Chef Orlando Ortega is the owner of the Lilium restaurant in Arrecife and president of Hostelan, the Hotel Union of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
In an interview with the Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero program Buenos Días Lanzarote, Ortega explains why the last year has not been good for the hotel industry, talks about the lack of workers, the limited impact of cruises on restaurants on the island and the negative impact of the ban on smoking on terraces provided for in the new anti-smoking law.
The preliminary draft was approved by the Council of Ministers on September 9, but must be confirmed by Congress. It is expected to enter into force in early 2026.
"It hasn't been a good year. Supermarkets are full"
The hotel industry in Lanzarote has reduced its sales compared to last year. “The reality is that it has not been a good summer for the hotel industry in Lanzarote. Not as expected, not at all. It hasn't been a good year either,” explains Ortega.
Asked about the reasons for this decrease despite the incessant record of arrivals, the president of Hostelan attributes this reduction in spending in restaurants to the “increase in prices in flights and accommodation, which means that “supermarkets are full.”
Some areas have weathered the storm better. “You can differentiate by areas, but even in Playa Blanca, where there are businesses that have done well, others further away from the avenue have not worked as much as last year. Also in Costa Costa Teguise it has been quite bad,” adds Ortega.
"Cruisers have a cappuccino, little else"
The hotel industry in Arrecife has not been spared from the decline either. “The residents of Arrecife usually travel north to eat or to El Golfo and cruise passengers have everything included in the cruise, the type of consumption they do is to have a cappuccino or a macchiato, little else.”
Regarding the new anti-smoking law that plans to prohibit smoking on bar terraces, the president of the Lanzarote hoteliers is “clearly against it”, and considers that tourists will not understand it: “there are only two places in Europe where you cannot smoke on the terraces.”
“Furthermore, I don't think this will cause people to smoke less, not at all,” says the chef, who is in favor of recovering anti-smoking campaigns on television “which led to a significant reduction in smoking.”
“They are going to force us to act as police,” complains Ortega, who confirms that they will collaborate if it is approved, but also regrets that they have not taken into account a sector as important in Spain as the hotel industry when drafting these projects.”
"After the pandemic, many staff decided to live differently"
Regarding the shortage of workers, Ortega explains that, on the one hand, “there are more and more businesses” and, on the other hand, that after the pandemic, many staff decided to live differently, they are looking for different jobs, a little à la carte, where they work four, five or six hours.”
The president of the hoteliers also highlights “the absenteeism that exists, nowadays it is very easy to take sick leave, with any conflict you may have at work, you already go on sick leave because it is normalized. This affects us a lot.”
Regarding the reduction of working hours, Ortega wonders if it is really necessary “with the lack of workers we have right now.” However, he explains that if it is approved, it will have to be adapted, “there are already many businesses that have done it,” he shares. Ortega advocates instead for allowing a person to work more if they want to.”
