Arabella Golf Mallorca
“El golf te devuelve más de lo que tú le das: salud, optimismo, amistad,...” es algo natural y que me sigue atrayendo 30 años después. ¿Qué paralelismos existen entre jugar un partido de golf y dirigir una gran empresa? Podría parecer una frivolidad el compararlos, porque el golf es una práctica relajante, divertida, mientras que a los mandos de una gran empresa no se puede jugar, hay que medirlo todo mucho más, porque tus decisiones involucran a todo tu entorno y a muchas personas que dependen de ti. Ello no es óbice para que, mientras se juega al golf, puedan avanzarse o crearse grandes negocios, porque el entorno es propicio para hablar con serenidad, para generar confianza, y puedo asegurarle que muchas veces hemos fraguado acuerdos o alianzas en un campo de golf… Usted juega habitualmente en Son Vida. ¿Cómo definiría el campo y qué destacaría de él? Es un campo antiguo, con árboles altos y calles sombrías que en verano te permiten jugar a pesar del sol, y en invierno te protegen del viento. Además, sientes que estás jugando en la montaña con vistas al mar. Y algo que me parece clave es que se puede jugar caminando sin coger el coche, pues las distancias no son tan enormes como en otros campos –también excelentes– de Mallorca. Es una belleza. Cuando vuelve la vista atrás y ve todo lo que ha conseguido en estas casi seis décadas, ¿qué siente? Debo decir que me siento muy orgulloso, sobre todo por mi familia y por mis empleados de tantos años, que han hecho de esta empresa que creamos hace tanto tiempo su “casa” y su “familia”. Sin embargo, volviendo la vista atrás siempre hay cosas que uno haría de diferente manera: por ejemplo, me siento feliz de haber impulsado la internacionalización de la compañía, pero me gustaría haber ido más rápido, pues de esta manera ahora tendríamos un volumen de producto exterior aún mayor que nos ayudaría a capear mejor la crisis en España. Como empresario, ¿Cuál es el hoyo más difícil que ha afrontado en su larga trayectoria? A lo largo de 57 años, puede imaginarse que me resulta difícil identificar un solo “hoyo”: yo diría que hemos pasado momentos difíciles, a veces por asumir determinados riesgos, y a veces simplemente debido a la coyuntura externa y al entorno, pero de todos ellos hemos
Interview in 9 holes
sabido recuperarnos y seguir siendo un referente de la industria. Más allá de la empresa, ¿Qué es lo que realmente le llena a usted más en la vida? Mi familia. Por último, ¿Por qué recomendaría a alguien que se iniciase en el mundo el golf? Porque es un mundo nuevo de retos y autoexigencia realmente únicos, porque es un deporte que puede acompañarnos hasta bien entrados en años, y porque el golf te “devuelve” mucho más de lo que tú le das, en forma de salud –física y mental–, optimismo, amistad y relación con nuestro entorno.
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hen Meliá Hotels International opened its first hotel in 1956, t her e wer e no g ol f courses on Mallorca. What did people think of this sport? There had been some precursors before the war, like Jaime Enseñat’s 9-hole course in the Port of Alcudia. But nothing remained of that visionary adventure by the 1950s. I believe that in the ‘50s and ‘60s we were more concerned with increasing the volume of summer visitors who aspired to come to Mallorca than with rounding off our sun and beach offer with a complementary range of sports, which may have been deemed “elitist” in those days. Fifty-seven years later the island has over twenty first-class courses. Is golf a pillar of quality tourism in Mallorca? Undoubtedly it is: today things have taken a radical turn, and what we must do to maintain our leadership and our lifestyle, which is sustained to a large extent by tourism, is differentiate ourselves, segment the range of services we offer in such a way that every profile and segment of the demand can find what it wants on Mallorca. Moreover, our geographical and geopolitical location, our climate and landscape lend the courses of Mallorca a beauty and variety that generally exceeds the expectations of international players, and even better, creates loyalty in them. How did you become an enthusiast of this sport, and how long have you been practising it? Well, I couldn’t resist “succumbing to the temptation” of practising it about 30 years ago, and I have been enjoying it since then, albeit sporadically due to the trips I take and my business and family schedule. Living at Son Vida and close to a course like this one, it’s only natural, and it still attracts me 30 years on. What parallels are there between playing a round of golf and running a large company? It may seem frivolous to compare them,
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because golf is a relaxing, enjoyable activity, whereas you cannot play around when you control a large company – you have to gauge everything much more, because your decisions involve your whole environment and many people depend on you. This does not mean that big business deals cannot be moved along, or created, whilst one plays golf, because the surroundings are favourable for serene talking, for generating trust, and I can assure you that we have forged many deals or alliances on a golf course…. You habitually play at Son Vida. How would you define the course and what would you highlight about it? It’s an old course, with tall trees and shady fairways which allow you to play in spite of the sun in summer, and in winter they protect you from the wind. Also, you can feel that you are playing in the mountains with views of the sea, and something that I think is essential is that you can play on foot without having to use a buggy, because the distances are not as huge as on other – also excellent – courses on Mallorca. It’s beautiful. When you look back and see all that you have achieved over these nearly six decades, what do you feel? I have to say that I feel very proud indeed, especially of my family and my long-standing employees, who have turned this company, which we created so long ago, into their “home” and “family”. However, when you do look back there are always things you would do differently. For example, I am happy to have boosted the internationalisation of the company, but I would have liked to have gone faster, because that way by now we would have an even larger foreign turnover which would help us weather the crisis in Spain better. Beyond the company, what is it that really fills up your life the most? My family. As an entrepreneur, what is the most difficult “hole” you have had to contend with over your long career? Over 57 years, as you can imagine it’s difficult to single out just one “hole”: I would say we have been through difficult times, sometimes as a result of taking on certain risks, and other times simply due to the external circumstances and the environment, but we have managed to recover from all of them and continue as a flagship of the industry.
“Golf gives back much more to you than you give to it: health, optimism, friendship...”