Interview with Mr. Miguel Jiménez, Manager of the Med Playa Hotel Pez Espada on the occasion of the reopening of the newly refurbished hotel which holds a rich place in the history of the tourism on Costa del Sol

On the occasion of the reopening of the Hotel Pez Espada on the 1st March, 2015 we met up with Mr. Miguel Jiménez, manager of the hotel with whom we had an interview. He talked about the history of the hotel, of the recent refurbishment and what the new season holds for this symbolic hotel on the Costa del Sol and what services this hotel offers to our guests.

Good morning Miguel, can you tell us briefly the history of the Hotel Pez Espada?
The history of the Hotel Pez Espada is the same as that of Torremolinos and the Costa del Sol, ‘touristically’ speaking; it is true that the Pez Espada was the first luxury hotel on the Costa del Sol when it first opened its doors on the 31st May 1959.
Famous artists of Hollywood, iconic singers, politicians of the most diverse ideologies, kings, and Arab sheikhs, businessmen, successful sportsmen and people considered as wealthy and influential… It is said that many of the customers’ who frequented this hotel in its beginnings, requested labels (stickers) with the name of the hotel to put them onto their bags, as this was, from a social point of view a sign of distinction.
After those first twenty years of success, came hard times and the hotel like the rest of the hotels in the Costa del Sol, faced a serious recession at the end of the 70’s and early 80’s. It was in the year 1986 that the chain Med Playa bought the hotel and from then onwards came a period of continuous growth until it had recovered the level of success that it had once enjoyed and remained a point of reference among the leisure tourist hotels in Torremolinos and the Costa del Sol.
Since then, Med Playa has made a significant investment in the improvement of the hotel, even expanding its accommodation capacity by 60 new rooms (in 1988), which now have been completely renovated to convert them into a new “Club Rooms”.

Mr. Miguel Jiménez, Hotel Manager

Speaking about the renovation, when did it begin and what are the improvements and new services offered to the guests of this hotel?
The renovation has been accomplished in a record time of 53 days, specifically between January 7 and February 28, which indicates a high degree of prior preparation that was made and excellent planning of all the alterations, all under the supervision of the technical project manager of the Med Playa chain, Daniel Colomer.
In particular, as has already been mentioned, the hotel has been renovated in its entirety the sixty rooms of the annex building, which have become modern “Club Rooms”, equipped with services and benefits according to its rating.
The Hotel offers a new fitness center located in the connection area between the two buildings, overlooking the garden, pool and the sea. The main bar has been refurbished and the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea has a new stage for entertainment, new lighting and furniture. The restaurant-buffet has also been completely refurbished and now incorporates an area of “show cooking”, as well as new furniture and lighting. The central unit for the air conditioning has also been changed to another type “Inverter” giving a greater performance which means significant savings in consumption. We have also reformed the outdoor pool adapting it to the current regulations.
All the rooms now have new flooring, which has replaced the carpet which was in the rooms of the hotel, as well as new bathroom fittings and other details. The Main Lounge area of the hotel has been remodeled and the “Tropical Lounge”, adapted for meetings and events.

Last but not least, the façade has been restored in its entirety in both buildings, as it was badly damaged. The area of the ladder and the main façade has a modern lighting system based on LED lights. This work on the façades has been very important and has required a lot of investment and effort to ensure the magnificent end results. New guardrails and lighting have also been placed in all of the balconies of all rooms.

We know that the hotel has recently received the Sustainability Award Travelife Gold. What requirements must be met in order to obtain the prize?
Indeed, Travelife has audited the hotel once again to renew our accreditation as “Sustainable Hotel” and it has been granted the gold medal for the years 2015 and 2016. This has required a great effort from all of the employees of the hotel and from the part of the company itself, but has been worth it.
The Hotel Pez Espada is a hotel that, apart from collaborating with the local community, namely, Torremolinos, in all kinds of initiatives, is primarily concerned with the environmental impact and energy saving, in the process of conducting a sustainable recycling of all kinds of waste, because for us, Sustainability is not a passing fad nevertheless an awareness of all those who work in this hotel.

Sustainability is not a passing fad nevertheless an awareness of all those who work in this hotel.

What type of clientele would choose this hotel? What information should our clients be familiar with before choosing the hotel Pez Espada?
The Hotel Pez Espada is a hotel that, due to its optimal situation on the first line of the beach next to the promenade, close to La Carihuela Beach is in a great location. With its extraordinary range of restoration and also close proximity to the Marina of Benalmádena with its many leisure facilities. It is a hotel that caters for all types of clients that are looking for an ideal place to relax and enjoy their holidays quietly, as mentioned before the Hotel Pez Espada was considered as one of the first hotels catalogued within the so-called “Relaxing Style” of the sixties.
In terms of nationalities the majority of our guests are British followed by Spaniards, German and Belgian, in this order, also Nordics and Canadians frequent the hotel.

Excellent service, warm and relaxed atmosphere for an unforgettable experience. Is this the secret of the success of this hotel?
The secret of this hotel is that there are no secrets. The Pez Espada was born of the illusion and the futuristic vision of two entrepreneurs who bet for this area at a time when there was nothing. But, from that moment, the Pez Espada created a “school”, that is to say, that the people who visited the hotel were professionals from each epoch and that has created a way of working, a style; a type of service focused on the customer, thus creating that kind of kindness which has brought back a very large number of repeat customers.
On the other hand, the facilities and services of the hotel are at the level of any hotel in the same category, which, together with the excellent location of the hotel, gives the Pez Espada a position as a point of reference within the beach hotels.

Torremolinos, March 2015
Interviewed and written by Vanda Lehnerová