Sean Corte-Real takes stock of his first year managing La Cala Resort. Since his arrival, the general director of the complex has carried out an ambitious programme that has included improvements in terms of the breadth of the resort’s services and features.

Corte-Real seems satisfied after about a year in charge of La Cala Resort. In his opinion, quality and service have improved, which are two factors that he considers to ‘make the difference’. Of the most important achievements, the America golf course was renovated, and there is a plan in place for perfecting the Asia course. ‘Our golf courses are going to be some of the few with greens made of Bermuda grass’, he highlights. This improvement has been warmly welcomed by clients and members. Similarly, the spa and culinary offerings have given it new momentum.

With respect to the cuisine, the newly hired Chef Daniel G. Peinado is worth noting. ‘With Daniel, our culinary offering has improved substantially’, states the manager. Corte-Real believes that ‘the customer experience needs to be unbeatable, and we must retain the greatest number of guests in all areas’. La Cala Resort is also working to improve its marketing strategy. To do this, effective work is being put into brand image and in creating a bigger presence on social media.

‘In golf, we have opted to take an approach based on quality and to increase the number of tournaments’, notes Corte-Real. La Cala Resort will be hosting more tournaments this summer such as the first La Cala Summer Series and Women’s Day. In addition, the resort has welcomed a new fleet of electric buggies with GPS and has improved the golf shop, giving it a fresh and modern look.

In terms of the spa, Corte-Real points to the talent of its director Pablo Sotoca who ‘incorporates new treatments and services every day’. He makes special mention of Daniel G. Peinado, the EVOO chef and person responsible for turning around the resort’s cuisine.

When the general director talks about La Cala Resort, he is certain of its potential. ‘It’s special in and of itself, it’s different, it’s surprising. I love seeing people who come for the first time—the “wow” effect it has on them. It’s the effect that the resort has on everyone who visits.’ In his opinion, the resort offers a plethora of positive qualities that includes a spectacular environment, views, three golf courses and its wide range of services and facilities. However, ‘what is really different about it is the attention to detail, especially when it comes to the service’. With this, he winks to the team that he considers ‘extraordinary’. ‘This, to me as the general director, makes me tremendously proud’. He also recognises the ‘great support’ of the FBD Hotels & Resorts group responsible for investing in the improvement of the facilities and employee training every year.

With regard to the uncertainty that Brexit continues to cast, the resort has been able to maintain the same occupancy levels as last year ‘thanks to golfers from other countries’.

The manager has found ‘one of the best and greatest golf destinations in the world’ on La Costa del Sol with a great complementary offering, culinary options and the ideal climate for playing this sport. He has also been surprised by the professionalism of the hotel and tourism sector in general. For Sean Corte-Real, it is a great advantage to have such a complete destination. ‘Our goal is for the client to have a magnificent experience’ says the manager ‘and La Costa Del Sol is an excellent destination for achieving this result’.