Marí­a Antonia Llull

Can you tell us about Hipotels Hotels & Resorts’ presence in Mallorca and how the company achieved its current presence beyond the island?

Hipotels Hotels & Resorts was established in Cala Millor in 1970 thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of my father, Juan Llull. Today, in Mallorca our company has 19 hotel establishments of the total of 29 that we have across the Canary Islands, Andalusia, and Cancún. Mallorca still accounts for 62% of the rooms that we offer to visitors. Our Mallorcan origin is important to us, from the investments that have been made in Mallorca, which have gone well, to the capacity that it has given us to develop projects in other parts of Spain as well as internationally with a presence in Cancún, where we inaugurated our first hotel in 2018. In 2017, we opened two hotels in Playa de Palma under a new concept with a convention center, and the results have been great, despite the context. Hipotels Hotels & Resorts continues to bet on the island by investing in new projects and renovating our existing portfolio. Despite COVID-19, the island continues to be a highly sought after destination.

How is Hipotels Hotels & Resorts contributing to the reformulation of Mallorca’s know-how in tourism and making the industry a top reference in terms of sustainability?

We are not reinventing ourselves, but rather moving ourselves toward a more sustainable tourism model, but not only in terms of the environment. We are also concerned about the tradition and culture of the island and that our team feels fulfilled working with us. We strive to provide greater value to the customer in terms of extra service, comfort, and attention. Our sustainability model integrates environmental protection, workers, clients, vendors, and local culture. Local sourcing is an important component for us. For example, we are rehabilitating farms and recovering the native fruit species of the island, and we are restoring old houses to convert them into rural hotels that are closely connected to the traditions of the island. Apart from our policies in the company in terms of equality, internal promotion, and the environment, we have ISO 9000 and 14000 in most of the hotels. Back in 2014, my father signed a sustainability, environment, and quality policy, and that is what we have been working on since then.

What other activities can the island reinforce to ensure its tourism sector is more dynamic?

Mallorca is more than just the sun and beaches: this is what we also want to convey with the policy we want to implement. Palma is great, but rural Mallorca also has a great deal to show, and our company is interested in unlocking the potential of our inner island. Rural Mallorca will certainly be a trend in the coming years. For 2022, we predict to be at 75-80% of 2019’s capacity, because of the great interest that the island generates as well as its great combination of top quality along with its proximity to European markets. Mallorca, in general, has an audience that is extremely loyal, and that has helped us spread the name of the island further by word of mouth. As for Hipotels Hotels & Resorts, we will be extremely busy in the short term, as we have three renovations currently underway. Furthermore, in our hotel in Cancún, we are building 100 more rooms as well as a medium-sized convention center.