Summer has come early and the hotel sector is stepping on the accelerator to try to differentiate itself in the tidal wave of vacation offers. Marbella is one of the favorite destinations for those who, in addition to sun and sand, also seek a sophisticated air and some vestige of the place that Alfonso de Hohenlohe “created”. The quintessential city of the Costa del Sol has not lost its hook and, despite being overexploited for tourism, new projects continue to appear. This is the case of Anfitrión, a group of tourist villas that launch a new concept of Andalusian hospitality and that have the stamp of Lesya Belanenko (37), a seasoned Ukrainian executive who landed on the Costa del Sol in 2014.
The task that has been set for next July -the date of the opening of Host- is to “redefine the meaning of luxury and pursue the Andalusian way of life”. “I came to Spain in 2009 and I stayed for love. In my case, not for that of a person but for what I feel for this country. I came to do a master’s degree but your way of life caught me,” Lesya told LOC. Of the Andalusians, their way of welcoming those who arrive and their affectionate gestures stand out. “They know how to live, enjoy and stop,” she says.
Lesya is not only the director of this project but also the one who has devised it. In her plan, she contemplates four villas with 19 rooms for the opening and in 2015 bet on ten villas and 52 rooms. “I know it is ambitious but I am fully confident that being in the heart of Puerto Banús and taking into account the quality of the villas, we can do it.”
The proposal of the Ukrainian board is to spend a minimum of ten nights in the Host’s rooms for a price of 400 euros per day in high season. “This is designed for a more curious traveler, who is less interested in luxury per se and more in the luxury of living. Something authentic, off-the-cuff, and natural.”
To achieve this goal, Lesya is going to make the figures such as bellboys, receptionists, etc. “disappear” so that the host figure will emerge, who will be a person who accompanies the guest and makes them feel at home. “We had thought that instead of being a specialist in the hotel sector he could be, for example, an actor.” -Antonio Banderas?- “We would like to!”
Lesya lived in Madrid before settling in Marbella and still visits the capital of Spain frequently to this day. In addition to Commerce and Marketing, he also studied Fine Arts, the career for which he feels the most weakness. So much so that in Host the art will be very present. Lesya intends to create a showcase where Spanish artists come together with collectors and patrons. “In the common areas of Host we are going to invite guests to interact with each other with meetings, talks about art… One can come on vacation alone and find a network of people with whom to share tastes and ideas about art without being an expert”. In fact, in low season, the rooms will be used as art studios so that artists can compose their works.
The director of this project “fell in love” with the Prado Museum, which she goes to whenever she can. “I don’t know how many times I went. More than a hundred. Spain has one of its greatest cultural references in the Prado. In addition, your way of life does not only fit work. Afterwards you can go see an exhibition or have a drink with some friends “.
His project is backed by the family business Villa Marina Properties, which in turn also owns Villa Marina, a group of tourist accommodation in Marbella. The public that receives this destination is very varied and is almost always international. “We notice that more tourists from China and the US appear as novelties. For example, they have opened a direct flight New York-Málaga. Some from India also come and especially from the Middle East, which has returned with great force. Little by little it is falling the English quota following the step of the Europeans, Nordics, etc”.
Lesya is perfectly integrated into the culture that she praises, the Spanish, and her future is here for the moment. Despite this, she is no stranger to the war that ravages her country of origin. Born to a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, the executive analyzes how emotionally difficult it is to think about the drama she is experiencing in her birthplace. “My brother is still there, for example. When I talk to him we try not to talk all the time about how many times the anti-aircraft alarm has gone off and he already asks me if I finally got a boyfriend. We try to talk about other things but it’s very painful.”
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