They call it an employers' association, but its leadership is made up of workers. It could be considered an employers' union. The mass tourism industry in the archipelago has just reconfigured its institutional influence. This May saw the launch of the Canary Islands Hotel Chains Association (ACHC), a new employers' organization created with the aim of unifying the representation of the sector's large multinational corporations in their dealings with public administrations.
This is a strategic move long in the making by the operators who control the vast majority of hotel beds in the premium resorts of Meloneras, Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, and the Mogán coastline, distancing themselves from conventional association structures. The sector's major unions or existing regional employers' associations may challenge the formation of this new lobby in labor courts. From southern Gran Canaria, the following companies are involved: RIU, Blackstone, Barceló, and Meliá Hotels. There is no Canarian capital involved.
The legal establishment of this business alliance has successfully navigated a rigorous labor review process due to several formal deficiencies initially identified by inspectors from the Canary Islands Government in April. The correction of the union bylaws, completed on May 7th by the group's legal advisors, has allowed the Director General of Labor, José Ramón Rodríguez Albertus, to certify the file's compliance with legislation regarding the right to unionize. The initial application was spearheaded by Pilar Parejo Bello (Barceló), a key figure in the regional corporate structure, who coordinated the efforts of a core group of international investors demanding a regulatory framework adapted to the dynamics of high-volume tourism.
The list of promoters who signed the founding charter of the new business lobby clearly illustrates the concentration of foreign and domestic capital operating in southern Gran Canaria. The official document includes the signatures of Feliciano Casado Martínez representing Riusa II (parent company of the Mallorcan-German chain Riu), Óscar Ramos Giménez (Blackstone) and Pedro Pérez Abad representing Tropical Partners, María Morales Almagro on behalf of the publicly traded Meliá Hotels International, and José Luis Cardell Alonso as representative of Hoteles Piñero Canarias. The sector alliance is completed by Manuel Melenchon Pérez and Andrés Felipe Oria Rived representing Amresort Management Spain (part of the North American conglomerate Hyatt), along with Alejandro Santos Engel on behalf of Hoteadeje.
Headquarters in five-star hotels and strategy facing the labor market
The corporate infrastructure chosen by the Canary Islands Hotel Chains Association reflects the high-status positioning of its members, establishing its operational centers directly within five-star and luxury hotels across the archipelago. The organization's main headquarters are located within the Iberostar Heritage Grand Mencey Hotel in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, while its secondary office is situated in the Hotel Santa Catalina, A Royal Hideaway Hotel, in Las Palmas. This dual provincial presence provides the association with an optimal logistical base for advocating for regulatory changes related to land-use planning, the renewal of tourism licenses, and air connectivity policies.
The new employers' association will focus on defending the interests of large corporations in collective bargaining negotiations within the hospitality sector, an area of significant union friction in San Bartolomé de Tirajana due to staff shortages and excessive workloads. The bylaws, which have already been officially registered, are available for public consultation through the Deose Canarias application.
