"This 2022 season is being incredible, unique and unrepeatable."

-O Beach Ibiza is celebrating its first decade of activity. Do you consider yourselves as one of the pioneers in the daytime party sector?

T.T.-I wouldn't say we are the pioneers in this sector. Before us there was the original Ushuaïa or Nassau. They worked very well. In a way, we were the first to offer a beach club party seven days a week.

D.L.- I wouldn't call it a beach club either. In fact, we are not on a beach. What we offer is a party with pool and restaurant, something closer to the pool-party concept.

T.T.-We can't say we were pioneers in this sense either. In Ibiza there were already discotheques that had swimming pools and, in a way, they were already holding pool parties. I would say that the real pioneer, in that sense, was the discotheque Ku many years before. I have great memories of this club in 1993. It was an incredible place and I always dreamed of doing something similar.

-And the dream came true. However, your parties do not resemble those of the venues you have listed above. On what basis did you develop your concept?

D.L.-It is a party concept that was already well known in other places like Miami, Las Vegas or other cities in Europe. In Ibiza there were already places like the ones I mentioned before, but we thought that a quieter party concept was needed, focused on music and with artistic elements integrated in the events, all concentrated in the same place.

-During this decade there have been different moments, which have been the most gratifying?   

D.L.-The opening and closing parties are the most rewarding. These parties mean, on the one hand, the illusion of starting a new season with all the excitement that implies. On the other hand, the closings represent the culmination and celebration of the work done throughout the summer. They also represent the beginning of the season of rest, of being with oneself and reflecting on the past season and the one to come.

T.T.-The most gratifying thing for me has probably been to see how, year after year, we have been surviving in this very difficult market and with very tough competition, with big companies behind us. But I must say that one of the most gratifying moments, if not the most, has been the start of this season, after two very hard and stressful years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a real pleasure to open this season without restrictions, seeing people dancing, enjoying and having fun. Without a doubt, the opening of the 2022 season has been the most rewarding.

-Which have been the most difficult ones?

D.L.-I have to admit that I had a really hard time just before opening. It was all very difficult and stressful. Preparing a new concept, something that had not been seen before, was hard. The days before the opening were some of the most stressful I can remember.

T.T.-Without a doubt, the most difficult time in these 10 years was the summer of 2020 with the pandemic. It was extremely difficult. The rules and restrictions regarding the virus were changing every day. You never knew what you were dealing with, if there could only be two people together, if six, if eight or if ten. No groups of more than 20, no dance floors. The world was not prepared for anything like that, not being able to move around, not being able to socialize... imagine in a place like Ibiza.

-Do you think that the trend of the night party is changing to move it to a daytime schedule like the one you offer?

D.L.-It must be recognized that it is a trend that is increasing globally. Not only in Ibiza. Everywhere you go you can see how brunch parties are proliferating, champagne brunches or even champagne breakfasts. It is a trend that convinces more and more people who know what it is like to spend a long night and then have to get up in the morning to work. That's why they prefer to have a drink in the evening and, around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., be ready to go. However, if you look at the success of almost all the nightclubs this season, which have broken records this year, you can deduce that there is room for everyone. In Ibiza there must be room for the night party and the day party; they are complementary. In Ibiza we are fortunate to have a whole range of assets for all types of public. From those who want to come to the beach and have a relaxing vacation, to those who want to party and have fun. There is also a varied offer of hotels, from five stars to the most affordable. Ibiza offers an incredible vacation to anyone who comes, whatever their priorities, without the need for some concepts to compete with others.

T.T.-Daytime partying is not really new in Ibiza. There has always been; now it's in places like O Beach Ibiza or Nassau. Remember also that in the 90's Es Paradís celebrated its water party during the daytime. He thinks that there are night clubs in any European city, what does not exist in all places are beach clubs that can offer daytime parties as it happens in Ibiza. In any case, Ibiza is becoming, during the last years in a more and more familiar destination. It is not just a destination for young people who just want to party. Maybe that is one of the good things that the pandemic has brought us: to show that Ibiza is a destination not only to come to party but also a place to enjoy its wonderful corners, a spectacular gastronomy or an amazing sea to sail. It is better than any resort in Europe. A place that welcomes you regardless of your economic level.

-How do you value this decade of activity?

D.L.-For me it has been a continuous learning process day after day. Tony comes from the world of parties, with a great experience in the sector. I came from running bars and things like that. That's why organizing something of this size -we have 350 employees- has been a great challenge. Developing a big project like this and getting to where we have reached has been a great learning experience for me.

T.T.-It has also been a great learning experience for me. In addition, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of people and make great friends along the way. Learning is what we have not stopped doing during these years, including those of the pandemic.

-What differentiates O Beach Ibiza from other daytime entertainment establishments?

T.T.-We don't look at what others are doing. We follow our own philosophy. We have our own offer, we do something nice and pleasant. We don't focus on promoters or djs. We celebrate music without trying to educate people in that sense. Anyone can enjoy themselves here, regardless of whether they are millionaires or not. It's pure fun.

-Has Sant Antoni changed a lot over the years?

D.L.-Yes, during this time we have seen how it has changed. At the beginning there was a very different culture than there is now. For many years they have been offering cheap hotel places, which attracts cheap tourism. Fortunately, this is changing lately.

T.T.- Sant Antoni has indeed been washing its face in recent years. It has been a work in which the different businesses have also collaborated, the quality of the restaurants, for example. It has been a really good transformation. Transformation of the restaurants and, above all, of the hotel plant; hoteliers are an important part of the change in the tourism model.

-What are your plans for the future?

T.T.-We have been growing a lot in Ibiza during these years and we are always looking beyond. We started with two or three businesses and now we have about 15 or more. But always focused on Ibiza. Always trying to make them beneficial for the community. Diversification is always good, even if it means having to endure more headaches. It is true that we are studying the possibility of expanding; Dubai or Mallorca would be some of the possible places. This way we can also continue to employ our staff beyond the summer season.

D.L.-We are betting heavily on the gastronomic sector. Without going any further, this year we have opened three medium-high level restaurants and it is likely that we will open another one. This is being possible thanks to what we were talking about a moment ago, Sant Antoni's commitment to better quality tourism. Undoubtedly, it has been a great year of expansion for our company.

-How do you evaluate this season?

T.T.- This season has been unique and, personally, I consider that it has been unrepeatable. After these two years full of restrictions, everybody was hungry for unrestricted vacations, beach clubs nigthclubs...

D.L.-That's right, I guess that during the next seasons we will see how it stabilizes, but the reality is that this season, we were still in May and wow, everything was already at full capacity. It's been a really incredible and unrepeatable year.

-You have talked about your commitment to gastronomy with the opening of several restaurants, which are they?

T.T.- We have several. The STK in Ibiza, the Chi Kee Wun, a Japanese fusion cuisine restaurant (where we give a 10% discount to residents), we also have two The Skinny Kitchen, one in Figueretes and one in San Antoni, the Taberna Cebo or the Okasan, which we opened this July next to the Port of Sant Antoni.