The Murcian Fuertes business group has announced the purchase of the Marina d’Or, after the tourist complex located in the Castellón town of Oropesa del Mar brought forward the closing of its season. The Spanish tourism icon has canceled all current bookings but hopes new management will help him recover his business.
The early closing of the season, which was brought forward from its usual date in October, has been announced while the American fund Farallon Capital Management is in the final phases of the process of selling the complex, which it bought in 2019 despite the debt it owed. Marina d’Or has progressively accumulated since it began to suffer the effects of the real estate crisis. The fund acquired the debt, which totaled 100 million euros, and invested in the relaunch of the complex.
The Government of Valencia and its Ministry of Tourism have also expressed their confidence that the change of owners will allow the restructuring of the activity in the hotels and the resort’s spa, to face the next modernized and stronger high season.
Clients will have to be compensated
A decision that has been communicated to users who already had reservations by email or telephone. The company has informed them that the import of these reserves will be refunded. However, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has warned that the firm must also compensate other associated expenses, such as transportation, and has encouraged those injured to file claims in this regard.
Four years after its purchase by Farallón, the company founded by Jesús Ger in the 80s and which grew until it had five hotels, tourist apartments, several leisure parks and a seawater spa, is waiting to El Pozo, Profusa, Cefusa or Aqua Deus as well as Terra Natura in Benidorm and Murcia.
The new group will mark the future of Marina d’Or, a tourism model that has expanded in recent decades with the exponential growth of clients, and became the “Vacation City” that offered, especially to a family audience, not only accommodation by the sea, but an infinite number of bars, restaurants and leisure options, such as its water and amusement parks, 4D cinema, Miniclub and other parks aimed at children visitors.
All without leaving a complex adapted to the visitor’s pockets, since it had 3, 4 and 5 star hotels and offered as an incentive and attraction the “largest marine spa in all of Europe” in which a wide variety was also offered. of treatments at your medical-aesthetic center.
A “golden” decade for Marina d’Or that celebrated large summer welcome parties in those years with hundreds of guests including politicians, journalists and prominent personalities of the province, in which they were entertained with meals, accommodation and tickets to their leisure parks. She even took part in the Miss Spain pageants from 2003 to 2008, with the consequent media impact that the beauty contest generated then.
In recent years, Marina d’Or had opted to diversify and deseasonalize its clientele through sports and event tourism. Large championships have been held there such as the Amaya Valdemoro campus, the European Air Traffic Controller Championship, or international taekwondo championships. It even hosted the Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie in 2022.
Its facilities have a gym and spa, karting, two natural grass soccer fields, a multi-sports court, 8 tennis courts, 6 paddle tennis courts, 2 squash courts and other infrastructure.
Its decline came along with the real estate crisis and in 2014 it filed a voluntary bankruptcy, although its tourism business continued, since the bankruptcy affected only its construction activity.
Subsequently, the progressive accumulation of debt motivated the purchase by Farallón, who after four years managing the complex has negotiated its sale to the Fuertes Group, which will decide on the future of what has been the most iconic tourist complex in the province of Castellón. .
