Despite the aftermath of the pandemic and the uncertainty generated by the war in Ukraine, almost all the five-star hotels in Ibiza will open during the month of April. Four of them in the first weekend, among them the two Gran Palladium (Palace and White Island) and the Sir Joan. The following weekend, at the start of Semana Santa, between April 7th and 9th, five establishments will start their activity: on April 7th, the Ibiza Gran Hotel; on April 8th, the Nobu, the Aguas de Ibiza and the Hard Rock Café, and on April 9th, the Bless. And between Tuesday (April 12th) and Thursday (April 14th), four will commence: on April 12th, the Ocean Drive; on April 13th, the ME and the One, and on April 14th, the Mirador de Dalt Vila. The following week, on April 22nd, it is the W’s turn, and in the final days of the month, and coinciding with the opening of the nightclubs, the final bang, six at once: on Thursday 28th, the Standard (Vila); on the 29th, the Ushuaïa, the 7 Pines, the Siau and the OKU, and on the 30th, the Fenicia.
Why have they decided to open so soon despite the turbulent international situation and the upheavals caused by rising energy and fuel prices? Raúl Sierra, director of the Ibiza Gran Hotel (a five-star Grand Luxe hotel), follows the maxim that the economy is a state of confidence: “Because we believe it will be a great season”. He bases this on the fact that, before Russia invaded Ukraine, “recovery of the figures [occupancy] of 2019 were already starting to be seen”, so he is hopeful that everything will be straightened out again: “We are betting that the establishments will open early this year, to quickly turn on the green light that Ibiza is already open”.
At the moment, the reservations of the Ibiza Gran Hotel for that month are “over 30%”. It is a time, he explains, “of last minute occupancy”
Actually, the hotel he manages does not open on April 7th, but two days before, on April 5th: “For that date we have an exclusive group. From the 7th it will be available for the rest of the clients”. At the moment, reservations at the Ibiza Gran Hotel for that month are “over 30%”. It is a time, he explains, “of last minute occupancy “. Easter,” he says, “has woken up, but it has not yet got out of bed. A national client tends to come but they wait a little bit longer. We believe, from previous experiences, that from next week onwards, bookings will pick up for then and for what comes after, a period for which we have already noticed an increase in the Italian, Dutch and international markets, in general thanks to the openings [of nightclubs] on the last weekend of April.” It will be a month in which Sierra believes they will have to work “day by day, game by game, as Cholo says”.
Flights from April 4th
Regarding the high season, he says that they are following the same lines as in 2019: “We are a hotel with a lot of direct clients, who take a long time to book. It is not like the tour operator, which is more proactive (although there are individual ones that are). But we are very optimistic for this season.”
According to Sergio Zertuche, head of sales and marketing officer at Palladium Hotel Group , Easter falls at a favorable time this year. It is a good reason to bring forward the openings of its Gran Palladium hotels to April 1st, but not the only one: “We are also doing it because we understand that our partners are eager to start the season as soon as possible, so that we can recover everything that the tour operators could not do in 2021. Some of them start flying as early as April 4th.” In the case of the Gran Palladium, accommodation is focused on family tourism, “this will allow us to promote Easter and, from these festivities, to get a good inertia to take advantage of the summer in the best possible way”.
Zertuche is optimistic about the occupancies from the beginning of the season: “But we also understand that there will be a lot of last minute business, a peak of last minute demand, for which we want to be prepared”. That’s why they are opening so early. As of today, their reservations are “a little behind those of 2019 for the month of April”, but the trend “is very good” for the rest of the year. Therefore, and despite the conflict in Ukraine, he believes that it is “necessary to be optimistic”, so he is confident about a “return to the occupancy levels which were previously in high season around 90%”.
“The fact that Easter falls in mid-April has led us to open sales earlier. We know that people and luxury consumers are really looking forward to it.”
“The fact that Easter falls in mid-April has led us to open sales earlier. We know that people and luxury consumers are really looking forward to it,” explains Javier Moral, head of reception at Aguas de Ibiza, who is as optimistic as Zertuche, if not more so. And he does not lacking reason: they open on April 8th, the second weekend of April, dates for which they have already achieved “70% occupancy”. That’s a lot,” he says. We are very happy. The joy is even greater when he reviews the data for Easter, a few days later: “Up to 85% occupancy “. He believes that this percentage could increase: “If the sun comes out, if Russia gives a little respite, people will cheer up from one day to the next, they will book and fill Easter”.
And then? “We will start very strong and we foresee that the high season will be very good, as the markets are buzzing. To repeat 2019 would be ideal, but we want to be cautious. Hopefully we’ll get there, it’s our benchmark, we’re on track.”
Luxury visit “a must”
The early opening of the luxurious Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay, in the middle of Talamanca Bay, on April 8th is due, according to Edwin Kramer, general manager, “to a direct response to the demand” of its guests, attracted by an accommodation that has become “a must among the luxury Mediterranean destinations”, he explains. Kramer considers that the closing of the nightclubs in 2020 and 2021 “allowed the discovery of the lesser known and hidden Ibiza”, so that “many people who in pre-covid times traveled to Tulum or Los Angeles to live these kinds of experiences, now find them much closer to home, here, in Ibiza. They want to come back and repeat”.
Kramer foresees “an excellent season”, a feeling that he says he has also perceived in the rest of the professionals of the sector. That is why they are going to open “earlier than ever” on the island: “We believe it will be an Easter week of high occupancy. The rest of the year also aims very high, so a record year is expected”. Putin permitting, of course.
“The hotels are already noticing the ‘openings’ of the nightclubs”
The advance of the hotels opening goes almost hand in hand with that of the nightclubs, whose openings are foreseen for the end of April: “We have agreed to open between Wednesday, April 27th and Monday, May 2nd, when the opening parties of the best venues on the island will be held,” points out José Luis BenÃtez, manager of Ocio de Ibiza, the employers’ association that brings together the dance venues. “The hotels -he assures- are already noticing it, according to what they tell us. They say that their reservations, in spite of the invasion of Ukraine, have increased. People want to have fun and go out”. The “effort” made by the nightclubs “to open earlier” has been “to try to lengthen the season, so that this island remains active for many more months, which is what we need, more after the two years that this sector has experienced”.
The “effort” made by the nightclubs “to open earlier” has as objective “to try to extend the season, so that this island remains active many more months, which is what we need, more after the two years that this sector has experienced”
The openings will be very crowded, he assures: “Everything indicates that Easter will start well, and then, after a small stop of a week, and thanks to the openings, the tourists will increase. This way we will get everything to start working, workers to return to their jobs, people to move and the economy to flow. We want to continue demonstrating that we are part of Eivissa and that we care about the island. That is why we have rolled up our sleeves and we have gone ahead”.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.