Reinventing hotels… and surprising

The hotel trade is in full reinvention. It seems that nothing (or almost nothing) offered before works now if you want to compete with the most profitable guests, those who increase the average expense and try it all, those that, although they book an All inclusive hotel in Benidorm, go out to dinner, discover and buy.

The firsts to bet on changing their offer are the family hotels in destinations such as the Canary Islands, Andalusia and Majorca. They have understood that today’s couples with children are not only looking for a hotel where to spend some days, to enjoy the nearby beach and to eat all they can and more. Today’s families want a place to share with their children without giving up to the dream holidays. This is how hotels designed like theme parks have arisen, with swimming pools full of water games, teams of high level professional instructors and services for children conceived of to allow the parents to freely enjoy their time with complete calm.

Ole Olivina Lanzarote

Ole Olivina Lanzarote

Other pioneers that have contributed to start these necessary changes have been the urban hotels in Madrid and Barcelona, trend followed in the last years by the hotels in the centre of Seville, in Palma de Majorca, Malaga and Valencia. They all have bet on concepts such as boutique hotel and hotel with charm, with the idea of turning each accommodation into a unique space, worth visiting and being lived, as if it were another monument. Good examples of this are the hotels such as the Petit Palace Museum and the Ópera Garden, both belonging to the Basque chain Petit Palace, main exponent of this renewed image of the urban hotels in Spain.

Business hotels, usually dedicated to this innovative spirit, seem to have found the suitable pattern and show few changes beyond small interior redesigns, with the intention of creating spaces more focused on wellness, rest  and relax treatments. It is possible to find business hotels with chill out area in Seville and spa and golf resorts in Majorca, specialised in business guests, as is the case of Iberostar Son Antem, near to the Balearic capital.

Regarding recent reinventions, there is a hotel in Benidorm and an Only Adults resort in Playa Blanca, both belonging to the Marconfort chain, which have transformed their offer specialising it in a very specific public directly related to the destination. Actually, in Benidorm, during May will be inaugurated the refurbishment of its Benidorm Suites Hotel, now turned into a hotel for music lovers, specially targeted at thirty somethings.

Most of the changes are in the services, with a design oriented to a particular sector (families, couples, children, friends…) and its trip motivations: sport, relax, adventure, culture, celebrations…

In this way, we see more and more hotels with spa and golf in destinations such as Majorca, Costa Blanca and the littoral of Andalusia, while beach resorts in areas such as Fuerteventura, Benidorm or the Catalonian coast are opting for including small facilities in order to offer a distinguishing plus: gym, rooms refurbishment, creation of spaces for business guests and special areas for adults in family hotels, etc.

Iberostar Fuerteventura Palace

Iberostar Fuerteventura Palace

The most outstanding and drastic changes are being carried out by Melià, one of the most important hotel groups in Spain that, since some years ago, have started a complete remodelling in its most mature destinations and hotels. Its concept of Beach House, in Calvià, stands out and serves as an example, adding new trip and leisure alternatives always linked to their hotels in this area of Majorca.

One of its last novelties is the star-up of Café del Mar in Majorca, emulating its neighbour in Ibiza, after the agreement between Melià and the brand. It will be opened this summer and promises to be one of the essential meeting points for any self-respecting trip.

Another of the great exponents of this trend of hotel reinvention is the Fiesta group, owner of hotels such as Fiesta Hotel Cala Nova or Club Palm Beach in Ibiza, with so clear examples of undeniable success such as Ushuaïa and Mallorca Rocks, both related to the young public, from 25 to 35 years old.