"The Canary Islands is a strategic destination for the company"
Ángel Esquinas highlights the importance of the Canary Islands for the hotel group. /
The Barceló Hotel Group currently manages 18 4 and 5-star Ángel Esquinas hotels in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. General Manager of the Atlantic area of Barceló Hotel Group
Ángel Esquinas is the general manager of the Atlantic area of the Barceló Hotel Group, which today covers the destinations of the Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Morocco, Cape Verde and Senegal, with 31 hotels, 7,603 rooms, 15,514 beds, and a human team of approx. . 3,200 people, in addition to 17 new expansion projects planned for the coming years, 5 of them in the Canary Islands. Its management team is located in the Canary Islands, specifically in the emblematic Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
–In 1974, the Barceló Hotel Group landed in the Canary Islands with the opening of its first hotel. What balance do you make from then to today?
–The opening of the first hotel in Gran Canaria, the current Barceló Margaritas, was a great challenge for the company of which we are very proud today and which, after almost 50 years, has allowed us to position ourselves as one of the hotel chains with the largest presence in the archipelago, where we currently manage 18 4 and 5 star hotels, and almost 6,000 rooms, in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. This growth has been possible thanks to the work and affection of the almost 3,000 people who make up the Barceló team in the Canary Islands, as well as the commitment of the more than 1,300 local collaborators who help us offer the best experience to customers who visit us.
–With these data, could we then confirm that the Canary Islands is one of the most important destinations for the group?
–Without a doubt, the Canary Islands are a strategic destination for the company. Our goal is to continue growing in the archipelago. At the moment, in 2023 we plan to open a new hotel in Lanzarote and another in Gran Canaria.
–Recently, three of the group's hotels have been recognized, at the World Travel Awards, among the best in the world. What does this recognition mean?
–It is a fantastic recognition of the team's work and our strategy of positioning ourselves as a leading hotel chain in experiential innovation. Three unique hotels with a very differential value proposition on the islands. The historic hotel in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway 5* GL has been awarded as 'Best Hotel in Spain'. Barceló Lanzarote Active Resort has been recognized as 'Best Sports Resort in Spain' for its original service proposal that combines sports, leisure and gastronomy; and Barceló Fuerteventura Beach Resort, as 'Best Beach Resort in Spain'.
–And if we are talking about awards, we have to mention the Michelin stars obtained.
For us, gastronomy is one of the fundamental pillars of the services we offer and one of the great commitments of the Barceló HotelGroup. With 4 Michelin stars, we have positioned ourselves as the hotel chain with the highest number of Michelin stars in the Canary Islands, with 3 stars in Tenerife and 1 star in Gran Canaria. A recognition that confirms the company's commitment to the new Canarian cuisine given that, in addition, all the award-winning chefs are of Canarian origin. This year we have hosted a new edition of the 'Inspirational Chef Program' in Tenerife but also in Gran Canaria: an original initiative that aims to bring the best national and international cuisine to the Canary Islands and value the quality of the raw materials offered by the islands.
-Regarding the raw material, what weight do local suppliers have?
–90% of our suppliers are local. At the Barceló Hotel Group we are committed to local Canarian products with an excellent level of quality, as a differentiating element of the gastronomy in our hotels in the Canary Islands. In addition, many of our restaurants have a proposal based on local cuisine and the island's own recipe book.
–This commitment, in addition to generating an impact on the local economy, is a drive towards sustainability. What other sustainable initiatives could you highlight?
–We take the efficiency and sustainability of our hotels very seriously. In our desire to create more responsible hotels and contribute to regenerative tourism, we have implemented a series of measures as part of our Barceló Responsible sustainability strategy (recognised at the ReThink Hotel 2022 Awards as one of the best sustainability projects in Spain ), all of them aligned under the same objective: taking care of the present to ensure the future. For example, we have applied renewable energies that allow us to reduce our carbon footprint by 2,420 tons/CO2 eq. In addition, we implement energy efficiency techniques, we try to ensure that our buildings are as respectful as possible with the environment and we opt for efficient water and energy consumption systems. The circular economy through the use of Biogas is also in the study and development phase in the Canary Islands.
–Another of the main focuses of the group is its commitment to cultural development, without going any further, the celebration of the last edition of Santa Catalina Classics was a complete success.
–The Santa Catalina Classics music festival is the result of the desire of the Barceló Hotel Group to support culture and perpetuate its patronage in the international classical music circuit from a privileged place such as Santa Catalina, to Royal Hideaway 5* GL on most emblematic establishment of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. And it is that, since its inauguration in 1890, the Hotel Santa Catalina has established itself as a place of reference not only for tourism but also for the social and cultural life of the capital.
