Up close with JC Albuixech

December 17, 2014

Juan Carlos Albuixech is the general manager of the Sands Beach Resort in Lanzarote and we had a few words with the man simply known as JC.

Slowtwitch: Thank you for your time Juan Carlos.

Juan Carlos Albuixech: Thanks to you, always a pleasure for me Herbert.

ST: Should we actually call you JC?

JC: Of course, it is easy to pronounce for all of us.

ST: What have you been up to since the Ocean Lava Tri in early November?

JC: We were immersed in the final stretch of our Lanzarote International Marathon, along with some promotion trips related to new agreements for groups for next year, but always training with Stephen Bayliss and the TRIACTIV club.

ST: There are quite a few other European Pros staying there for several of the cold European months. Who are some of the folks we might run into right now?

JC: Most of them are waiting to come until after Christmas Eve. Right now there are lots of AG (with Protrainning Tours and other training camps). Victor Del Corral, Helle Frederiksen, Bella and Stephen Bayliss are all year round, and we are soon expecting the Uplace-BMC Triathlon Team for their winter training camp. Also Alejandro Santamaría, Ivan Raña, Maja Stage, Fernando Alarza, Pedro Gomes, Ghuillerme Ferreira, Jodie Stimpson, Ivan Vasilev, Anne Haug,…

ST: Talk about your job as the Director General of the Sands Beach Resort.

JC: After many years working for a big hotel chain (Occidental Hotels), I discovered Lanzarote and the place where I am working is right what I was looking for since a long time ago, the traditional style of hotel accommodation.

My role can be summarized in being a good host to our customers, returning to the traditional service, where the main thing is to meet the expectations of customers without trick. I am well supported by a great team, which knows perfectly how to deal with every client request. We are constantly looking for improvements to surprise those who visit us, exchanging money for quality services. Along with the daily operation, what I enjoy the most is with the business trips, where I can keep up with trends and demands as well as to see how many good things others do and to apply them in Sands Beach Resort.

ST: How long have you been working there, and was it always in that position?

JC: Since I left my previous job six years ago, I’ve found in SBR the great opportunity to develop my own idea of business. SBR was out of the market when I came here and I was called to implement a viability plan to develop it. The group from the company that contacted me gave me the opportunity to be here and, together with Jordi, a key part in this adventure, we are both committed to move forward.

Since the beginning I have been GM and CEO, and above all, the host.

ST: Sands Beach is the perfect spot for triathlon and other endurance sports. What made Sands Beach embrace triathlon?

JC: Within the initial viability plan we committed to attract a loyal customer to a way of life, traveling for sports. We have analyzed and we believe that this sport, along with the running were the most popular and demanded. All we did was to build a 25 meter swimming pool, find the right partners, travel and offer our product as a site where you can have the swimming pool just a few steps from the door of your room, as well as to practice jogging or cycling.

ST: How is the daily menu decided for the restaurant?

JC: On the last two years we have been listening to all the guest that have been around, Pro athletes and age groupers told us their preference and with all these suggestions we have created the actual breakfast and dinner menu. Vegan people, gluten unfriendly, no sugar people etc. All these ideas make us change things every day. Our head chef and his team is ready to personalize diet menus for everyone, some of our usual guest send us in advance their diet and we get ready for them once they are around…

ST: How much of an issue of gluten free do you have at SBR, and have you noticed an increase over the years?

JC: Not only in our Hacienda or Maitai restaurant is ready for gluten free people, also we have a convenience store (fresh supermarket) with many of the traditional products but gluten free. There are more and more people that have problems with many different foods. I found that the big problems is that in the last 10/20 years we have been eating manipulated products and have created these news allergies in our bodies. If you eat natural or seasonal products you can eat whatever, also a nice glass of red wine…

ST: Triathletes who train on Lanzarote learn to embrace the wind. What else do you think triathletes will take back from this island?

JC: Apart from the wind force, I think the landscape itself makes you disconnect from your daily routine. Also, even if it does not seem to be, Lanzarote has mountain roads that combine perfectly with the wind, to workout quality training sessions in the best scenarios. I think that the best attractive of the Island is the silence and peaceful that you perceive at all times.

ST: With Club La Santa there seemingly is big competition on the other side of the island. Are you two more like Coke and Pepsi, or Ironman and Challenge?

JC: Tell me which of the two drinks you think is better and I will answer you. Jokes aside, CLS is a paradise where you can practice many sports and find a suitable accommodation. At SBR (Swim / Sands, Bike / Beach, Run / Resort), you can stay while practicing sports. We do not consider them as a competitor, as we have well defined our target of market, our client type request a top quality hotel service while practicing sport.

ST: It does however seem as if they attracted some of the same customers. Is there really no competition?

JC: It is good to know that if you are doing things in a good way, people or companies are worried and try to imitate you. At SBR we are open to share our know how and we find it an important part of our way of life. As you know, the triathlon and healthy industry is expected to grow.

ST: What is next for you, besides overlooking more events?

JC: Our priority is to continue the resort improvements, along with the consolidation of our marathon. We are working on a new 50-meter pool with a sports area to complement the actual one. We will keep supporting worldwide athletes, as well as age groups of our TRIACTIV Club, where we will work hard to have a para triathlete to represent us during in the next Olympic Games at Río.

ST: When do you think that 50-meter pool will be completed?

JC: We hope that 2015 will be the year of this project. Nowadays, we are waiting for one important document that allows us to change the category of the part of our plot form gardens to sports actions.

ST: How much swimming, cycling and running do you have time for?

JC: I try to find the time every day. At SBR is easy, there is an opportunity every minute to join a training session. Living at the hotel, work is 24 hours and you can split your time in a better way. A minimum of 1.5 hours daily.