributed between the different legal entities.

Financial and operational anomalies

To comply with data protection requirements and ensure transparency, hostel websites should clearly identify the legal entity responsible for their operations in an easily accessible privacy policy or legal notice. Our review found that none of the websites of the hostels associated with the “Emiliya Group” clearly disclosed the names and tax identification numbers of their operating companies. While the establishments provided booking information and contact details, the legal entities behind their operations remained difficult to identify, raising questions about transparency and accountability.

Our examination of the companies’ financial statements revealed further irregularities, particularly in their reported staffing levels and personnel expenses. Several establishments reported annual personnel costs per average employee nearly twice the estimated employer cost of a typical worker in Barcelona’s hospitality sector, while others recorded abrupt changes in employee numbers, operating income and assets. These discrepancies raise questions about how staffing costs and financial resources were managed and distributed between the companies operating the hostels.

During visits to the hostels, we observed that staff appeared to work across different establishments operated by separate legal entities. We also found that reception desks were frequently unattended, with guests directed to contact staff through an emergency telephone number rather than an on-site receptionist. These observations raise further questions about how employees are shared between the companies, how their working hours and salaries are allocated, and whether the staffing arrangements are consistent with the unusually high personnel costs reported in several companies’ financial statements.

Questions left unanswered

As part of our investigation, Qurium sought explanations from the individuals and businesses identified in the company records, asking them to clarify their roles, their commercial relationships and the financial arrangements surrounding the hostels.

We contacted or sought comment from:

1. Arnald (Arland) Riu Boquet — administrator of ARIBO LLURIA, BRUC PREMIUM, ARGO 305, HOSTALFEL 329 and HERA 2023.
2. Ori Behrend — associated with URGELL PREMIUM 18 S.L. and Hostal Balkonis. He responded that he is a web site admin and used to be a hotel tech reseller. So, he built all these websites, registered their domains in his name and implemented the same booking solution in some of them.”
3. Yotam Fuchs — former general manager of Hostal Balkonis. (NO ANSWER)
4. Esther Gómez Díaz — associated with Promotora Gómez and formally involved with ARGO 305 and HERA 2023. (NO ANSWER)
5. Aranzazu (Arantxa) Gil Huet — lawyer associated with the Martinval address and a potential investor in ARIBO LLURIA. (NO ANSWER)
6. Gabriele Armandi — associated with Hostal Sant Antoni and TOURISM CLICK ONLINE S.L.U. (NO ANSWER)
7. Laura Violeta Pajares Claudet — historically associated with BUSINESS EXPORT ON LINE S.L. and Hostal Felipe II. (NO ANSWER)
8. Representatives of Grupo Milisa and Roberto Di Profio — associated with the earlier operation of Hostal Hera. (NO ANSWER)

As of the publication deadline, this is the responses we obtained

Telephone Interview with Arnald Riu – 20 October 2026

As part of its investigation, Qurium attempted to contact all parties mentioned in this report to offer them an opportunity to respond. We eventually reached Arnald Riu by telephone.

Riu stated that he had not read Qurium’s previous emails, suggesting they may have ended up in his spam folder.

During the conversation, Riu confirmed that he is one of four co-owners of Hostal Argo. He initially described himself as a tenant but later acknowledged his ownership stake. He explained that the hostel had been facing bankruptcy in 2024 but was subsequently taken over by Hera 2023 S.L., and that its financial situation had since improved. He also confirmed that Esther Gómez is his business partner.

Regarding Ori Behrend, Riu confirmed that they had worked together. According to Riu, Behrend previously designed websites and registered domain names for his hotels. Although he claimed they had not been in contact for a long time, he indicated that Behrend had moved away from the hotel business and was now working from Olivella. He also confirmed that Behrend’s wife works in design and magnet production.

Riu acknowledged that Behrend continues to manage Balkonis, although he said the contract is expected to expire in approximately two years.

During the interview, Riu asked whether the caller was a police officer. The journalist clarified that she was working with Qurium. Riu subsequently expressed surprise at the journalist’s knowledge of his companies, although he acknowledged that the information was publicly available through company registries.

When asked why Hera 2023 S.L. had not filed its financial statements, Riu became upset and declined to answer. He threatened to report the journalist to the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan police), alleging harassment and a failure to identify herself.

The journalist reiterated her affiliation with Qurium and offered to resend the previously submitted questions and correspondence by email. (A mailed follow up the conversation but we have received not answer)

The interview confirmed a business relationship between Arnald Riu and Ori Behrend, including Behrend’s involvement in hotel websites and domain registrations, as well as his continuing involvement with Balkonis. Riu did not provide an explanation regarding the missing financial filings of Hera 2023 S.L.

Response from Ori Behrend – 26 October 2026

On 26 October 2026, Ori Behrend responded to Qurium’s inquiries by rejecting concerns about his business activities and accusing Qurium of harassment, defamation, and causing reputational and financial damage. He threatened legal action against Qurium and its publication.

Behrend described himself as a website administrator and former hotel technology reseller. He explained that he had developed websites, registered domains in his own name, and implemented the same booking solution for multiple clients as an independent contractor. He argued that these arrangements did not constitute suspicious business conduct and that he had no obligation to disclose them publicly.

Behrend acknowledged having a business relationship with Arnald Riu i Boquet, but claimed to have no knowledge of Riu i Boquet’s business dealings or transactions. He refused to elaborate on their commercial relationship, stating that it was none of Qurium’s business.

Qurium’s investigation identified a cluster of hospitality businesses referred to as the Emiliya Group, associated with a business model involving the acquisition or securing of operating licences, renovation of hostels, their subsequent commercial operation, and eventual sale. Qurium sought clarification about Behrend’s involvement in these activities, the relationships between the businesses, and the financial arrangements behind the properties. Behrend did not address these questions. Regarding Hostal Balkonis specifically, he declined to discuss his business plans, arguing that they were private matters of no public interest.

Behrend also accused Qurium of contacting his former clients with defamatory emails. This statement indirectly suggests that Qurium’s inquiries had reached other individuals or businesses connected to Behrend, including parties who had not responded to Qurium’s requests for comment

Most importantly, Behrend did not address Qurium’s central questions concerning his alleged involvement in fraudulent call-center operations, his relationships with the companies under investigation, or the potential connections between those operations and the Emiliya Group’s hospitality investments. His response provided no clarification regarding whether the hospitality businesses had any financial or operational relationship with the alleged fraudulent activities.

Instead, Behrend focused on defending his website administration work, dismissing Qurium’s investigation as baseless speculation, and threatening legal action. Although he acknowledged commercial relationships with individuals connected to the investigation, his response left unanswered the central questions about his role in the alleged fraudulent operations and the business and financial structures surrounding the Emiliya Group.

Appendix – Emiliya Group Hotels

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