The Casa de la Cultura in Lloret de Mar hosts a new exhibition that journeys back to the origins of the municipality's hotel industry. A dozen hotel-owning families have loaned historical material, including the first computer from the 1980s and candelabras used when electricity supply failed. Postcards, tableware, and old photographs complete the display, aiming to explain not only the hotel past but also the evolution of tourism, society, and the town's population.
Lloret de Mar, one of Catalonia's most significant tourist destinations, began its promotion in the 1950s with the arrival of the first international visitors. This focus on tourism radically transformed the municipality's economic model. The 'Hotels amb memòria' exhibition recalls these beginnings to highlight the town's transformation.
The exhibition includes accounts such as that of Josep Maria Garriga i Feliu, son of the founder of the La Palmera hotel. He explains how his family, originally from a clothing store, invested 9,000 euros (one and a half million pesetas) in a plot of land in Lloret de Mar to establish a hotel that is still run by the third generation today.
Another story comes from Maria Rosa Taulina, owner of the Acapulco hotel, which opened in 1970. She recalls anecdotes like the lack of toilets in some rooms on opening day, a situation they resolved by relocating guests. Taulina, who was 22 at the time, describes the experience as constant learning that allowed the hotel to grow from one to four stars.
Anna Maria Gallart, former owner of the Anabel hotel, recounts how her parents ran the Rosanna inn. A tour operator proposed building a larger hotel, but the company's bankruptcy left them with 236 empty rooms in mid-July. They had to seek new markets, such as the French, to reduce their reliance on tour operators.
Àlex Portavell, from the Rosamar hotel, explains how his grandfather bought the Excelsior hotel in 1945 and the Armengol villa, which became the first Rosamar. Lacking its own kitchen, Portavell transported prepared food by bicycle and cart. He also remembers concerts by international artists in the gardens, which helped position the hotel.
One of the most notable items is the first computer, an Epson, that arrived in Lloret de Mar in 1985 at the Xainé Park hotel. Josep Martí Utset, the owner, explains it streamlined guest check-ins, check-outs, and accounting. This same establishment had candelabras with candles in the 1960s to compensate for frequent power outages, a situation European guests took humorously and which is now revived for romantic ambiance.
