Meet the Hotel Manager: Miguel Barceló of NAKAR Hotel

NAKAR Hotel is a recent addition to the luxury boutique hotel sector in Palma de Mallorca and is situated on one of it’s best-known streets, Avinguda Jaume III in the heart of the city.

General Manager, Miguel Barceló studied Hotel Management in Barcelona, and trained in a number of hotels and countries before returning to Mallorca some three years ago. 

Miguel says: “My main role as the team leader is to set the goals and help everyone to reach them”.

Mallorca Reflections caught up with Miguel in Palma de Mallorca to ask some key questions and find out more, including:

 – What inspired the style of the hotel?

– Why should someone choose your hotel?

– How do you see the Hotel sector in Mallorca in 10 years?

Miguel Barceló: The Interview

How long have you worked in the hospitality industry, and where did your journey begin?

After finishing my university degree in hotel management fifteen years ago, I started working in hotels as a waiter, then receptionist until I became a manager for the first time in 2009. Over the years I have been worked in many locations, from the Canary Islands to Barcelona and for one year in a luxury Hotel in Morocco before deciding to return to my beloved island of Mallorca.

Tell us about the style of your hotel, what inspired it?

NAKAR Hotel is a lifestyle and design Hotel. We tried to differentiate ourselves from the standard hotels and the new category of classic boutique hotels. We wanted to offer extra value for our guests stay through our unique concept and design.  The interior design was created by local designer Marga Rotger and features oak-wood floors, natural stone, and black lacquered iron to add a dash of elegance. However it is not only about the interior design, it is also about our whole concept, the people, the atmosphere, the music and the style.

There are many luxury and boutique hotel choices in Palma de Mallorca now. Why should someone choose your hotel?

All the new boutique Hotels in Palma are great, offering good quality, a good location and with very professional staff, but not all can offer the variety of highlights that we have. It is not just our perfect location, NAKAR Hotel is the most complete hotel in the old town and we believe this makes our hotel different from our competitors. Our CUIT Restaurant is located on the eighth floor with splendid views of the Cathedral and Palma Bay. In the restaurant our guests can enjoy breakfast with sea views and in the evening our à la carte menu created by chef Miquel Calent is served. On the ninth floor we have the icing on the cake, our rooftop has an incredible infinity pool with panoramic views. During the main hours of sunshine this rooftop becomes the solarium of the hotel whilst in the evening it is transformed into a stunning bar with magnificent sunset views, ideal for tasting cocktails, meeting friends and enjoying the music played by the DJ’s. Lastly our SPA , the biggest and most complete in the old town featuring an indoor pool, sauna, steam bath, relaxation area and two massage cabins.

In your opinion, is establishing a high quality restaurant or hiring a celebrity chef to run the hotel restaurant(s) a good way to generate hotel business?

In our original project, we always had in mind to be in contact with the city and the local population. Our restaurant and bar is a great platform to do this. We collaborate with the famous Mallorcan chef Miquel Calent and the result is proving to be very successful. It is a win – win situation where the NAKAR Hotel is combining with Miquel’s reputation of cuisine with style. We are very happy having local clients and tourists visiting our CUIT restaurant, attracted by Miquel’s recipies, our great location in the old town and our great views from the restaurant.

Do you have a favourite meal in your CUIT restaurant?

Miquel Calent’s menus are changing constantly according to the seasonality of the produce available, so I’m always surprised with the new dishes and adaptions of traditional Mallorcan food. It’s really difficult to choose just one dish, so I have chosen two! The ‘Crispy octopus with black rice and banana mayonnaise’ and the ‘Potatoes with egg yolk and black truffles’.

What is the main skill a good General Manager must have?

I manage people, so my skills need to be those that help me to get the best out of every member of my team. The selection of candidates is essential. The members of NAKAR’s team all come from luxury hotels or lifestyle hotels. Our profiles are focused on excellence and the guest’s satisfaction. My main role as the team leader is to set the goals and help everyone to reach them. To do that I need to be very close to my staff, being aware of their daily duties, listening and providing them with the right tools to reach their respective targets.

How does your hotel embrace the digital world?

Traditional marketing in the hotel sector is not useful anymore. It is now a digital world and you need to be constantly updating. Eighty percent of our sales are online and we need to be aware of our online presence and what is said about us on the world wide web. The online distribution world changes its rules very quickly every year and it’s necessary to be in the ‘loop’ and in control of everything. The NAKAR Hotel concept fits very well into the digital world, our image and style is in tune with all the social media platforms and we are fortunate that our guests help us with distribution by posting photographs and videos. Every week we put a lot of effort into creating new content for our blog and the ‘Palma Guide’, which we created, as well as uploading new music playlists.

Who are the new influencers in terms of digital communications and marketing?

In someways every guest is a potential influencer. Today they can take photographs or videos and publish them immediately. They also have the opportunity to write reviews on different platforms that will be read by prospective future guests. But it is not only guests, it can be bloggers or writers who are in many ways the new social influencers. These forms of digital communication can really alter how a hotel is perceived. It is very important for hoteliers to pay attention to their online reputation, because now it is one of the main factors that makes a prospective client decide to book with you or with your competitor.

How do you see the Hotel sector in Mallorca in 10 years?

The next few years should be very good for Mallorca. Most hoteliers have realised that their hotels need to be updated to be competitive and all over the island hotels are being refurbished to improve their quality. I am sure that this will have a very positive effect on the future profile of new tourists to the island. When we talk about Palma and focus on the old town, you can see that many of the hotels are new and beautiful configured. The new boutique hotels are increasing Palma’s perception as a luxury destination, providing new guests and contributing to the city’s economy all year round. If everyone involved in the Mallorcan tourist industry moves in the right direction, embracing quality and service instead of mass tourism, I believe that Mallorca will be one of the very top destinations in Europe.

Can you describe Palma de Mallorca in three words?

Sun, sea and quality.

Thank you Miguel for your time today.

For more information about the hotel head over to the NAKAR Hotel website.