I have travelled extensively in the past few years all round Spain and also some areas of Europe, both for work and leisure. One thing I can assure you is that Benidorm and the Comunidad Valenciana in general  have an excellent Hotel and Holiday Apartment infrastructure difficult to beat because of the quality of the product and also the excellent price quality relationship.

I do not say this lightly. Even though its easier for Benidorm Hoteliers to judge and appreciate the quality that the sector has to offer , there are many good reasons that can prove what I m saying.

1-It s a fact that Benidorm is one of the Spanish destinations that has asked for less financial help from the  Spanish government for the renovation of the infrastructure of the tourist sector. This is due to the fact that Benidorm businessmen, aware of the strong competition  of other destinations , have been continuously renovating their hotels year after year adapting  them for the changing markets and  clients needs. As well as the effort made by the business community, the local authorities have also contributed in the improvements of our hotel sector with the creation of laws that have helped in the construction of excellent 4 and 5 star hotels.

2- As well as the national legislation, the hotels and apart-hotels of the “Comunidad Valenciana” follow a specific regional legislation much  stricter than in the other regions of Spain, in terms of fire inspections, public health, food hygiene etc… Many tourist destinations in Spain  only stick to the national legislation.

3-At present Benidorm is  one of the tourist areas with the most official Quality Plans in Spain , for example the  ISO 9000:2001”, and “Q” certificates  for quality tourism. There are also certificates for , “excellence in  kitchens”, quality plans for the environment etc. Moreover Benidorm Hotels have won many awards given every year by Spanish and international  tour operators in recognition of the high level of service and quality. Most of the hotels in Benidorm also have their own quality coordinators exclusively dedicated to the improvement of their establishments.

4- We constantly receive visits from external auditors sent by  the main Tour Operators that have customers in our  area.

5- It is one of the tourist destinations  that has the latest innovations in both energy and  water saving.

These differences are highlighted more  if we compare them to Hotels and Holiday Apartments in Europe. In many countries  tourism legislation is  light years away far from any Spanish Tourism legislation.

If we add to all of this  the high level of repeat business of our clients and  the fact that the hotel occupancy in Benidorm this year was 74.6% (Benidorm has been the only  Spanish municipality that  has been in the top 10 destinations with the highest Hotel occupancy  nine months out of twelve) it undoubtedly makes Benidorm a unique holiday destination.
Erik Devesa Sik
General manager- commercial area

Grupo Centauro