The Southern Zone - The Essence of Puerto Vallarta
An Interview with Laurent Houdebine
Director General of the Hotel Barceló La Jolla de Mismaloya |
By: Jesús de Avila – Editor – September, 2007.
|
Committed to the rescue of the Southern Zone as the essence of Puerto Vallarta, which I consider an excellent and necessary idea, launched by Grupo Sur, in this occasion I had the opportunity of interviewing Laurent Houdebine, Director General of the Barceló La Jolla de Mismaloya, with the purpose of going deeper into this group’s aims and achievements, mainly, getting the feel from someone who was there from the beginning.
Question: How long have you lived in Puerto Vallarta?
Answer: Two years, I arrived here when Barceló took over the hotel La Jolla de Mismaloya and I have worked with the company since 1999.
Question: What is Grupo Sur to you and what made you decide to participate as founder ?
Answer: When Norma Alicia Lynn came up with the idea and offered me the opportunity of participating in the rescue of the Zona Sur as the essence of Puerto Vallarta, I had to acknowledge the need of such an undertaking along and accepted immediately.
From my arrival in this city, I almost immediately felt the need to recover the reputation and brightness of the Zona Sur as the place where the international touristic life of Puerto Vallarta started. It had been a painful loss for lack of attention and a widespread and mistaken perception that the Zona Sur was too far from the city.
During many of our national and international business trips and meetings we realized that travel agents, wholesalers and tour operators knew the Zona Sur perfectly well as well as our exact location in Mismaloya, however, they kept telling us that despite the exuberant and beautiful natural setting… we were too far from the city!... a negative factor that limited their efficient commercialization. A peculiar element in their comments was: “it’s because you guys are way out there”.
We realized that was the perfect area of opportunity to change the erroneous perception of the distance of the Zona Sur from Puerto Vallarta and we set to work on it immediately. All we embarked on fit in perfectly with Norma Alicia Lynn’s ideas and Project, so we decided to be founders and participants of Grupo Sur, with whom we now work and in a team to turn this weakness into an advantage.
 This is of course a tough job, but we really did not have a hard time to come up with the right arguments to offset the false perception of distance –especially here in Mismaloya― and turn it into our main and strengthened attraction.
The irrefutable truth is that Puerto Vallarta was born in the Zona Sur as an international tourist destination, more specifically here in Mismaloya. It all began here, the love of one person for the nature of this area, which, thank God, due to the terrain’s conditions has not been overdeveloped as the rest of the surroundings and the city, maintaining its natural and wild profile that attracts world class travelers.
Most of the real estate development has taken place to the north, which is natural, given the characteristics of the bay, though, none of what is happening there would have been possible without the birth of Puerto Vallarta in the Zona Sur, rightly also called Zona Romántica.
To tourists arriving by road, taking into account the driving hours and the towns one has to cross to get to this side of town makes the perception of remoteness more evident. However, the distance between downtown and Mimaloya takes only 12 minutes in a panoramic road offering the most spectacular natural scenery in the Bay of Banderas, while there is longer distance from downtown to Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías and Punta Mita with the added traffic.
The most beautiful beaches of Puerto Vallarta are found in the Zona Sur, plus 70% of the activities and natural attractions are found and experienced here. Once our guests discover this –mainly those arriving by road– they feel really pleased and proud of having chosen this place to enjoy their holidays as this is the most natural, beautiful, spectacular and vibrant part of Puerto Vallarta. Presently, the word-of-mouth testimony of our guests is the best promotion of the Zona Sur as the ideal place to spend your holidays in our bay, which is something we are very proud of.
As I said from the beginning, the need to work on the recovery of the Zona Sur’s identity was something we spotted immediately and started to act on it, so when Norma Alicia Lynn arrived with her proposal, without hesitation and committed with the success of the project, we said… go ahead!
Question: So far what is the result of this joint effort?
Answer: Through our commercial visits I have confirmed that during eight months of team work we have achieved the change in the focus of the minds of tour operators, travel agents, incentive houses has changed, they all have it clear that the Zona Sur of Puerto Vallarta… is the place!
 In a much shorter span of time tan we expected we have converted “our location” – a negative – in our reinforced strength. With properties as the All-Inclusive Dreams Resort & Spa, that I personally like very much and has an extraordinary beach; as well as the Presidente Intercontinental, a beautiful property with a distinct and peculiar touch of exclusivity, I firmly believe this area will become the most exclusive touristic zone of our destination. Little by little, through better service and with our recovered image, this will surely come true.
Also step by step, more hotels and other touristic services purveyors are adhering to the Grupo Sur project, this will definitively make a relevant contribution to our increased strength and capacity.
Question: And what does Barceló La Joya de Mismaloya offer in particular to the visitor of the Zona Sur?
 Answer: Our focus is high-level hospitality with products to cater to high income travelers and others to medium income traveler, but one that appreciates and wishes to be catered with high standards. At Barceló we feature traditional all-inclusive hospitality, but in a more classical manner, with the highest quality of food and beverages, adding to a program of spacious and comfortable guestrooms, exclusive privacy that renders that long sought tranquility.
Our main feature and distinction are our night-shows, our team of professional dancers make us stand out among others. In most of our hotels we feature live orchestras. Another one of our most renowned aspects is our animation program where nothing is left to chance.
To Barceló the best monitoring method is through each one of our clients, thanks to their comments and testimonials last month we became the best of Barceló hotels in Latin America. I must add that we owe this to all our collaborators forming a wonderful team of which I am very proud. I had never been so happy and satisfied with my team of collaborators as I am now at Barceló la Jolla de Mismaloya. The warmth of our people is the most valuable and irreplaceable good offered by Barceló to our guests.
One important fact I should mention is that most of our collaborators are native from nearby towns such as Mismaloya,. Boca de Tomatlán, Las Juntas y Los Veranos and El Tuito, which are also part of the Zona Sur.
Adding to this we have a beautiful and calm beach, we are investing in renovating 180 rooms and adding a world class Spa to our services. Our goal is to be recognized as the best hotel in Puerto Vallarta.
Question: Something else you would like to add?
Answer: Zona Sur of Puerto Vallarta is one of the most romantic places on earth; in fact a love story that took place here 40 years ago placed our destination in the world’s touristic map. The beginning of the international touristic activity in Puerto Vallarta happened in the Zona Sur that presently maintains its original shape and abundance. This is the most exuberant and exciting place in Puerto Vallarta! I am in love with the Zona Sur and I invite every future visitor to dare to be touched by our ocean’s breezes, that while observing all that is spectacular about this unforgettable cove, also fall in love and promote the Zona Sur.
Thanks Laurent Houdebine for your time and warm hospitality.
Jesús de Avila.
E-mial: editor@pvmirror.com
Archives by date |
Current
Weather Report
