Hotels in Granada city highlight safety features over fears of cancellations as earthquakes continue

In its message the federation has highlighted the safety of all hotels built in accordance with specific earthquake-resistant building regulations. It has also encouraged potential visitors not to get swept up in "Unfounded panic" and instead access "clear, reliable and scientific information", because "many millions of euros of business are at stake, as well as the image of the tourist destination".

The president of the hospitality federation, Gregorio García, says in the message, "Granada has been situated in a seismically active area for centuries and is not a city that was built without taking this risk into account; on the contrary, it forms part of the technical criteria for modern construction and town planning".

He points out that the national geographic institute (IGN) records numerous earthquakes in Granada and the surrounding area and "it is precisely because of this knowledge that there are specific regulations for earthquake-resistant construction".

García stresses the need to send a message of reassurance and to listen to the scientists who explain that no earthquakes larger than those that have already occurred are expected. “We are noticing a slowdown or dip in visitor numbers and we are concerned that this may be due to misinformation on the subject,” says García.

He says that there was misinformation regarding the closure of the Alhambra and the Generalife, “which was only temporarily closed on Tuesday afternoon and has been open since Wednesday with safe and carefully planned routes and itineraries”.

The fact is that earthquake-related panic is already affecting bookings in the tourism sector and has put Granada in the red in terms of what the sector refers to as ‘pick-up’, the net balance between new bookings coming in and cancellations or departures occurring over a given period. In other words, since the first earthquake on 15 August, more guests have been leaving the city’s hotels than arriving.

“The impact in August has been significant; we consider the short term to be a lost cause. The danger is that the fear of travelling to Granada could spread in the coming months due to misinformation, which is why we are keeping a close eye on September and October,” says Javier Tausía, CEO of deLuna Hotels.

Staff at the chain’s six branches in the city are doing a lot to educate customers and urge them to stay calm at the moment. “For many, this was their first time experiencing it; there’s been anxiety, uncertainty… It’s normal. What’s worrying is that people aren’t getting their information from reliable sources; the situation in Granada is nothing like that in Colombia or Venezuela,” Tausía points out.

He goes on to say that the images circulating on social media showing structural damage to old buildings in the Zaidín neighbourhood do not reflect the general reality of a city that is carrying on with life as normal: “The number of calls we’ve received to cancel bookings or ask for information has quadrupled and we’ve been explaining the real situation to them. Some people thought Granada was falling to pieces!”

From the Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula, Autograph Collection, its manager, Lola Jiménez, stresses the need to remain calm. “Our international guests have generally found the experience very peaceful and the hotel, a 16th-century monastery, has not suffered any damage, apart from a slight crack in a door frame, but nothing serious,” she says.

In the same vein, the manager of the Gran Hotel Claridge Granada, Miguel Estévez, says that the buildings are well prepared and were not even affected by the tremors. In this case, the hotel, which has only just opened, was built on the site of a 1955 building that underwent major structural refurbishment.

“We have a thoroughly reinforced building that is structurally compliant with the applicable earthquake-resistance standards, but, above all, we take comfort in the fact that everything has functioned correctly and in the magnificent response from our team and our guests,” he concludes.

Genteel Home is sending messages to all its guests to convey “transparency and reassurance” at this time. “We currently have around 500 guests in Granada across our seven buildings and there have only been two cancellations, but we’ve found it difficult to explain to them that this is something that has been happening in Granada since it was founded,” says Carlos Marina, Genteel Home’s representative in Granada.

He goes on to say, “Granada is an area that has experienced natural and constant seismic activity for centuries. It’s part of our history,” says Marina, who points out that the buildings “are designed to withstand these seismic movements”.