The government of Calella (Maresme) is no longer willing to maintain the image of decrepitude that the hotels in a state of abandonment in the urban center give to the tourist destination. These are one or two star establishments, which if they take advantage of the new special plan promoted by the City Council, can convert old establishments into new residential buildings and even tourist flats, of which there are already 514 registered in the city.
The tourist municipality has a plant of 43 hotels and guesthouses. Of these, 23 will be able to benefit from this new transformation, especially nine of them that are currently closed. With this, according to the mayor, Marc Buch, “we avoid the regrettable image that is now occurring with abandoned buildings in the heart of the urban center.” A situation that also negatively affects the image of the tourist destination.
Until now, due to disagreement with the previous urban planning, the outdated hotels fell into a state of inexorable abandonment that prevented their transformation. With the new special plan, not only “are they offered the opportunity to make their investment profitable” but it also contributes to the modernization of the hotel plant. “We will not allow the construction of new hotels in Calella if they do not have four or more stars,” says the mayor.
These old properties are not immune to speculation either. According to Buch, many of them are from private owners but also from investment funds and financial entities that maintain abusive prices in the sale, which prevents investors from being interested in building in Calella.
The old Corona hotel, a large building that occupies an island on the central Jovara street, in Vicenç Ferrer square, is a clear example of the transformation promoted by the current executive. The establishment is undergoing a profound transformation to become a high-quality residential building.
Added to the aging of the buildings is what the different governments of Calella have been setting on their agendas for years, the fight against drunken tourism imposed by tour operators in low-cost establishments, which the council even brought before the courts “without obtaining results,” laments the mayor.
“We are conspired to promote a commitment to quality” asserts the mayor, aware that “it has been shown that quantity over quality is detrimental to the destination” and therefore seeks to establish alliances with the private sector to guarantee another type of tourism. . Buch, in this sense, acknowledges having some proposals on the table “from tourism promoters interested in new establishments” such as boutique hotels, businesses with few rooms “that are committed to excellence.”
The pace of renovation imposed by the Calellan executive also puts the focus on the rest of the hotel plant, the bulk of which is located in the southernmost area of the city. to seek agreements and maintain “a dignified destiny” in line with the image of a “clean and orderly” city. The message that Calella sends to future investors is clear: “he who comes only to make profits at any price and does not bet on quality, will have a retaining wall in the City Council,” says the mayor. Not in vain, the city fights to maintain the title of tourist capital of Maresme.
