Pau Arbona: "At the Parador d’Eivissa you will not see any DJ or any 'sushiman' doing demonstrations"

IbizaPau Arbona (Palma, 1986) is the director of the Parador d’Eivissa, the first to be built in the Balearic Islands and the 99th in the extensive network that makes up Paradors Nacionals. Surely, no parador has had such a tortuous history, from its construction decision in 2004 to its opening this March. During construction, the past of the dead and the projects of the living have clashed on more than one occasion: beneath the current building lies the long history of the city of Eivissa, since the first Phoenicians founded Ibosim about 2,600 years ago. Now, some of the archaeological remains found are on display and can be visited freely. Before receiving the commission to launch the Eivissa parador, Arbona has worked at the paradors of Benicarló, la Seu d’Urgell, and Plasència. Besides being a hotelier, he is a musician: a violinist and a specialist in traditional Balearic instruments. He is sure he will be able to fine-tune the Parador's operation until it is welcomed by both tourists and residents.

You have been tasked with directing the hotel with the best views in Eivissa.

— One of them. I have visited some hotels in Ibiza with wonderful views. But I am aware that the Parador is perhaps the most unique hotel in Ibiza, due to the building we occupy.

What did you do, the first day you sat in your office?

— It was a day of many emotions. First, because of how much it cost to get here; it hasn't been an easy road, it's taken much longer than we wanted. For me, it was like coming home, returning to the Islands, and also for the pride of leading a project like this.

How are we doing with employment?

— Very well. The last data I can give is from June, which we finished with 96% occupancy. Some were residents. We don't want to maximize profits, we want to have the Parador full and the more people who know it, the better.

Does the image of Ibiza, heavily marked by nightclubs, concern you? That is not the profile of a Paradores client.

— No, nothing. It is true that it seems that Ibiza only offers one possibility, which is exploited from the moment you arrive at the airport: you start seeing posters of very important DJs, of a certain type of music... Well, it's a way of doing things that has worked very well. But in Ibiza there are also many agroturisms, which are not dedicated to this. I'm clear that we come to complement the offer: Ibiza is many other things, besides discotheques.

Will we not see a DJ spinning at the Parador, as they have put at the airport?

— Here you won't see a DJ spinning or a sushiman doing demonstrations. But because others already do it, not because it's better or worse; it's not what we do. Paradors are known for offering a destination, and a destination means traditions, customs, heritage, language, gastronomy... On our restaurant's menu, you will find many local products. This crespell that you eat with your coffee was made by the Augustinian nuns of Dalt Vila. We order quite a few sweets from them. In fact, they have told us they can't keep up.

How do you value the reaction against mass tourism in the Islands, with the large demonstration that has taken place in Palma and the rejection that the expansion of Ibiza airport is raising?

— It concerns me, and a lot; before it concerns me as a hotelier, it concerns me as an islander. I too, in a way, can be a little fed up with overtourism. But I don't think the solution is to reject tourism. I believe we all understand that, directly or indirectly, we live off tourism, but we could manage it in a way that is more compatible with the conservation of the territory.

Share some of the protesters' complaints?

— In a way. It is true that there are effects on the daily lives of residents that can lead to this feeling of rejection towards tourism. Paradors represents precisely a different way of doing things, not based on saturation, but above all on valuing heritage. Furthermore, here in Ibiza, we open all year round: we come to de-seasonalize, not to saturate. We want the Parador to be a point of reference and meeting place for the people of Ibiza, a place they want to show to outsiders when they have visitors.

Precisely, you have suffered from the outset one of the effects of mass tourism: you have had to allocate about twenty rooms to staff and have only been able to offer 41.

— It is a decision that had to be made because we had to open on a fixed date and housing here is very complicated, we needed to close the staff. I have no doubt that sooner or later we will recover the entire catalog of rooms. But, to open, we have had no other solution than to stop generating income to provide a solution for the staff.

The Parador's elevator is a public work that we have all paid for. Is it true that you only let customers pass through?

— No. It's fake news that has been published in some media. We have an elevator only for residents who want to go up; it goes from the parking lot to Ronda Calvi. It has been operational for months.

I will go up there later.

— And I will go up there with you. I've had to teach it to many people because of the lies that have been told.

The Parador was also created with the idea of reviving Dalt Vila a bit, which has been gentrified for decades. What do you plan to do to bring the people of Ibiza there?

— We know we will have to be patient. We know we have spent a lot of time with the famous cranes of Dalt Vila as the main image. But we are certain that we are doing things right, because most of the people who have come have repeated. The point is that things should never stop happening. The Parador must be a stage for the people of Ibiza, and anyone who wants to do something there can do it, as long as it is cultural and compatible with our philosophy. A short while ago we held a small classical music concert, to test how it went, and in 24 hours the tickets were sold out. We will hold a couple more during the summer and we are studying holding a cycle of concerts throughout the winter, with two events a month.

Are you afraid of the coming winter?

— No, I don't have many desires. I am sure that our clients, those of Paradors, will show us support during the winter, and I know that the people of Ibiza, the more they get to know us, the more they will come. The Parador will function much sooner than people think.