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Pilar Martínez
Tuesday, 6 August 2024, 19:11
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Holiday World in Benalmádena Costa, the largest tourist complex on the Costa del Sol, is blowing out twenty candles this year. In these two decades the initial project has not stopped growing and adapting to the new demands of the tourist and new proposals have been cemented for the expansion of a resort whose sailboat and herd of elephants are the icons of a pioneering complex and benchmark of the 'all inclusive'.
It has been 20 years since this group of elephants was temporarily placed on the roundabout on the old N-340 dual carriageway while the works on the beach club were being completed, and they have became a symbol of the resort. So much so that when the time came for them to be installed around the pool in the hotel's beach club, local residents and the town's mayor asked the company to leave some of the elephants on the roundabout. They have since become a hallmark that gives character to a complex that "is a destination in itself and with concept hotels that surprise and impress the tourist", explained the director and partner of the Peñarroya group and general manager of Holiday World, Mari Francis Peñarroya.
It is also 20 years since the nine-metre sailing boat, a gift from the project's architect Antonio Valero, was placed in the central square of the hotel that started the complex: the Holiday World Village, with 360 suites. An establishment that is now preparing for a repositioning of the brand to give it a higher level while maintaining the four stars and in which cuisine will be promoted and the global offer of the rooms will be boosted.
The hotel soon had a beach club unparalleled in the province, covering 30,000 square metres with nine swimming pools, slides, wave pool, hydromassage beds and sports courts. This beach club can host social and corporate events for up to 1,500 people and has a large terrace overlooking the sea. The real estate background of the Peñarroya family had a lot to do with the success of the resort, together with the entrepreneurial vision of the founder, Cristóbal Peñarroya, which led them to acquire over the years up to 407,000 square metres with 1,200 metres of beachfront.
Inauguration
Several months after inaugurating the holiday village, with a massive party with 600 guests and a performance by María Dolores Pradera, the current Holiday World Riwo, formerly known as Holiday Palace, opened with 148 suites. A period in which not only anecdotes such as those already mentioned and successes that are remembered and relived these days have been treasured, but which has allowed the complex to grow to three four-star hotels, with the addition of the Polynesia and Casamaïa Apartments, with 28 'premium' flats.
Holiday World Resort has witnessed the passage of more than ten million visitors from forty countries around the world, especially from Spain and the United Kingdom, who have given life to the 864 rooms, totalling some 3,500 beds offered by this project conceived by the visionary Malaga architect Antonio Valero. His mark can be seen in these sustainable spaces, with plenty of natural light and avant-garde designs and themed to take advantage of water, which remain in force as a milestone in sustainability.
The founder of the Holiday World Resort cannot hide his pride at having made this the first all-inclusive resort on the Costa del Sol. When it comes to making his choice, he points out the importance of Holiday World Beach Club, the heart of the resort and a benchmark for leisure in the area.
In these two decades, the focus has also been on commitment to corporate social responsibility, pioneering initiatives such as adherence to the UN Global Compact and the 17 sustainable development goals of the 2030 agenda. It also includes the implementation of measures to reduce its environmental footprint, such as the elimination of single-use plastics and the promotion of the circular economy and family reconciliation.
New projects
These twenty years give the group an impulse to continue growing. Mari Francis Peñarroya says that they are planning to build two new hotels, the Venice, with 500 rooms and inspired by this unique city to the point that they are considering emulating the canals or the iconic Plaza San Marcos, as well as providing it with seven restaurants and a convention centre with capacity for 500 people. This will be connected to a high performance sports centre with football pitches, an Olympic swimming pool and an athletics track. "It will be the only private multi-sports centre," she said.
The Paris Hotel, scheduled for 2030, is also in the pipeline, as well as a stop at the complex for the Cercanías train line.
"The railway project would be undertaken with the arrival of the Hotel Venecia and the high performance centre. It would be an initiative that would take two years and for which we are seeking funding," she said, stressing that all this would not be possible without the work and effort made by each and every one of the employees.
"All the staff have been with us for twenty years," she added, while touring the facilities to preview the good expectations they have for the summer. "It looks like a record high season. We are going to be practically full these summer months, but it should be noted that this year we brought forward the opening of the hotels to the beginning of February and since then the lowest occupancy rate has been 82 per cent. This has never been seen before," she said.
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