What is your position exactly and how long have you been working at Westin La Quinta Golf?
I am the Director of Sales since January 2016, however I have been working at the resort since the opening, in different positions and under different management companies.
The Westin Hotels & Resorts chain has managed the hotel since 2016 and it was then that the facilities were renewed completely. Tour us around the hotel and tell us what the Westin La Quinta hotel is like.
The hotel closed to carry out renovation works in November 2015, at the same time that we changed management company. We reopened in March 2016 as part of the Westin Hotels & Resorts brand.
The refurbishment works have been centered on this hotel brand; we aim to have a relaxing atmosphere where our clients find a feeling of wellbeing that stays after they visit the resort. We base our services on 6 important pillars: eat, sleep, move, feel, work and play well. Every aspect of our guest stay is designed to ensure that they leave feeling better than when they arrived. Everything we do is to empower a better you.
We start with our rooms; they have been newly renovated in a modern and contemporary style that invites relaxation. Their size, private balcony and a Heavenly Bed® is a guarantee of extraordinary quality rest.
We continue our tour with our restaurants and bars. They offer a healthy food and drink menu based on Mediterranean cuisine and seasonal products. Our restaurants are available for hotel guest, area residents and any other non-resident guest.
At our restaurant Sunsa you can enjoy a healthy buffet breakfast that includes the Westin Fresh by The Juicery program. This is a variety of nutritious and healthy juices created by Westin in collaboration with The Juicery. At sunset, the Sunsa restaurant becomes a very special place to have an à la carte menu enjoying breathtaking views over our gardens and the hotel pool.
During the day, the Club House Restaurant offers a lunch menu that includes delicious tapas, fresh fish or rice dishes cooked onsite by our Chef.
The pool bar, El Mirador is the perfect place to have a snack or lunch on a sunbed enjoying the perfect weather on the Costa del Sol.
The Hole 19 Bar, located on the golf course, offers the ideal place to regain your strength half way the itinerary or to finish the golf round.
At the end of the day, nothing better than stopping at the Aljama Bar and have from our Crafted at Westin Menu, an artisanal cocktail with natural ingredients and fresh local flavors.
We have already talked about sleeping and eating. Let’s talk about moving now. Our gym or Westin WORKOUT® Fitness Studio offers 24-hour free access for all our guests. This is an environment with plenty of natural light, TRX technology and yoga lessons available.
Various Westin programs such as the “Gear Lending” program that offers guests New Balance shoes and clothing to borrow during their stay by paying a symbolic rental fee. The Runwestin program informs guests about different paths and routes near the hotel where they can also keep up with their workout routine. We complete our sport offer with a 27-hole golf course and two paddle tennis courts.
Our tour around our gardens follows the path that takes us to our Heavenly Spa by WestinTM where a 1,500 m2 wellness area awaits our guest. They can enjoy a thermal circuit area that includes a hydro massage pool with a swan-shaped fountain and underwater jets, a Mediterranean sauna, an aromatic steam bath, a Hammam, two sensation-shower cabinets, a refreshing lagoon, a waterfall shower and a lounge area.
However, our body treatments are our specialty. We have 8 treatment cabins, the best therapists, and the best cosmetic products Alqvimia, 100 % natural and made of organics ingredients. Undoubtedly, our resort is the ideal place to hold working meetings as it has 800 m2 meeting rooms that have been renewed recently. They have plenty of natural light, can seat up to 250 people and have open spaces that can be used for product presentations.
With Westin Meetings program, everything is designed to inspire well-being and enhance productivity. It offers a variety of services that range from a revitalizing lunch service set in inspiring and adaptable environments to responsible practice schemes such as the donation of excess food to charitable organizations.
And we cannot forget about the last pillar, play well. For Westin, families are the most important pillar at our hotel. They are part of our hotel slogan “Golf and Families play well at The Westin La Quinta”. The resort has one of the best Kids’ Clubs for children aged 4-12. The Westin Family program involves children in our hotel life aiming to let them explore and discover the hotel environment. The accommodation offer includes family rooms and 50% discount on additional rooms.
Golf for everyone
La Quinta Golf, one of the best golf courses on the Costa del Sol, is a 27-hole course available right next to the hotel. What is the number of golf customers in relation to the total number of hotel visitors?
Indeed, we have one of the best golf courses in the area, and we have also carried out important renovation works. In the last two years we have improved different areas of the game; however, the most important regarding both the investment and the itinerary improvement has been the complete renovation of the course bunkers.
When Westin took over the golf course management in 2016 only 10% of the course users where guests that were staying at our Resort. Thus, we have implemented various price strategies and policies and we have managed to increase these numbers up to 25% in 2018 and our aim is to continue growing. The customers staying at our resort enjoy the best offers to play at the golf course after our golf course members, of course.
Regarding the summer season we have implemented different actions. On one hand we have prices that go with the ongoing market; we have a summer offer 69 € buggy included for non-resident guest. On the other hand, we have launched a policy for family golf and we offer a Courtesy Green fee for mother/father who comes to play with an under-12 child during July and August.
Besides, we have a summer camp for young children that includes golf lessons and a multi-activity program carried out at our Kids’ Club. This activity is available for guests staying at our resort and for local residents.
What is the profile of the guests who visits the Westin La Quinta Hotel?
The Westin La Quinta is a very versatile hotel. Depending on the season our guests range from 100% golf customers to clients who spend their summer holiday at the hotel with their families, couples or guests who come to hold their annual convention, product presentation or incentive trips. Our leisure and business facilities offer our guests all they need within our resort premises.
Why choosing Westin La Quinta?
This is not only because of the obvious renovations, but also because of the energy that it conveys, the light, the lush vegetation and overall, because of the human team behind that makes everything works in harmony and makes sure that our key principle is fulfilled: guest feels better when they leave than when they arrived.
What are the changes to take place and the future plans of The Westin La Quinta?
We have recently renewed our Presidential Suite and can already be booked in our website. This suite has a 160 m2 room and a separate living room, a sauna, an interior and exterior Jacuzzi, a large terrace with panoramic views and the possibility of connecting with an Executive Suite.
We are always considering new projects to improve our facilities and thus, offer our best. Along these lines, we are working on a project to transform our Proshop as well as other public and meeting areas.
Our most immediate objective is placing our resort on the local market where we are slowly paving way and making a name for ourselves regarding social events, mainly weddings and first communion celebrations.