Mallorca is not usually associated with business travellers and the Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) market.
For most Brits, the Balearic island is synonymous with the package holiday; think Club 18-30 in Magaluf or the stylish Porto Pollenca resort, a favourite family getaway.
But as the global economies creep out of recession, one hotel group is targeting UK corporates as the island sets its stall out to become the value for money Mice destination in Europe.
Blau Hotels and Resorts - a 100% Mallorcan-owned business - has, historically, earned its keep in the leisure sector, with 10 luxury hotels in Spain, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
Its five-star property in PortoPetro - on the secluded south east coast of Mallorca - has already cut its teeth in the Mice business.
Customers have come from the pharmaceutical and automotive industries, to name but a few, and from a gamut of countries across the globe.
The pinnacle, last year, was reached when German car manufacturer Mercedes chose the hotel as the place to launch its latest E Class model.
But the hotel's general manager Oguz Birced is as experienced as they come in the Spanish hospitality sector, and he is acutely aware that the hotel cannot lunch-out on one major event, especially after a global recession.
The Turkish-born Spaniard speaks with a passion and depth of knowledge that should fill Blau's owners with confidence; their hotel is in good hands.
As I interview him in the lobby, he twice stops mid-sentence to dash and greet potential corporate customers who are visiting the hotel.
"The crisis was bad for everyone, but we felt it bad from September last year," he recounts.
"Although the hotel normally closes over winter, in 2008 we didn't shut until late November and then we were open again from the beginning of January and full for three months [because of the Mercedes event].
"The start to this year has been more challenging."
Birced is philosophical about the hotel's recent struggle. He knows the dip was down to market forces and entirely out with his control. But he cuts an optimistic character, and believes his staff has the right strategy to make their Mice business lucrative throughout the rest of the year.
"Prospects are good for this year," he says. "Every week we are taking new bookings. "In May we are almost full and June and July are shaping up extremely well.
"But the Mice market is extremely hard to predict. If anything we have noticed that companies are leaving decisions until the last possible minute. Of course this presents a challenge for us. But we have learned that we must be the hotel that never says no; we must be as flexible as Olympic gymnasts."
The UK's Association of Independent Tour Operators is to hold its annual overseas conference at the Blau PortoPetro this month.
"We know they looked at a number of different venues, so we were delighted they chose us," says Birced.
The Blau sales pitch for Mice business is compelling. Mallorca, off the back of its long and successful relationship with the leisure sector, has an airport hub connected to most regional and city airports across Europe, and flight times are relatively short, which will appeal to event organisers.
And the PortoPetro resort has full congress and meetings facilities, and an auditorium that seats up to 500 people.
The corporate travel sector has changed radically since the glory days of early 2008. No one quite knows what normal is going to look like in the future, you just need to talk to the airlines to understand that.
However, there in an opportunity for suppliers, such as Blau Hotels, to demonstrate the worth they can bring to the supply chain. Because value-for-money is the new name of the game.
http://www.blauhotels.com/portopetro/default-en.html