Pablo Giraldez Permuy (Granada, 1990) is the hotel manager at ME Ibizalocated in the municipality of Santa Eulària and belonging to the Meliá Hotels International group , which has more than 400 hotels in more than 40 countries and four continents.
He defines himself as a “passionate about hospitality and business management. In 2017 I decided to pursue a master’s degree in hotel management and I dedicate myself to it as my main activity. My strengths are hotel operations, team motivation and customer experience. On a personal level I love sports and competing.” For the past two seasons he has been in charge of ME Ibiza, which opens its doors from mid-April to mid-October. “This year we increased by almost a month of operation given the dates of Easter at the end of March,” he tells La Voz de Ibiza. Giraldez emphasizes two axes: the customer, on the one hand, and the workers, on the other. Although that formula must reach a certain harmony. “I personally love dealing with the customer, that’s what we really like and that’s why we are dedicated to it. We have to think that the customer uses his most precious asset with us: time. It is in our hands and it is our job to make this time an experience to remember. On the other hand, every business depends on its human value, the team is the key and they are the ones who really transmit the spirit to the client. In the end we realize that people are the key, both the internal client, who are our collaborators, and the external client, who are our guests who enjoy the experience,” he explains. In this sense, he remarks that “the main value of the chain is the proximity and the relationship you have with all the people in the company. They make you be where you want to be, you have the opportunity to learn continuously and you feel great support behind you. I am happy to be part of Meliá”.
Its history
– I wanted to start by asking you to tell me a little bit about yourself, before I go on to talk about the hotel and hospitality industry in Ibiza. – I started very young in the hospitality industry, at the age of 18 I was working in England. This experience later helped me to be able to work in luxury hotels and restaurants while I was studying at university in Seville. After finishing this stage I went back to London, to continue working in places like Novikov and The May Fair Hotel in Mayfair, or The Hari Hotel in Knighstbridge. As time went by, I took a master’s degree in hotel management, after which I started working at Meliá Hotel International, where I have been given the great opportunity to continue my training and growth, working at seven of the company’s hotels. – In Spain? – I started in Spain, working at Gran Meliá Colón, Leading Hotel of the World, located in the center of Seville. I continued in London, at Meliá White House. I toured all the INNSiDEs in the UK which are in Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool. From there, I moved to Ibiza, where for the first year I was at INNSiDE Ibiza, located in the bay of Sant Antoni. And for the last two seasons I have been at ME Ibiza, Leading Hotel of the World, near Santa Eulària. – Are you from…? – Originally born in Granada, I grew up in Seville and Galicia. And I have lived for about eight years in the UK. – And did you imagine yourself living in Ibiza? – No, I never thought of it as a destination, but it is true that it is an island that attracts by nature, local art and the sea it has. I think these are the keys to the island.
The hotel business
– And the hospitality in Ibiza is outstanding. As well as the leisure of Ibiza, they are unique. – Yes, that’s right. Both the leisure and the hotel and restaurant offer on the island are unique. In the end we are talking about a key destination in Europe and easily accessible, which works well season after season. – How many employees do you have? – At the highest peak we had close to 200 people. And at the lowest, about 112. – From your point of view, what distinguishesME Ibiza from the other Meliá hotels and, at the same time, what do they have in common with their siblings in the chain? – It is a lifestyle brand, closely linked to art, music, gastronomy and wellness, and always focused on the customer experience. What differentiates each hotel and makes it unique is the destination, since we draw a lot from local art and culture, to activate the senses of the client through gastronomy, art exhibitions, music and activities with nature. – Regarding this wellness, wellness and lifestyle, what do you offer and how are you thinking about it? – In recent years we have decided to expand our offer so that the client can enjoy a variety of activities, many of them in contact with nature. For example, this season we have had SUP Yoga activities, which is done in the sea on paddle surf boards. We also have aerial Yoga on our Rooftop with a panoramic sea view of almost 360 degrees. Or other guided activities such as kayaking and e-bike. We try to make the client connect with oneself and nature. – I am very interested in everything you offer in terms of culture, do you have an art director or curator who is in charge of the activities in that area? – Within the hotel the Guest Experience team is in charge, together with the marketing team. For everything related to art we look for local artists who make exhibitions during the season alternately and present them publicly in the hotel, so depending on the dates you will find different artists exhibiting. On a cultural level we have a very important event called Tanit Gatherings, which celebrates and showcases the talent of the creative women of the island. It promotes gender equality and highlights the importance of art and creativity as tools for female empowerment and the expression of cultural diversity. Artists share experiences, creative processes and industry challenges and discuss future opportunities. On the other hand, during the last two years we have created a fashion event with catwalk, hosting designers, many from the island and related to Adlib fashion, providing the hotel and the client with a unique experience. Among them in the last event we were accompanied by; Monika Maxim, Margarida Aurembiaix, Elisa Pomar in collaboration with Origens by David Pomar, and Virginia Vald.
Sustainability
– Since ME Ibiza began its journey, it is part of this exclusive list that is the Leading Hotel of the World, how important is it and what does it mean to be part of it? – Leading Hotel of the World is a collection of more than 400 luxury hotels distributed around the world, in which year after year hundreds of hotels try to be part, of which only a few are selected, given the difficulty of meeting all the requirements that the hotel must have to be part of LHW. The objective is mutual and is the customer experience, it is our common goal. In the house we have nine hotels belonging to the group and always looking forward to bring more hotels with a unique personality in the destination, and allow the customer to enjoy an unparalleled experience. – One thinks of ME Ibiza and says “luxury”. But you also make a balance with what is environmental sustainability. How do you work that balance between not lowering any standards of luxury and what you offer to the client and at the same time taking care of Ibiza’s environment, which is so precious? – We believe that luxury and sustainability go hand in hand. From our point of view, sustainability is more focused on internal management and should not impact the customer experience. You can always control stock and use of raw materials in an efficient and appropriate way, pay attention to waste generation, energy control and we will always find new technologies that will allow us to reduce overspending. That is where we really have to put our focus and where the hotel puts its grain of sand. -That is to say, they keep abreast of the incorporation of new technologies to improve in this aspect without impacting other aspects of their services. – That is correct. In the end, with technology we can focus on all the energy and waste management that is generated, to reduce it. And it doesn’t affect the customer experience. – What feedback do you receive from customers in this regard? – Being involved with sustainability I think makes the customer decide to choose our hotels. In the end we all live in this world and, if we take care of it, we will keep it as it is for as long as possible. If we don’t pay special attention to it, we will lose our greatest asset. I think everyone is a little bit aware of the great importance of maintaining and conserving the environment.
Luxury
– How have you worked in recent years, because I imagine it is a constant work to be at the forefront of luxury tourism in Ibiza? – Luxury tourism is about providing value and our focus has always been on the customer experience. We have a large number of repeat customers who visit us several times in the same season and year after year. – You have a Nikki Beach, a famous beach club nearby. Is there any synergy, symbiosis between the hotel and other nearby venues? – Yes, of course. Nikki Beach is part of our resort and gives the customer that option of a more vibrant environment. On the other hand, he can still enjoy the area, which reflects tranquility and connectivity with the environment. The truth is that they combine very well together, the client perceives it in a very positive way and it is true that in the last three years at Nikki Beach we have worked a lot on taking it to a more gastronomic experience. – The ME is the most profitable hotel of the chain in Spain. How has this 2024 season been for you? Have you managed to maintain that profitability? – Yes, in annual terms we have had a good season, improving on the previous year. When we compare ourselves with the market, we have noticed that everyone has suffered a bit this season. – But in the ME, have you managed to hold the title of the chain’s most profitable hotel in Spain? – Yes, we have managed to improve on the previous year and we have done well. At times it has been difficult, but we have managed to have a positive year. – The CEO has also said that Ibiza hotels could still raise prices and there are many voices in favor and others against that idea. There are some who are concerned that prices in Ibiza are still rising, so is there still room to raise prices? – Yes, of course, in the end it could be said that there is a great capacity for improvement in hotel rates in many destinations, and especially in those where the client of international markets with high purchasing power predominates, as is the case of Ibiza. And as long as the product and the service correspond to the price, there is a possibility. But on a general level, I know that, in the case of the hotels in our group, the improvement in rates has corresponded in part to inflation and, in the end, to the higher cost of raw materials and services. But above all it has been due to the investment made in hotel improvements. We have been investing in hotels, both in terms of service and product, and we have been able to create higher categories and many premium and luxury brands, where we have the focus, which in the end gives us that advantage. In the Balearic Islands, for example, since 2019 our average rate has increased by 57%, due to the significant investment in improvements, repositioning and rebranding of the hotels.
Balance and challenges
– You have completed 10 years, what has this decade left you, both in terms of challenges, mistakes, successes and lines to follow? – ME Ibiza was one of the first 5-star hotels on the island. Over time the place has been growing and we have had to adapt to follow the growth trajectory. In the end, what you learn season after season is the great importance of the opening date and closing date, because they are the ones that really mark you in the good work of the exercise. And then… for us to be able to bring the ME brand to such a special destination, it was an honor to celebrate 10 years as ME in Ibiza. – Ibiza in these 10 years has changed and new challenges and problems have arisen. For example, the issue of housing. – Yes, the housing issue is a generalized problem throughout the island. I personally believe that all hotels and businesses suffer. In order to be able to have the necessary staff we have to help in this aspect and offer accommodation in many occasions. – On the other hand, luxury and high quality hotels with innovative concepts continue to open. Does this concern you in any way? – No, not at all. In the end, hotels grow and improve when there is more competition. Competition causes continuous improvement and it is ideal that more players enter the area to keep improving and adapting to new trends.
Ecotax and the situation of the sector
– Regarding the announcement of the increase of the eco-tax, in general there has been a lot of criticism, what is your opinion? – Our company, as well as the whole sector, has rejected a measure that has been presented under the false pretext of combating saturation when hotels have not increased their vacancies for several decades, comply with all the regulations and limitations established and generate much more value than the rest of the offers, especially the illegal or unregulated vacation rental apartments that are really the cause of saturation and overloading of the destinations. Regulation is something that is necessary in all areas. – Do you think that there is a lack of actions in this sense, of more forceful actions and tools? – Apart from being a somewhat ineffective and therefore demagogic measure, we do not believe in the so-called eco-taxes that in the end are not intended for the improvement and sustainability of the destinations, but become a resource for tax collection, more to subsidize the current expenditure of the Administration. In this sense, we believe that these resources that will be charged additionally to hotel guests, in addition to minimizing their competitiveness, will reduce their spending at the destination. We are sure that it would have much more impact and redistribution capacity if customers could spend it on gastronomy, shopping, culture and leisure in the destination. – There are some tourism-phobic and anti-mass tourism movements. What is your reading of this phenomenon? – First of all, we do not think that in Spain or the Balearic Islands there is a problem of tourism-phobia, but rather of weariness before the cases of saturation of destinations and its derivative effects as a little loss of quality of life, the overflow of public resources and difficulties of access to housing and gentrification of cities. But from the sector we have been warning for years of the need to set limits, limits that are very clear for hotels, but that do not exist for other types of unregulated or even illegal offers, such as a large part of tourist rental housing, which are multiplying exponentially, reaching the point of exceeding hotel vacancies in many destinations. The problem, after all, is very complex, but we know that it must be tackled in a consensual and collaborative manner, following three fundamental steps. First, eliminate all illegal supply. Secondly, to organize and plan the model of tourism we want, applying the same rules and limits to all supply models. And finally, improve the supply to increase its quality and competitiveness. In a developed and consolidated destination such as Ibiza’s tourism, we no longer believe in growing for the sake of growing, but in combating what is illegal, ordering and improving what we already have, and to increase the social and economic profitability of tourism. – The Consell is looking to recover ground and promote family tourism. You are not just a hotel for adults, do you have any ideas about this initiative and how the hotel industry can work towards this? – We as a hotel receive families and, in addition, it is a strong point within our hotel. In the end, at the island level, there should perhaps be an adaptation, more family friendly, so to speak. It is true that lately many other hotels are only special for adults, and well, in the end I think we consider that families are important within our sector and market. It is a client of ours that we have regularly year after year, and we continue to have and are delighted to continue to receive at ME Ibiza.
