We interview Tamara Cordero, the Meliá Marbella Banús Hotel Manager. This hotel has gained ground in the city hotel variety year after year. It is ideally located in the area known as the Golden Mile of Marbella, by the seaside, near Puerto Banús and in the heart of the Golf Coast. It has built golf customer loyalty and thus, income in the golf section has increased 24%.
You have been the Meliá Marbella Banús Hotel Manager since 2015. However, you have developed your professional career abroad. Tell us about it.
I studied International Hotel Management in Spain although I was born and I completed my education in Geneva. My professional career in Melia Hotels International started in 2007, in Sol Pelicanos Ocas, a 3* 800-room holiday hotel in Benidorm as an Assistant Manager. After five years, I moved to Meliá Valencia, a 4* city hotel where I learnt everything concerning the MICE section. After three years, I was offered an international destination; a Hotel Manager position in Berlin, a Meliá hotel in the city centre in this German capital city. It was a real challenge as I could share my experience with leisure and business guests as well as continuing my training in Melia International Hotel Management.
After two years working as an Assistant Manager in Meliá Berlin, I was offered the position of Manager at Meliá Marbella Banús. A few days later, I took a flight to Málaga where all my family and friends were waiting for me and I took on a fantastic professional challenge on the Costa del Sol.
You have already been managing Meliá Marbella Banús for nearly four years, how do you see your working experience at the hotel?
I think it has been a very positive experience. My arrival at Meliá Marbella Banús took place during the height of tourism in Spain. Spain became a preferred tourism destination at the expense of other destinations with ongoing conflicts. Both my team and I have experienced a period of hotel and destination growth and consolidation. The improvement of economic results and customer satisfaction promoted the investment in hotel facilities as well as in better resources to continue improving guests’ experience. All this helped us to adapt to the demands of a top quality destination and allowed us to provide guests with the best services during their holiday in Marbella.
We are especially proud of one of the most positive goals achieved during these four years. We have built golf customer loyalty and thus, income in the golf section has increased 24%. This is very important in this destination as it allows us to face the winter season more securely.
What future projects are there for Meliá Marbella Banús?
Our most important challenge for the future is maintaining destination leadership, increasing the services we offer our guests and adhering to the high performance levels demanded in recent years. We intend to achieve all this with the support of golf, an extremely important section as we are located in the middle of the Golf Coast. We also have a more concrete project; we have planned the development of a professionalized and personalized service in the golf section. There will be a future golf desk at our facilities.
Spain and more specifically Marbella is one of the highest internationally demanded touristic destinations. What are the strengths of Marbella as a destination?
Personally, I think Marbella is one of the most complete destinations. Marbella enjoys a microclimate and it has an average of 300 sunny days a year. 75 golf courses can be used in this weather during the four seasons. On the other hand, there is a wide range of gastronomic variety in the city; 7 Michelin-star restaurants and the boom of wines from the Malaga region are some of its strengths. Marbella is also an exclusive destination where luxury can be seen and experienced; you can hire a yacht, drive a formula 1 car in a professional circuit or go shopping and buy the most exclusive brands such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Valentino and Jimmy Choo. These luxury products are on the shop windows of shops in Puerto Banús.
Meliá is a quality symbol, however, why should we choose Meliá Marbella Banús?
Meliá Marbella Banús offers guest an idyllic location on the Golden Mile, by the sea near Puerto Banús and in the heart of the Golf Coast. We have improved our facilities every year and the quality of the services we offer as well as the human team that facilitates guests’ daily life are highly valued. Our rooms and suites are comfortable and spacious and our golf guests highlight this fact as an added value to our hotel. We also have different eating facilities. Our gastronomic restaurant DOM offers a cuisine based on local products. On the other hand, the exclusive The Level service is one of the most important values at Meliá.
One of the greatest challenges faced by businesses and professionals in order to adapt to future requirements is anticipating guests’ needs before they even arrive at the hotel. What is the guest profile at Meliá Marbella Banús?
Our guest profile varies throughout the year. Nevertheless, they all have some things in common such as their international origin. The most important markets are the British, Belgian, Northern European and the National market. On the other hand, the guests who stay at Meliá Marbella Banús are middle-high purchasing power holiday guests, couples, friends and families. As this is a 4*superior hotel we can gain high-demanding guests and offer good value for money. Our guests are looking for a hotel experience that exceeds their expectations where they can enjoy a unique stay and we do our best to make their wishes come true.