The Pioneers in Cycletourism

In Hotel Mónicain Cambrils, rightnexttothepromenade, in thecenterofthetown, the real know-how ofbicycletourism can be found. 50 yearsofthehistoryoftheMassaguéfamilyformpartofthefamilybusinessthatoneday, a long time ago, hadthegreat idea of hosting cyclistswhowantedtoget off thebeatentrack.

Cambrils, thecyclinghubofCosta Daurada, whereeverything can be found in thevicinity, relieson Hotel Mónica toattractthebicyclecommunitiesthatwantto explore theworldbybicycle.  Letusnotforgetthatwe are talkingaboutoneofthemostexperiencedhotelsofthestatewhosehistorygoes back tothesefirstcyclistswhowereattractedbythebeautyofthearea.

Mónica Massagué,the head ofthedepartment, has beenpartofthe hotel fromanearlyage: ¨I startedwhen I was 17 yearsold, learningontheflyaboutthejob. ‘ Ihavebeentravelingabroad and havebeenlearninglanguagesfromtheverybeginning, skillswhichturnedoutto be veryuseful.’

Inthebeginning, thebookingswerecoming in byletter, whichhadgotnothingto do withhowthingsworknow, buteventhenshewasabletopredictthetrendsthatwerecoming and wereheretostayforsportstourists, especiallyforcyclists. ‘Wewouldsend a Christmas cardby post everyyeartogetherwiththeratesforthecomingyear. Slowlywebeganto host a significantnumberoftwo-weekstaysfor French people.’

Step by step, the hotel gainedpopularityamongsomecyclingcommunities. ‘In thenineties, wewantedtoknowwhatitwasthatcyclistswere after. RaimundDietzen, an ex cyclist, providedusefulinsights and thankstohim, wecouldmeetourclients´ expectations. Welearnedhowtohangbicycles, keepthemsafe, wealsolearnedabouttheimportanceofhaving a certaintypeoffood in ouroffer.’

 What are cycletourists’ expectationsforhotels?

Thingsthat are withinreachtodaywerefirsttriedout in Hotel Mónica in Cambrils 30 years ago. Then, commercialdevelopmentscame onto thestage: ´Witheverything up and running, wesent a considerable numberof emails todifferentcyclingcommunities in France, a country witha well-developedcyclinginfrastructure and acyclisttouristsfederationofitsown´, says Mónica.

In Mallorca, theylearnedtocustomizebothproduct and servicetosuittheneedsofcyclists. ‘Wegatheredenoughinformationaboutthistypeofclient – precises Mónica – Weadaptthemealsschedule, wehavegot a specifictypeofwaterforthem, fruitthattheymightwanttotakefortheride….Todaywetakepride in havingclientswho are cyclists and havebeen regular clientsforover 20 years.’

Thecyclingclientsof Hotel Mónica are loyal and regular clients, attachedtotheregion, whousuallybook a halfboardholiday and wanttohavedinnersurroundedbythepeopletheyknowtotalkaboutthedaytheyspenttogether and plan thenextone.Ultimately, a typeofclientwho´s‘notcomplicated, whowantsto be relaxedwhennotriding a bike and enjoywhatthe hotel has tooffer.’

And thatishowthe hotel fills up in April, May, September and October, outsidethehottestmonths, with fine, shavedcyclists, nicelydressed inuniforms, mainlycomingfrom France butalsofromBelgium and evenfromCanada. ‘We are anaccessibledestinationforthem and we´vegoteverythingtheyneed’, adds Mónica, whogotusedtobeingaroundcyclists, someofwhom are professionalswhocameto Cambrils to complete theircyclingstagesortofindaccomodationwhileparticipating in Volta a Catalunya or Vuelta a España.