An article in our local newspaper has fulminated against the private rooms, guest rooms, apartments, airbnbs and so on which, it claimed, were in direct competition with our glorious hotels. The Mojácar business association said that the hotels were subjected to a much higher standard of control than were the private lodgings. ‘They might even offer an unfair competition to the hotels, with lower quality service, while bringing a negative reputation to the area’.
After all, why should Sra Gómez or Mr Smith be allowed their modest slice of the tourist largesse?
Some of our hotels are ‘all-inclusive’, with drinks and food all free in the refectory or the hotel bar. Something one won’t be finding in an apartment-let.
One might indeed ask: why go out at all; after all who needs those restaurants, bars and chiringuitos, when it's free back at the ranch?
The hotels, mainly run (in our case) by large corporations based in Barcelona, provide employment for a limited time – usually South American staff – while the canteen is often run on the ‘catering’ system, where the food is prepared in Málaga and trucked in and reheated for the pleasure of the guests.
Perhaps a coach will take them one day to some resort up the road for a bit of an adventure. One doesn't want them to get bored while they board.
The business-people must of course argue their corner, and pull the ear of the tourist authorities, something that Sra Gómez and her peers unfortunately won’t be able to do.
Sad to relate, the day after the article appeared in La Voz de Almería, a number of clients at what is described as the best of our large Mojácar inns came down with food-poisoning. No less than 142 of them, says Onda Cero here.
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