Spain: Mallorca, Marratxinet. Recreation & healthy relaxation is offered by an old convent for its guests
It really is an excellently realized idea: a Franciscan monastery used for several centuries was abandoned by three remaining nuns in 2013 on the Spanish island Majorca. It has now become a veritable comfort hotel with the charm of the past.
- (1888PressRelease) November 13, 2020 - Majorca and the Majorcan tourism industry have experienced a painful year in 2020. The success of the Spanish travel industry has suddenly blown away. Mass accommodations and bed castles have not even opened this year. Also Finca operators had it this year extremely heavily, many had to give up. Nevertheless there are some very courageous hoteliers this year, who are unusually successful with unusual concepts.
Today I am a guest at https://www.asismarratxinet.com/, an old Franciscan convent from the 18th century in Marratxi, 14km from Palma de Mallorca. Also who means, he or she knows already everything on Mallorca, is possibly in Marratxi of a better taught. Because this beautiful Asis De Marratxinet, a former convent has been transformed into a special refuge by the operators with much love and a knack for architecture and design, with a unique appreciation for visual relaxation, but also actual relaxation, movement and comfort. The https://www.asismarratxinet.com/ offers an unique atmosphere that no luxury hotel can offer.
I am now sitting here with Dominique, the operator of this extraordinary convent hotel. The building itself is already several hundred years old and was in active use as a Franciscan monastery until 2013. Until 2013, some very happy and obviously very old nuns also lived here. Since there was a lack of offspring and the renovation costs for this expensive building were immense, the pious nuns moved to Palma and so Dominique together with Toni got the opportunity to take over this unique refuge and above all to preserve it in all its beauty and to redesign it gently. In 2014 they both started the renovation and 2015 was the opening of the hotel. A glance at the tastefully designed rooms shows that people with a great love of architecture and design have managed to combine the atmosphere of the past with modernity.
Oliver, www.bellacoola.de:
Dominique, please tell us, how did you and Toni become aware of this Franciscan convent from the late Middle Ages?
Dominique, https://www.asismarratxinet.com/:
Business partner Toni read in an article that the monastery Marratxi is to be given up due to the high reorganization costs and missing new generation of pious nuns. He then immediately had the idea that the preservation of the monastery as a building and its transformation into a hotel facility could be a great option. On the one hand it was our goal to preserve the beauty and character of the building and on the other hand to turn it into a hotel complex for active guests who still appreciate peace and quiet. No sooner said than done. We started in 2014 and the renovation took about 6 months. In 2015 we were able to start and were surprisingly well booked right from the start. Every year more guests came and what surprised us most was the high percentage of women traveling alone, who also rejected a high rate of repeat bookings.
Oliver:
Does that mean that the last few years have seen a steady upward trend? Did you even have a good time in the winter years 2018 and 2019?
Dominique:
Yes, also in the winter of the previous years we had more and more guests, who fortunately even stayed longer. While the length of stay in summer is three to five days, in winter we often have guests who stay for two or three weeks.
Oliver:
That sounds really very good. What are the highlights of the surroundings of Marratxi Dominque? Why do guests keep coming back to your beautiful old convent hotel?
Dominique:
Well, we have beautiful mountains, e.g. La Sierra de Tramontana (a World Heritage from the Unesco since 2011) we have a lot of nature in the area and optimal conditions for hiking in winter. It’s not too hot and the daytime temperatures between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius make it possible for cyclists, hikers and joggers to do sports. When the guests come back to us at dusk and enjoy a healthy dinner, the recreational character of our Asis de Marratxinet has once again emphasized its special value. Our guests enjoy the spirit of the past and of course use the comfort of today.
Oliver:
The year 2019 was, as you told us in the preliminary talk, the most successful year in your history. How high was the occupancy rate, how long do guests stay on average and where did most of the guests come from?
Dominique:
Most of the guests have actually come from Great Britain, some women arrived on Friday evening and then experienced a spiritual weekend with us with reading or making music or listening to music and got on the plane on Sunday evening and flew back to UK. We do also have families and groups of friends coming to spend holidays in a very friendly and peaceful atmosphere. The occupancy rate was 82% in 2018 and 89% in 2019. Without Covid and the pandemic we might have been able to increase this figure even more. On average, guests stayed four nights per stay in summer and ten in winter. Until 2019: from UK, but this year most guests are Spanish. The origin of our guests has indeed changed completely in 2020 due to the travel warning of the British, Danish, German and Swiss governments.
Oliver:
What has happened in 2020? How did the year run until early November 2020?
Dominique:
In January and February and also in March 2020 many bookings came in, this continued the success of 2019. Of course, we had the hope that we would be able to match the capacity utilization of the previous years. When this brutal lockdown came in mid-March 2020, almost all bookings were cancelled or postponed. In May it began slowly, we had more and more local guests again, so we had a completely different guest structure than in the past. When the travel warning was finally lifted at the end of June 2020, we had the expectation that more international tourists would finally visit us again. However, this year’s summer was – compared to the past – very miserable. The occupancy rate over the whole year has dropped from almost 90% to 20% and we really have to struggle a lot with the fact that so few people travel to this fantastic island despite the absolutely safe security situation. We have developed a sophisticated security concept, the distance to other guests is maintained and to my knowledge we have never had a Corona case in the region.
Oliver:
It is admirable that you continue Dominique! This unique concept and your cool facility really needs to be continued. What can guests expect this winter at your nice hotel?
Dominique:
We are offering different offers depending on the length of the stay of the guests. And also the possibility to rent a room and share kitchen and common areas, e.g. the two outdoor swimming pools, the garden, terraces and so on. Toni is a trained cook and an expert in ecological and tasty food. We offer an excellent dinner, majorcan recipes with local ingredients by petition. Our guests will then be able to enjoy exquisite local specialties and really relax in this wonderful atmosphere.
Oliver:
Seductive! What do you wish for yourself and for people in the future?
Dominique:
Finally, we wish the people, health and happiness. We hope that we will be able to convince more guests from abroad, especially from UK or Eire or Scotland, that Mallorca and especially our hotel Asis Marratxinet are safe and definitely worth a trip in the winter of 2020 to 2021. The winter in Majorca is mild and over 300 sunny days / year allow holidaymakers to experience Christmas in shorts.
Oliver:
Dominique, thank you very much for the interview and good luck for Toni and you with your nice former convent-hotel Asis Marratxinet …
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