To meet the needs of increasingly demanding and experienced guests, the hotel sector in Spain and practically worldwide, has invested much time and effort on refining the specialization of their services.
The challenge of every hotel that wants to survive today in the era of the so-called Information Society, the Internet generation, tablets, smartphones and the global view is always in your face-from caution and knowledge- comes a system of searching and booking which is very different from only a couple of decades ago. Faced with this new reality, the only (or rather, the most prudent) for the hotel is to analyze their guests, know what they are looking for, know what they want and … give it to them. Always doing better than its most direct competition.
Notably In the Spanish tourism sector, though it is possible in many other tourist areas in Europe, they have taken this obligation seriously and made changes and implemented investments which have not been done anywhere else. This has placed us, once more, as happened previously in the 60s- as the leader of the pack, and as top dog our mission is to bring our tourism to the pinnacle.
They say hunger strikes sharpens the wit and, in this case, the Spanish hoteliers have seen the economic crisis as an opportunity. Although most have continued to divert money to other parts of the world where they have been developing projects in tourism for years (Caribbean, Tunisia, Istanbul…) they have worked more with the local product. Military conflicts and terrorist threats to some of these areas of new investment have also contributed to the hotelier focusing on improving on what we have at home.
From this strategy have arisen projects which are a subject for study in the main Spanish schools of tourism. The case of Melià in Calvia and Magaluf and the case of the Fiesta group with its Ushuala and its Ibiza Rocks. What is the secret and the common point of these projects which seem so different? It is specialization: it is to be much more than a hotel. It is the complete travel experience. It is the main point of the vacation with the consequence that the destination takes second place.
It is a sure bet that not everyone will do as well but everyone must work to the best of their possibilities according to the reality of what their market has to offer. For example, a golf hotel in Chiclana like the IBEROSTAR Royal Andalus or a golf hotel in Isla Canela like IBEROSTAR Isla Canela. Beach holidays wouldn’t have existed today if they had not moved forward, that need to cater for new requirements, to even create them. They are, in these two specific cases, hotels that were previously thought of as places for beach holidays, but not any longer. In the past they were very broad in what they offered, basic services designed to meet the expectations of a very mixed public and with many very different tastes. Now, both hotels have a clear but very familiar character for the adults in the family, golf lovers, outdoor sports lovers, wellbeing and relaxation fans and all in natural surroundings and with a high level of care.
The changes, however, have not affected everyone to the same extent, not all hotels have to completely change their decor, facilities or accommodation types. It is enough to make small changes in the overall portfolio of services to reach travelers who would never have dreamed of it. It happens for example with some hotels with Jacuzzis in Tenerife, that by just adding this type of bath or this feature in one of its most exclusive rooms or in public areas, this offering better equipped wellbeing spaces, hotels have managed to monopolize the searches of a lot of potential clients who are interested in competitively priced hotels with very exclusive services.
Luxury and functionality combine creating hotels that you choose not for for their star rating, but for the services they offer. Have you got Wi-Fi? Have you got a spa? All the better! Is there a golf course nearby and are green fees offered at discounted prices? Excellent. This translates, of course, in being the choice for discerning travelers who are willing to pay more, to spend more in less time.
In this way, some resorts and hotels in Spain –as much in urban areas as beach resorts, have started to reduce the number of rooms in favor of making better common areas available to the guests, new services and suites . And that’s the key: listen to what they want, work out what must be done to make it available (not only investment but also concessions) and offer everything they possibly can. Welcome to the twenty-first century hotels.
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