Rubén Zamora (Mallorca Ç Collection): “Using technology simplifies many daily tasks, but always with people in the background who can add a warm touch.”

After finishing his studies in Business Management, Rubén quickly discovered his vocation for tourism, and particularly for the hotel industry. He went on to work for companies such as RIU Hotels, Trivago, the H10 chains and independent hotels such as Isla de Mallorca and Negresco.

He has extensive experience in the hotel industry, excelling in hotel operations and sales. He is currently General Manager of the hotel management company behind luxury hotel El Llorenç Parc de la Mar 5*. This property, which has privileged views over the Bay of Palma, is an extraordinary place combining comfort and luxury, offering each guest a unique and personalised experience … even in difficult times.

El Llorenç opened its doors over a year ago – how has the hotel evolved up until now?

Without a doubt, opening new hotels is always a complicated business, but this project in particular has been a real challenge. We started with a lot of expectations and excitement, and all the signs indicated that 2020 would be a marvellous year. However, just like everyone else, coronavirus forced us to resort to strategies that we would never have imagined having to use, even in a worst case scenario.

Our secret has been our team’s continuous proactivity. We have focused on trying out different solutions in all of the property’s departments, to adapt to change and above all, to adapt to the instability affecting our work on a daily basis. Every team has worked extremely hard to adapt to change and to give customers a sense of stability, security and the idea that the El Llorenç is not losing any quality.

We believe that we have made great progress as a team very quickly, learning and defining completely new processes in a very short time, but with the excitement and satisfaction of having achieved great results.

What makes you stand out competitively from other properties in the city?

Since we started this project, we knew that we required certain quality, comfort, service and design standards, and we attempted to find the perfect fusion between all areas to offer what we call the ‘El Llorenç experience’.

We can boast that we have 3 fundamental cornerstones which we have managed to interlink and which work together: the Rooftop, the Spa and the Restaurant.

Our Rooftop boasts the only infinity pool in Palma with spectacular views of the Bay and two different areas – the sun terrace and the restaurant.

We have also managed to transform our wellness area into a warm representation of modern Arabic baths. In particular, the 14 meter pool and complete spa circuit stand out.

We also have the great pleasure of hosting Dins Santi Taura in our property. This is a unique gastronomical experience where diners interact directly with the chef in an exquisite selection of dishes on the tasting menu.

What does this hotel represent for Palma?

Palma has great cultural and gastronomical value which more and more people have discovered and appreciated over the last few years. El Llorenç has attempted to be a part of this, so we consider ourselves a small part of Palma’s history.

Our decoration and style have been carefully designed in an Arabic style, in honour of the Calatrava area where the hotel is located. In fact, during excavations an Arabic oven was discovered, dating back to the 11^th century, which was formerly used for ceramic cooking. It has been carefully restored and is displayed in our Dins Santi Taura restaurant as an indication of Palma’s history.

We know how to appreciate the historical value of our surroundings, of the influence which is part of Majorca’s history and we wish to be part of this rich cultural heritage in Palma.

We have decided at all times to strive for quality tourism which respects culture, gastronomy and above all, the essence of the island. We also promote and care for local tourism, creating special offers for residents.

What is the hotel’s philosophy?

Our philosophy is based on the quality of services and experiences. From the beginning, we were clear that we wanted to be much more than a hotel. For this reason, we use the idea of offering guests a wide range of services to provide a complete experience, stimulating all senses.

El Llorenç Parc de la Mar 5*’s guests can enjoy the surroundings, the views, excellent gastronomy and great service quality inside and outside the hotel.

In El Llorenç, we make an effort to offer guests everything they ask for, so that when they return home they become loyal guests who wish to return.

What type of guest stays with you?

Our guests typically range between 25 and 60 years old and for this reason we make an effort to make our actions more dynamic on social media and connect with our target audience, who are very active online.

These guests are very interested in wellness, gastronomy and culture and have high purchasing power. We were greatly surprised during the summer of coronavirus that Spain was in the top 3 nationalities for guests staying in the hotel, alongside Germany and the United Kingdom. However, we also have a large volume of guests from France, Sweden and Switzerland, with an average stay of 3-4 nights.

What was the pandemic experience like inside a hotel?

We adapted the hotel to all the necessary requirements to guarantee the safety of our guests and team. All the necessary information is continuously given to each guest and our staff receive suitable training.

Regarding the commercial aspect, we have worked with a wide range of scenarios which have changed in the short term. We have therefore had to ‘start from scratch’ on several occasions, but we have always taken guests’ new needs, price fluctuation due to low demand, and above all, changes to air travel into account.

Facing the first wave of cancellations was a challenge because this was a new situation for everyone. However, we were always aware that our challenge was to effectively resolve every request that we received, and to provide various alternatives.

Our greatest satisfaction was seeing how many of our guests let us know how comfortable and safe they felt, personally thanking the team for their work at check-out and leaving positive reviews after their stay.

Without a doubt, being able to remain operative has been possible thanks to our teams’ high level of duty, characterised by their proactivity and effort to overcome every obstacle that they came across. This helped us to adapt ourselves to new needs and to create new ways of working.

How are you facing the current economic and health crisis? Which role does technology play in this aspect?

Like everyone, we are working every day while following relevant news which may force us to change direction. We stay alert, flexible and intend to survive changes.

Regarding technology, our hotel had already opted for automation, long before we became aware of the impact of the virus. We were therefore lucky to have many alternatives to reduce contact, and consequently, to reduce risk.

For example, each room has a personalised iPad with the El Llorenç App which guests can use to find all information about the hotel and to request services. Without a doubt, this tool was vital for offering a service with the greatest health guarantees, making our guests feel safe and comfortable.

However, this would not make much sense without the presence of our human team. We know that using technology simplifies many daily tasks, but always with people in the background who can add a warm touch.

How has Hotelinking helped you at this time?

From the very beginning, we have been aware of the importance of generating a quality database for international guests and local guests coming to enjoy our Dins Santi Taura restaurant or our gastronomical offer in the Llorenç Rooftop.

Any future promotions will have to be dynamic and solid, and Hotelinking has been an important solution in our attempt to become a hotel of reference.

Since we implemented this platform in October 2019, we have created a database of more than 2400 registers which are valid for marketing. Alongside this, we have sent 2300 surveys while guests are in-house and almost 2000 review emails which have redirected more than 440 people to online reputation portals. In addition, 5,7 % of our hotel’s guests have returned to repeat the El Llorenç experience.

Have you implemented specific marketing actions or strategies to keep bookings?

Since the pandemic hit hard, we started adapting our strategies, not only to maintain our sales level but also to meet all of our guests’ requests as well as possible. This wasn’t the time to force stays, but rather to turn cancellations into future bookings, which we achieved in 85 % of cases.

We have been aware at all times of price fluctuations, changes to demand, and above all, the last minute booking trends and guests’ preference for flexible rates. And we have acted accordingly, adapting ourselves and accepting the instability that we have to work with every day.

On the other hand, before the pandemic we already had the idea of offering special rates for Balearic Island residents. We know that hotels cater predominantly for tourists, but we wanted to provide special offers for our residents and to invite them to enjoy a very different day, experiencing the El Llorenç treatment. For this reason, we have developed a section where they can find a wide offer designed especially for them, and we are proud of how well this has been received and the amount of residents that we have welcomed over the last few months.

How do you think this crisis will change the way people travel? Do you think there is a ‘before’ and ‘after’ the pandemic?

Travelling has always been a necessity, and we think that this will continue to be the case. For sure, trends have changed, partly due to imposed restrictions and also due to the uncertainty that we have learned to live with. This is what has influenced a new purchasing trend in the short term, with flexible rates and possibly with much shorter stays on many occasions with local tourism.

We are aware that changes are here to stay, and that the pandemic has, without a doubt, been responsible for this new trend. However, we also know that we will reach stability which will allow us to go back to our former habits. It may even be the case that this new way of travelling will allow us to learn and develop new strategies that we had never imagined using before.