On its 50th anniversary, the most emblematic hotel in the city of Benidorm wants to highlight all the work done during these five years and its evolution towards a model of accommodation for guests looking for a unique, healthy, relaxing and peaceful experience.
A time to look back
Manuel Torrubia, a lover of tourism, was one of the five Torrubia brothers, a well-known family in Benidorm. He dedicated his professional life from a very young age to tourism and worked with tour operators from all over Europe to bring tourists to Benidorm. The tourism boom in Benidorm, together with his contacts, led Manuel Torrubia and his four brothers to consider building a hotel in Benidorm in the early 1970s.
They decided to build a four star hotel in Benidorm, as most of the hotels built at this time were three star hotels. The aim was to build a prestigious hotel that would offer quality accommodation with sea views for all guests. They began their project by hiring Alicante’s most prestigious architect and purchasing a plot of land just a few metres from the Levante beach. The first stone of the Hotel Don Pancho was laid in 1971. The hotel is today owned by the descendants of the Torrubia brothers.
And it was in May 1972, when the Hotel Don Pancho opened its doors to its first guests. The hotel, with its 256 rooms overlooking the sea, offered from the very first moment a luxury atmosphere very different from the rest of the hotels in Benidorm. On the day of its inauguration, even the then Spanish Minister of Tourism, Alfredo Sánchez Bella, was in attendance. The Don Pancho is the only hotel in Benidorm to have been inaugurated by the Spanish Minister of Tourism.
The Hotel has been host to an infinity of actors, singers, sportsmen, and other celebrities from all over the world. Some of the most famous people who have stayed at the Don Pancho Hotel are Julio Iglesias, Rocío Jurado, Raphael, Camilo Sesto, Miguel Bosé, José Luis Perales, Joan Manuel Serrat, Camarón de la Isla, Sergio Dalma, Tino Casal, Manuel Carmona, Lolita, José Carreras, Marifé de Triana, Rafaella Carrá, Celia Cruz, Juan Luis Guerra, Los Panchos, Gloria Gaynor, Rudolf Nureyev, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Telly Savalas, Mario Vargas Llosa, Diego Simeone, Miguel Indurain, Jesulín de Ubrique, Ortega Cano and Palomo Linares, among many others.
Some of his most recent awards
Tripadvisor
Certificate of Excellence or Traveler’s Choice Award for the last 10 years. And on numerous occasions, No. 1 hotel in Benidorm.
Benidorm Fest
Official Hotel of the 1st Benidorm Fest in Benidorm, where the candidate to represent Spain in Eurovision was selected. The hotel became in one week the home of numerous artists and televisions.
TUI Global Hotel Awards 2022
Recognition among the 100 best hotels in the world. We are the only hotel in the Valencian Community and one of only 2 on the peninsula.
Jet2 Holiday
Quality Award. Won in 2019.
Booking
Traveller Award 2020.
Hotels Tourism Caixabank Award
National Level, “Best Repositioning” category, 2019.
DOCOMOMO 2021
Awarded by the College of Architects of the CV. First building in Benidorm to receive this award.
Chamber of Commerce Award 2021
Training and Employment Award from the Alicante Chamber of Commerce. A company with DNA focused on people.
50 years of memorable experiences
Many years have passed since the Don Pancho began and it has always been able to adapt perfectly to the different times it has lived through. Nowadays, it is a completely refurbished Hotel, which is committed to a business model based on sustainability, on the care of its staff, on the continuous promotion of its city, and on the exquisite and personalised service to its clients.
What no one doubts is that they have been 50 years full of stories. Moments in which the Hotel has managed to find its place in the minds and hearts of its guests who come year after year, and this is not at all easy in these times. Now all that remains is to look to the future and toast to at least another 50 years of happiness and memorable experiences.
