Ports as hotels

The Genoa Boat Show, which took place from 18 to 23 September 2025, has come to an end, opening the winter season with various innovations not only in terms of boats but also everything related to the world of boating. There were approximately 124,000 visitors (+2.8%) and over 1,000 boats from exhibitors from 45 countries around the world. Among the innovative port service companies present at the Show, we know the company Marinedi. 
‘Our goal is to create an international network of marinas where boaters can find the same services, the same quality, and the same hospitality that the best of our ports can offer,’ comments Renato Marconi, creator of the brand.
Engineer, how would you describe the Marinedi company?
 It is a project that took shape more than twenty years ago as a personal idea. I proposed it with Italia Navigando and then we continued with Marinedi. This project is based on the theme of hotel chains: the evolution of boating will lead us to the same type of evolution that has taken place in hotels. Nowadays, there are almost only large hotel chains in the world, thanks to which it is possible to guarantee the same quality and prices in Khartoum as in London, even in the most difficult places in the world. It takes time and effort, but we are moving forward for the convenience of our boating customers.
The company currently owns a total of 13 marinas and 4,350 berths, but the programme is constantly expanding.
Looking to the future, what are the objectives of a company of this type?
To expand. The idea is one of continuous expansion from the Tyrrhenian Sea, gradually extending to other surrounding seas. We are currently developing in Italy, but we are also always on the lookout for opportunities abroad, such as North Africa, Croatia or Greece. We aim to have 25 marinas and more than 12,000 berths in the next 5 years.
Who are Marinedi's potential new customers?
Our customers are all Italian yachtsmen, but above all foreigners. We have a particular focus on foreigners, so much so that we are present at all boat shows abroad, apart from Genoa and Brindisi. We believe in this because we feel that Italy is somehow losing its importance in the yachting sector, which is now increasingly moving towards chartering, so we have to look outside Italy.