Q & A with Simon Barceló President of Barceló Hotels & Resorts for Latin America

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

The expansion of Barceló Hotels all across Latin America is basically focused on three places: Mexico, Cuba and Central America. It´s just in that trio of destinations where Barceló will pour most of its funds over the next couple of year, according to what the company´s President for Latin America had to say in this exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital.

Q.- How has the Barceló Group fitted in the new philosophy of the Dominican government to steer toward an upscale tourism offer and stop fostering middle-class travel?

A.- To a naked eye it seems to be a good idea. Anyhow, the country needs to improve existing low-level facilities in order to provide the kind of comfort and standards high-end tourists seek. That effort must be complemented with infrastructure improvements, especially in roads, safety and cleanness.

Q.- What do you make of those mega projects the Dominican republic is carrying out, like Cap Cana?

A.- I believe that´s very useful for the Dominican Republic. Those are big-time investors who can play a role in the country´s economic development. And those projects can create more jobs and bring in more tourists to the Dominican Republic. I think those projects are good.

Q.- What´s Barceló´s policy in the Dominican Republic right now, especially as far as new hotels are concerned?

A.- As we speak, we have ten hotels with over 6,000 rooms in that country. Most of those establishments are clustered in Bavaro Beach, where we have five hotels and 2,000 rooms. For the time being we´ve got no further plans to add more hotels in the country, though we don´t rule out any other possibility that might arise in the Punta Cana-Bavaro region.

Q.- What about Barceló´s expansion policy in the Caribbean?

A.- Right now we´re focused on Mexico. More recently we´ve bought a few properties in the Mexican Pacific coast, both in Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.

Q.- What do you think of Aruba as an island for your company to invest in?

A.- I´ve been to Aruba. I went there last year. Yet we don´t have plans in the pipeline for future investments there. Aruba is a small island we can´t discard in case we happen to see an opportunity there. But for the time being, we´re going to stay out of the game there.

Q.- Cuba´s travel industry keeps marching ahead. Are you planning to continue growing on that island nation?

A.- Absolutely. We´re running three hotels, two in Varadero and one in Cayo Largo that add up 1,300 rooms in all. Our short-term plans are based on agreements we´ve already signed or that are underway, like a 2,000-room joint project with Gaviota in Santa Maria Key. We have a couple of joint ventures, one with Gran Caribe in Santa Lucia for 770 rooms and another one for a 400-room hotel in Holguin´s Guardalavaca. That amounts to 4,470 rooms.

Q.- With so many rooms under your wing, are you considering to cut some kind of partnership deal with airlines or you will simply set up a company of your own?

A.- No, not right now. We maintain good relationships with most airlines from Latin America, Canada and Spain.

Q.- As part of your expansion plans in the Caribbean, what are your chances of tapping such markets as Jamaica or the Bahamas, two nations where Spanish hotel chains are going strong right now?

A.- We´ve taken a long look at those English-speaking nations, but I insist we´re going to zero in on three countries or regions that are Mexico, Cuba and Central America. Those are the nations and regions we´re planning to develop hotels in over the next couple of years.