History of GHT Balmes Hotel, Aparthotel & Splash***
A third generation hotel with family treatment
GHT Balmes Hotel, Aparthotel & Splash*** in Calella (Barcelona) was built by our grandparents Antonio and Mercedes in the middle of the 20th century. For years it has welcomed guests from all over the world who have enjoyed its familiar treatment. The building where the hotel is located was built in different stages and has undergone several renovations over the years, but still maintains its traditional charm and character. Today it is an ideal establishment for both tourists traveling with families, sports and school groups, as well as business travelers looking for a family-friendly place.
Below we explain our history, will you join us to know it?
Our history
Origins of the Hotel Balmes GHT: from a hosiery factory to a family residence
The history of the GHT Balmes begins in 1956 with our grandparents, who at that time had a JAVI brand socks and hosiery factory, located in a building by the architect Jeroni Martorell, in a basically industrial Calella, when they bought a land next to the factory, to build a small residence with 2 floors, called “Mercedes Visa Pension”. At that time, the grandparents really liked to travel, and they thought it could work.
So it was!
The first Hotel Balmes
The first residence grew gradually until, over the years and with a lot of effort, it became the 2** Hotel Balmes, which was efficiently managed. Later, after several good stages and others of crisis, in 1994, they decided to convert some rooms into apartments, as the British were looking for this type of accommodation to spend their holidays on the coast. And it was in 1998 when, after an important reform, they remodeled and turned the establishment into a 3*** family hotel. Up to what it is today, a 3*** hotel with 168 double rooms, family rooms and apartments.
A story full of dedication and effort
It was managed from the beginning and for years by our parents Josep and Cristobal, doing all the tasks, chores and all hours of the day, with the help of the hotel staff that made up the workforce and also of their respective wives Lluïsa and Teresina, our mothers, without forgetting that our grandmother Mercedes went every day and until the body accompanied her, to doing cleaning work with the chambermaids, teaching them how to clean rooms, showers and bathtubs, sinks, toilets, or how to take care of bedding and towels. It is an image that, no matter how much time passes, is not erased or forgotten!
From generation to generation
As time passed, we, the cousins, joined the hotel. Although, in fact, we had always lived it since we were little, first as tourists during the school holidays in the pool, in the dining room, in the bar and with the music and dances on hot nights of summer, to later begin to help with small tasks, to work firmly when we had already finished our studies, going through different sections to learn every task, until reaching the present, now directing it as a third generation, with the incorporation of the fourth as well.
Pioneers in Calella
We are the hotel with one of the largest gardens in Calella and the first to build a swimming pool (when it was done, our grandfather was told he was crazy; that it was not necessary, as the sea was already there to bathe in). Having a trampoline and slide in the pool. Also the first in Calella to build a swimming pool with water games called Splash.
The first to incorporate private bathrooms
Our hotel was also a pioneer by building bathrooms in the rooms, since from the beginning, the bathrooms were general on each floor and the rooms only had a small sink.
Later, we were among the first to build tourist Studios and Apartments with their own kitchens, for the British who, in the early 90s, were looking to travel with this type of accommodation.
First, also, to offer animation and shows
And one of the first to offer live music groups, such as "Les Polits" or "Paco Martin", or Spanish and Flamenco dance shows and also Traditional Catalan Dances, by a group of very young dancers from a ballet school in Arenys who danced in exchange for raising money to go on dance exchange trips with the Warsaw Opera. What times those were!
Or one of the first to offer an entertainment program for adults and children, and so many other things....
67 years of family tradition and teamwork
Many years have passed since those beginnings, many efforts by grandparents, parents and the following generations. First building and then improving and maintaining this family business that has been and is our life. Without forgetting all those people who have been working for 67 years, some for 35 and 40 years, to make this ship work and for the client to enjoy a very good vacation. Always accompanied by so many people who have worked there tirelessly, dedicated, as if it were their own. Without them, the ship would never have worked! They are "THE BALMES FAMILY"
We invite you to find out a little more about it, if you want, by looking at the photos below.
When 50 years later we have very special visits!
And then it happens that years later, people come to the hotel who make us infinitely happy! Like the English tourists who came this year in May to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary because they had enjoyed their honeymoon at Balmes.
Or wonderful people who worked there 50 years ago, such as Encarna and Rosa, who have come with their daughters, granddaughters and nieces, to show them the place about which they have told stories and anecdotes during these 50 years.
These visits are priceless! They show that the Balmes is a hotel where everyone, customers and employees, feel like family!
Historical images
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