Owner Recovers Notorious Canary Islands Hotel, Plans Sale After Occupation
Gran Hotel Callao Sport owner Margarita Domínguez has recovered her severely damaged property after a high-profile illegal occupation, but will not reopen the business and plans to sell it "as is" while pursuing compensation for extensive damages.
Margarita Domínguez, the owner of the Gran Hotel Callao Sport in Callao Salvaje, recently spoke to DIARIO DE AVISOS. It's been a month since she got her hotel back after one of the most talked-about illegal occupations in the Canary Islands. She shared her experience, what she discovered at the property, and why she won't be reopening the business. "Am I happy? Yes, but what's the point of being happy when you're just getting back something that was always yours? This whole situation should never have happened," she stated.
The 92-room hotel, which used to cater to sports tourists, closed its doors in October 2020. It couldn't afford to stay open due to the economic impact of the pandemic.
After trying and failing to reopen or sell the property, the hotel was illegally taken over in mid-February 2023. At one point, about 300 people were living there at the same time.
While living there, the occupants changed the hotel's layout, built makeshift kitchens in the rooms, and, the owning company claimed, even resold rooms to others.
On December 10, the Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife carried out the eviction order. The occupants had been given a month to leave voluntarily. Most did, but around twenty people stayed until the very last day.
Today, the hotel building is empty and can't be used. The owning company, Construcciones Domasa S.A., still plans to sell it without doing any repairs. Domínguez explained, "We are talking to potential buyers who are interested in buying the building as it is. We don't have money for renovations or improvements." She added that while there's interest, a sale hasn't been finalized yet.
Domínguez also mentioned that her lawyers are looking into legal ways to claim compensation for the damage caused during the occupation. "We're exploring all our options. We will hold those responsible accountable," she stated.
She feels that the way the case ended leaves a sense of injustice. "They've destroyed a property, and the rest of us have to deal with the fallout," she complained.
Domínguez remembered how shocking it was to enter the hotel after months. "I was horrified by the amount of rubbish. It was terrible. They had even used the floor as a toilet. It was truly disgusting," she recounted.
She also described some "outrageous" things that happened during the eviction. "On the day people were being removed, one of them actually called my husband to try and rent a room. They were mocking us," she said.
After sharing videos showing the hotel's condition, they faced pressure. "We were warned that the squatters were angry," she recalled.
While acknowledging the reality of the housing crisis, she questioned if this specific situation was purely about that. "The need for housing is clear, it's on the streets. But many of the people who moved into the hotel had jobs, cars, appliances, and even put up enclosures on the terraces," she pointed out.
Domínguez warned that despite all the media attention, these kinds of incidents often fade from public memory quickly. "There was a lot of media buzz, everyone followed it, but then it's forgotten. And this could happen to anyone," she cautioned.