The investment group Hesperia and the Hyatt hotel chain want to return La Manga Club to the first division of European luxury tourism. An Italian who arrived at the Los Belones tourist complex in Cartagena to practice at its international tennis center officially became the first client of the five-star Príncipe Felipe hotel on Monday when it was reopened by the American tennis chain. Luxury in its category of Grand Hyatt. The objective is to position itself as one of the main international destinations to play golf, relax and enjoy gastronomy, with the Mediterranean Sea, the hours of sunshine and the proximity of the Calblanque natural park as outstanding attractions.
In the last six months, the Príncipe Felipe has undergone a thorough remodeling of its rooms, lounges and its 192 rooms directed by the international studio Room 1804. Hesperia, owner of the hotel since 2019, has made a million-dollar investment that it did not quantify for reasons of confidentiality. “Right now, it is the best asset we have among the 28 hotels in the group,” said the company’s CEO, Gonzalo Alcaraz.
The Spanish hotel group will take advantage of the three 18-hole golf courses, famous among the great European players, to be their flagship in this new stage. La Manga Club has once again set its sights on the British customer with a high purchasing power, a sector in which it continues to have a good reputation. But neither does it renounce those of other European countries and the US market. Alcaraz also highlighted that in Madrid, Catalonia and the Basque Country they have potential customers, without ruling out those who come from the Region.
Reservations until the end of the year
The prospects for the future are good. Alcaraz said that until December the hotel already has guaranteed 40% occupancy. And he advanced that there are confidential negotiations with “big brands” so that they disembark at the tourist complex.
Hesperia has concentrated on the ground floor of the Príncipe Felipe a good part of the gastronomic offer that it had distributed throughout different parts of La Manga Club. The restaurant ‘hub’, as they call it, has a bright bar in its central courtyard with an independent entrance from the street. Around it there is a sushi bar, a gastronomic restaurant, an Italian and an Asian whose rooms are until mid-afternoon the headquarters of the Grand Club Hyatt, an exclusive space for clients of the American chain. On the upper floor, it maintains its lounge with terraces for events.
Pools with views
The other great engine of the Príncipe Felipe hotel in its new stage is a 1,700-square-meter wellness center with a gym and an Arab-inspired spa. According to the hotel’s director, Ángel Holgado, it offers all kinds of treatments in six rooms, a hydrotherapy pool and a 440-square-meter multisensory circuit.
The facilities also include a new outdoor infinity pool for adults only with views of the golf course and the skyline of La Manga. In another outdoor area of the hotel is the family pool and a terrace, also with views of the playing fields and the Mar Menor.
The only thing that remains in the tourist complex outside the control of those responsible is the scarcity of water. “We are worried,” said Alcaraz. The company reuses the purified water generated by the 1,800 homes in the complex to irrigate a large part of its golf facilities, except for the ‘green’ of the courses, the very short grass area that surrounds the holes.
In addition to golf, the hotel sells other sports facilities in the resort as great attractions. La Manga Club has a recently renovated Racquets Club, with 28 tennis courts and seven illuminated paddle tennis courts; two artificial cricket pitches, five practice nets and driving range; as well as a professional soccer center with eight FIFA-sized natural grass pitches and a stadium with a capacity for 750 spectators. FC Cartagena has established its sports city there.
“Unique experiences”
«The arrival of the Grand Hyatt brand in Spain through La Manga Club is, without a doubt, an important step for our company and for the Spanish tourism sector as a whole. We are convinced that with this new hotel, distinguished by the exclusivity of its services and location, we are going to offer unique experiences to our clients and generate new value for the Region of Murcia”, said the CEO of Hesperia, Jordi Ferrer.
Hyatt already managed the Príncipe Felipe hotel until 2009, which then began its decline as a luxury destination. After staying out of the Spanish market for a few years, he returns to managing exclusive Hesperia hotels in Madrid, Barcelona and Cartagena.
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