26 years ago on 15th July 1992 the Links golf course at Alcaidesa opened. Since then, its facilities have been developed. There are kilometres of unspoiled beaches, restaurants, hotels and properties where you can live all year round. Alcaidesa is a Resort that joins together style, views, security, services and the best golf to make this one of the most exclusive areas in the south of Spain.
Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort means enjoying the only Links type golf course in the south of Europe, an 18-hole course with breathtaking views over The Mediterranean and Gibraltar and a second 18-hole Heathland type golf course.
The original orography of the place contributes to the impressive sea views enjoyed at Alcaidesa. In addition, this region is surrounded by two nature parks that accentuate its amazing natural beauty. In Alcaidesa the links type golf course, the beach and the extraordinary blue sea merge together to create a display of amazing beauty.
Juan Pablo Arriaga, Managing Director at Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort
You have been a member of staff at Alcaidesa since its beginning in 1992 and you have had different positions in the company. What was the beginning like at the resort?
Alcaidesa Golf officially opened in June 1992 and I was indeed one of the first members of staff hired. I started working in the caddie master department, then I worked as the club’s secretary and later, I started promoting Alcaidesa in different golf tourism fairs. In 2011 I was made Manager of the Golf Club and after 17 years we still have the same enthusiasm as when we started in 1992.
During these 26 years, Alcaidesa Golf has had important milestones, such as the building of the second golf course, Alcaidesa Heathland or the new Club House.
After 25 years, Alcaidesa is still going strong. However, how has the management changed since it started?
Indeed, in 2017 the company was 25 years old. We celebrated a big party and representatives of all the golf departments attended.
The essence of the management remains the same. For me the key issue is working with a good professional team in all the departments and fortunately, the human team is one of the most important assets of Alcaidesa.
Alcaidesa is a golf reference in the South of Spain. What do travelers find at Alcaidesa when they come here to play golf?
Players who visit us can find two completely different golf courses. The Links course is very technical; it is not a golf course for great strikers but undoubtedly, it is one of the most beautiful courses in Spain with spectacular views of the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and Africa. The Heathland course offers a variety of natural environments that range from the plains area where the course is similar to Heathland, as its name describes, to a valley area where you can find the water hazards.
In summary, players can enjoy a gratifying experience. Our two courses, our facilities, especially the Club House and our staff make sure that playing golf here is a satisfying complete and high quality experience.
What new challenges is the resort going to take on in the future?
Concerning our new challenges, we intend to continue improving our facilities so that the hotels located in the complex continue working well and thus, become high quality hotels and apartment hotels.
Aldiana Hotel with 350 rooms, Alcaidesa Hotel with just 10 rooms as well as Vista Real Apartment Hotel and Albayt Apartments are all located in our resort.
The building of two more hotels in the future will be very important as they will be located in one of the best plots of the resort overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Ana Berbel, Commercial Manager at Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort
You have been the Commercial Manager of Alcaidesa Golf since 2011. How have new technologies impacted the resort commercialization since then?
When I started my project at Alcaidesa in 2011, my professional experience was mainly based on hotel commercialization. In those years, it was mainly focused on online sale, online marketing and e-commerce. However, at the same time, travel agencies and tour operators started to connect to hotels online systems.
In my honest opinion, golf commercialization was light years away from new technologies and it was based on off-line traditional reservations, mainly through tour operators.
Nevertheless, it’s true that the golf sector is moving towards online commercialization and more golf courses are committed to dynamic price rating, with flexible rates adapted to demand and seasons and mainly focused on online sale on our web pages.
What are the main commercialization channels of Alcaidesa Golf and what are the strategies of your department?
As we are a golf resort, apart from commercializing green fees we also sell golf packages with accommodation at Alcaidesa. Thus, we commercialize holiday packages staying at Aldiana Costa del Sol 4*, at Albayt Nueva Alcaidesa Apartments and at Vista Real Alcaidesa. However, even though we tend to sell more on our online channels and we try to prioritize selling on our web page and thus, establishing a commercialization strategy focused on customers directly, most of our commerce takes place on our off-line channels and through tour operators.
We guide our efforts towards opening new markets and continuing traditional commerce with tour operators with golf packages that include staying at Alcaidesa.
Our commercial strategy is focused on new technologies. However, this depends on the need of new tools like powerful reservation search engines and PMS (Property Management Systems) that would allow us to contact any agency in the world. Nevertheless, at the present time, all these are still to be developed in the golf industry.
At the moment with the tools that we have, we are trying to develop sales online by using e-commerce strategies, social networking sites and online marketing campaigns.
This resort was 25 years old last year, and many clients have chosen Alcaidesa for their holidays and to play golf. What can travelers find at Alcaidesa?
Clients who choose Alcaidesa as their holiday destination will find a golf resort that has two 36-hole golf course: Alcaidesa Links and Alcaidesa Heathland.
On the other hand, we have an extensive hotel variety to suit all tastes. We have a four-star hotel, Aldiana Costa del Sol that offers an “all inclusive” service with an attractive golf package at Alcaidesa. Besides, we have two apartment hotels, Vista Real Alcaidesa in Alcaidesa Links course which is near the beach and Albayt Nueva Alcaidesa, just 200 metres away from the Club House that opened in 2017.
All these elements make Alcaidesa one of the favourite golf destinations on the Costa del Sol-Costa del Golf, next to Sotogrande and it provides all the needed facilities for unforgettable golf holidays.
In your opinion, what are the new challenges to be taken on by golf tourism in general and Alcaidesa in particular in the future?
In my opinion, golf tourism in general and tourism on the Costa del Sol-Costa del Golf area in particular faces a very important challenge, that is, diversification away from seasonal tourism. Gradually, this is being achieved and I think all our efforts should aim to reach this goal especially with the help of authorities and tourism organizations. Thus, more flights should arrive in Malaga in the winter season.
However, we need to work on new technologies. We need a real revolution in online reservation search engines and reservation management systems in order to work together with tour operators and sell both packages and green fees without having to call or email.
Integration and connection within systems is essential as it will affect sales efficiency for both companies and travel agencies and thus, mean great progress in commercialization.
Concerning Alcaidesa, I can mention that the resort’s future is closely linked to the development of facilities. Two more hotels are planned to be built. This project will be carried out in the short and long term. This is great news as it will mean the development of a complex that will make Alcaidesa a much stronger destination.