“The golf customer is a person who is passionate about his or her favorite sport.”
Trained at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland, Saad Azzam is a professional of recognized prestige in the sector who for five years has been successfully managing one of the most emblematic hotels in Marbella, the Gran Meliá Don Pepe. A great golf enthusiast, he is very fond of the golfing guests of this 5-star luxury hotel.
1 -The hotel celebrated its golden anniversary this summer. What remains of the Don Pepe that opened in 1964, when tourism was just beginning to take off in Spain?
-Since then, the facilities and rooms have been renovated but the Gran Meliá Don Pepe still maintains the luxury, the atmosphere, the quality of service and the attention to detail.
2 -What differentiates the clients of this type of hotel from those of the rest of the mortals, apart from a healthy checking account?
-They tend to be much more demanding customers than usual, with very varied tastes, looking for exclusivity, high level of service and good gastronomy.
3 -Does the golf customer have any particularity that distinguishes him from the rest, apart from his bag of clubs?
-The golf client is usually a person passionate about his favorite sport and the whole stay usually revolves around his hobby. They usually get up very early to take advantage of the first hours of daylight. They usually travel with other golfing friends, which allows them to enjoy relaxed moments at the “19th hole”. With this clientele, it is important to have an excellent relationship with the best courses in the area, to manage their green fees and travel, as well as to have a gastronomic offer in accordance with their hobby.
4 -What is the general opinion of your clients about the golf courses they play here?
-Excellent! It is a real luxury to have the number of first class courses that we have in our destination… There is no other club in the world with such a high concentration of clubs as the Costa del Sol and Marbella in particular, it is a paradise for golfers.
5 -What does your hotel have that others on the Costa del Sol do not have?
-In addition to a privileged location that distinguishes us from other competitors, the Costa del Sol has great 5 star hotels with good facilities and large rooms, we differ from the rest because we try to offer our guests experiences and not just a stay. We intend to transmit it through our greeting, personalized treatment and service, the unique perfume that characterizes us and through the atmosphere we create around our select and varied gastronomic offer (T-Bone Grill, Cappuccino Gran Café, Tahini Sushi Restaurant, Darcis Chocolatier, Oysters & Caviar Champagne Bar and the Whisky Lounge ….).
6 -How did you come up with the idea of installing a putting green in the hotel’s presidential suite?
-I think it is a nod to our privileged Golf destination. A true uniqueness and exclusivity for the golf enthusiast, to have one of the most spectacular suites on the coast, equipped with a large putting green 10 stories high… To kick in the clouds!
7 -With the changing times, has the species of tourists who have spent their vacations in the same hotel for many years become extinct?
-Not at all. We are fortunate to have a large number of guests who have felt at home in our hotel for years and visit us regularly. We often meet three different generations: grandparents, parents and children. We love to see them again every summer, they tell us how they are and give us their opinion about the new decoration of the Hall or the new menu of the restaurant or the reforms that we are continually doing.
8 World-famous celebrities have stayed at this hotel, such as Sean Connery, Edward Kennedy, Alain Delon, Bob Hope, Arthur Rubinstein and Julio Iglesias, to name a few. Any anecdotes that can be related to a celebrity? The answer below goes well
-Singer-songwriter Tinie Tempah shared with his more than 3 million followers on social media the following quote, “Probably the best suite I’ve ever stayed in in my life.”
9 -What is, in general, the motivation that most influences Meliá Don Pepe customers when traveling to a tourist destination such as Marbella?
Marbella is undoubtedly an international must-visit destination recognized by many celebrities who seek to combine relaxation and luxury in all its aspects… GMDP guests know that not only can they enjoy a luxurious hotel in a fantastic location, but also a destination that guarantees a leisure experience, full of quality options!
Another of the most valued and most exclusive reasons of our destination is its microclimate and temperature, unique in Europe…
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