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A 25-Room Luxury Hotel with Spa and Restaurant to be Built in Ariany

31 October 2017

The local city council is very much in favour of high-quality initiative that is expected to reinvigorate the area socially and economically

The town of Ariany, which touts itself as the Jewel of Pla, may soon see a manor called Can Rigo (at the corner of Major and Sant Josep streets), located close to the Plaza Major, converted into a four-star luxury inland hotel, with up to 25 rooms, a spa and a restaurant. The Ariany city council is very much in favour of the plan by the developer, Estación Servicio Molinar, of Miquel Verger and Antoni Pascual, among other partners, due to the elevated quality of the planned development and the social and economic reinvigoration it is expected to bring to the region.

As the Diario de Mallorca has learned, the ambitious project is awaiting the relevant authorisations by the Balearic government’s Ministry of Tourism. In fact, the Ministry has already received the company’s documentation for the project, which foresees an investment of roughly three million euros. The developer hopes to start construction as soon as it gets the go-ahead and plans to open the hotel’s doors to the public in 2019.

It should be noted that Toni Pascual, one of the developer’s primary partners, figured prominently in the region’s government, acting as mayor of Ariany, Public Works councillor and vice president of the Consell de Mallorca.

A listed manor

Can Rigo is included in Ariany’s catalogue of artistic, historic, environmental and architectural heritage. The traditional mansion has a stately character, having been built at the end of the 19th century. The hotel’s developer guarantees that it will stay faithful to the structure’s original design, while restoring some of its principal features, such as the main floor and the bodega (cellar). A new restaurant will also be installed in the cellar. Of course, the project must respect both municipal and supra-municipal regulations.

Neighbours of the manor recalled that a business once sold wine on the premises and that children also attended a school that operated out of the building.

The mayor, Joan Ribot, responded emphatically when asked how he views the proposed project: “I see it in a very positive light, as we have to reinvigorate and promote the town.” He recalled that, many years ago, Ca Ses Monges was converted into the first inland hotel in Mallorca (website esconvent.org). Constant positive reviews by customers of the hotel brought drew even more attention to the area. A few kilometres outside of town, there is another agrotourism venture linked to Es Convent, called the s’Hort des Convent (same website).

On the other hand, as is the case in almost every municipality on the island, the supply of holiday homes has experienced an impressive boom in recent years. Ariany, which became independent from Petra in the 20th century, currently has 850 registered inhabitants.

Original Story: Diario de Mallorca – Tomeu Obrador

Translation: Richard Turner