“At the airport hotel in Alicante.”
“Interesting.” Lisa fell silent. “So, you don’t even stay at your own hotels. And why is that?”
“Because I’d rather go camping than stay in a tourist-riddled hotel where I have to dodge drunk people and screaming children.”
“Exactly. There are no hotels around here where you would even want to stay. And I’m not just talking about you. Tons of developers, hoteliers and other business people visit Benidorm both in summer and winter. And there’s nowhere for them to stay because everything is tailored to tourists and focused on the holiday market. This is an opportunity for Premier Sunset to ensure occupancy all year round.”
“Still not one bit convinced,” Diego said. “I wouldn’t want to stay at Premier Sunset. Not in a million years.” He grimaced. “Everything about it is grim.”
“I won’t argue with that. So, my next question is, what doyouneed from a hotel?”
Diego’s expression was more than sceptical now, but he answered anyway. “A bar with quality alcohol and wines, a restaurant with nice food and a decent room with excellent Wi-Fi and a good bed. A meeting space that doesn’t look like a dentist’s waiting room would be a bonus too.”
“Your priorities are not sun and a buffet,” Lisa concluded, pleased with his answer. “Premier Sunset is much smaller than most hotels along the strip. You could turn it into a boutique business hotel. Think lovely and simple rooms with a wonderful shaded outside seating area, a fantastic restaurant with good, Spanish food and a smart bar where you can enjoy a nightcap and meet like-minded people. A real Spanish vibe; understated and charming. A place to make valuable contacts.”
“That will cost a fortune.” Diego sounded stern, but Lisa could already see him wavering, allowing the information to sink in bit by bit. Now he would just have to sleep on it. Maybe a week, maybe a month. But sooner or later he would come to the conclusion that she was right, because it was just common sense. It was to her, anyway. She could see how people who had worked here for years got stuck in their ways, using the same formula over and over until the market was saturated. At that point, the only way to get guests in was to drop their prices and that wasn’t a profitable strategy.
“It doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Terracotta paint on the outside of the building, in the courtyard and along the poolside, lots of plants—which are cheap here anyway— wooden tables and benches, traditional fabrics and simple things like cushions, lanterns and candles will go a long way. There’s no need to splash out on ultra-modern design furniture; we’re in Spain, so why not celebrate the country’s heritage?”
“What budget do you have in mind?” Diego asked. “And how would we reach these business travellers?”
“I’ve put together a loose plan for you,” she said. “Free of charge, of course. If you’re interested, you can hire my services to do a more in-depth proposal that includes branding, name suggestions, customer experience et cetera. It’s simple; if you keep the same formula, you may make a profit but if you invest and change the destination plan, your smallest hotel could generate the biggest profit.”
“Right… I must say, you know how to sell yourself, Miss...” He stalled for a moment, realising he’d forgotten her name already.
“Just call me Lisa. Please have a look at the file and give me a call if you’d like to work together. My contact details are on the top of the first page.” She stood before he had a chance to protest, dropped the file containing her presentation on his desk and let herself out. “Have a nice day, Mr Calvo.”
41
“How did your meeting go?” Stella asked when she got home. She dropped her bag on the terrace floor and stroked Yeti and Pablo, who ran up to her.
“Not sure.” Lisa looked up from her laptop, walked up to her and kissed her softly, then wrapped her arms around her waist. “It went okay, but it’s hit and miss, I guess. He was more open towards the end, and I even think he might be interested in my idea, but he’ll need some time to think about it, of course. If he doesn’t want to work with me, then at least I’ve tried.” She smiled. “And in the meantime, I’ll look out for other interesting projects because I’ve had fun doing this.”
“That’s the spirit.” Stella glanced at the table on the roof terrace that was laid out with a linen cloth and candles. “What’s this for?”
“Just to say thank you for being so nice to me. I may not be a kitchen princess, but I went past the open market on my way home and got lots of tasty stuff and some nice wine.”
“Babe, you’re an angel.” Stella wrapped her arms around Lisa in return and pulled her in. “I like having you here.”
“Yeah?” Lisa grinned against her lips. “Well, I like being here.”
“Mmm…” Stella grinned. “Let me just water the plants quickly.”
“I’ve done that.” Lisa pointed to the big palms in pots that provided a little privacy around the seating area.
“Oh. Thank you so much. Then all I have to do is feed the cats before dinner.”
“Already done that too. Haven’t you noticed there’s only one still circling around your legs, hoping for a second meal?” Lisa’s hands lowered to Stella’s behind and slid into the waistband of her shorts. “Why don’t you sit down and relax and I’ll get the food out.”
“How am I supposed to sit down if you’re holding me like that?” Stella brushed her lips over Lisa’s and moaned. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. You looked so fucking cute when you left for your meeting this morning, dressed formally and all business.” She chuckled and lifted the sheer kaftan Lisa was wearing over her bikini. “But I think I like this even better.”
“Oh, you do?” Lisa wiggled her hips and slapped her hand away. “Well, you’re going to have to wait until after dinner.”
“What if I can’t wait?” Stella lifted the kaftan again and this time slipped her hand into the back of Lisa’s bikini bottoms. “Oh my God, you’re so delicious, I really want to fuck you right now.”
Lisa laughed playfully. “What? You want dessert first? Again?”
“I do.” Stella stared into her eyes and squeezed her behind, her libido firing at Lisa’s firm bottom in her hands. It wasn’t a lie; she really had been fantasising about her all day. She’d struggled to keep her attention on the pool while she was on lifeguard duty and later on, in the office, she’d given up on finishing next month’s rota.
