Pere Sales is the CEO and founder of the Menorcahost.com portal,a reservation centre that makes it possible to reserve any type of establishment on the island of Menorca, the first of its kind.
The great competitive advantage ofMenorcahost.comis that part ofa deep knowledge of the Island,of its peculiarities and of all its establishments, of all its offerings.
There is aDirect contact between Pere Sales and the owners of chalets and apartmentswhich in turn allows us to offera very personalized serviceto customers, very close feedback.
In this interview we talk about the characteristics of this portal but also about the challenges and dangers that loom over tourism in Menorca.
It was an idea that I had always had in mind. And this idea was that ofset up a reservation centre where we can offer the maximum number of tourist accommodations on the island of Menorcawhich, by the way, is where I'm from and where I live and work.
With DoubleI saw that I could offer third-party products plus my own product. I have contacts here in Menorca andI know the productand I have been able to bring it all together on one website and right now I can say thatWe are the first reservation centre in Menorca.
On our website you can find any type of accommodation and we are expanding our offering to include those small owners who have four or five chalets or apartments that they sell through Booking and other platforms with a more impersonal approach, to put it one way.
UsWe offer you another sales channelWe know the product and we know the owners. We know the conditions of these tourist establishments.It is another sales channel but with a 100% Menorcan product.
Competition is always a concern because there are real “monsters” in this sector.
But I mean that, from the institutions, they tried to create a portal like this but it didn't work out and right nowis the first website in Menorca where different types of accommodation appear.
Of course there are large companies that offer chalets, but we also offer hotels, apartments and, of course, chalets. We offer different types of accommodation on a single website.
Yes, of course. Exactly. We benefit from Doblemente's platform for hotels belonging to chains, with the possibility of connecting with bed banks and being able to offer this product to the end customer.
But one of our competitive advantages is that in the endYou know quite a few small businesses and small owners firsthand,which even allow us to offer a product on request.
Being from Menorca, we know the area where the establishments are located,We can better advise the clientand what we offer is closer feedback, which is, in the end, what we are looking for.
From the beginning, the truth is, thatEverything has gone very well with Doblemente.
The first contact was very good and they already offered me the solution.
They analyzed my case because I am focused on a very small market niche and it has its peculiarities. And the truth is thatDoubly he adapted very easily and everything was very fast.
I like that there is trust on both sides, that there is a quick response, that the work is done well. Everything was accomplished. And we continue working.
Basically one and the main one, which we have been talking about for years:The famous deseasonalization.
The big hotels are very dependent on tour operators. British and German tour operators worked from May to October, basically.
But it is true that hotels have been opening in April for some years now.
According to news we have collected at the World Travel Market,Now they are going to bet on opening much earlier.
I think this is one of the most important challenges.Extend the tourist seasonBecause in the end, Menorca, like our neighbour Mallorca, can work eight or nine months perfectly.
Also, the weather is changing now and November is almost better than April.
The temperature is good for hiking, for a horse ride…
We have much more supply than a few years ago andlots of active tourismwhich will help us, little by little, to achieve this objective, which I believe is one of the main ones.
Work is being done, but we must take into account that we depend primarily on air connections and this is sometimes complicated.
It's too early to say. But from a personal perspective it is true that in the last four or five yearsthe season is getting much longer.
The weather in November is almost better than in other months, as I said before.
Northern European tourists bathe in the sea, which is perfect; nature presents an even more beautiful landscape and you feel more at ease.
I fully understand that tourists ultimately want peace and quiet, to get away from the occasional crowds in July and August.
And, in addition, at a more affordable price.
We have to adapt to this climate change, no matter what.
I am quite a believer in the idea that, in the end, in Menorca, 90 percent of our income, even if they say otherwise, is from tourism.
Massification, as such… I don't think so.It is true that there is a boom in clients in July and August. But this has always been the case.
The way customers travel has also changed, especially in what we can call the post-Covid era.
You can watch the full interview in the following video:
