Tomer and Ariel bought an old hotel in Spain (Photo: Os Faroles Playa De Esterio)
Two Israeli friends from the north of the country in their 20s, who were traveling in Spain a year ago, saw a hotel near a beach and an amazing valley and decided to purchase it with all the money they had.
"We arrived by chance in Galicia in northwestern Spain, right above Portugal, and fell in love at that moment," Tomer Barkat and Ariel Grossman say to Walla!
Tourism in conversation from Spain.
The weather is perfect here, and following the climate crisis, we thought of setting up a project that would be pleasant for another 10-20 years, and the optimal conditions are here - altitude, proximity to the ocean, the geographic location and the perfect weather, and the tourism that usually comes to southern Spain has also been coming to Galicia in recent years ".
The hotel "Os Faroles" (Hostel Os Faroles) that the two bought had belonged to an elderly couple for decades, who were tired of working there.
The two friends liked the couple, who had no one to continue their business, and decided to buy the property and renovate it.
"The hotel was built more than 40 years ago by Huzaf and Huzafa and they became like grandparents to us," say Ariel and Tomer.
"They wanted to retire and have been looking to sell the hotel for several years."
"We fell in love at that moment on the spot."
Tomer and Ariel in Spain (photo: surfer photos, Ariel Grossman)
Huzaf and Huzafa at the "Os Paroles" hotel with the new buyers from Israel (Photo: Surfer Photos, May Eshkol)
The beach in Galicia near the hotel (photo: surfers' photos, Ariel Grossman)
"We scraped all our savings"
Last summer, before they even completed the purchase process, they helped the Spanish couple run the place, speaking almost no Spanish, and went into the kitchen, helped clean rooms and learned the business, while promoting the bureaucratic matters and raising all their capital for the project.
"We scraped together all our savings and we believe in this project, with the vision of having a diverse and sustainable place, attractive and comfortable, that benefits the people and nature around it," they say.
In the past, the two have a number of projects in which they worked together and separately, in the fields of sustainability, hospitality, culinary and alternative construction (among them the "Bus in the vineyard" in Mitzpe Ramon, by Yotam and Ariel).
What audience are you targeting?
"For the local audience that has been coming here for 40 years, the community that is here, but we want to open the place to an international audience as well: digital nomads, people who walk the Camino, Europeans, and there will also be dormitory rooms, regular rooms, a trailer park for those traveling on wheels in the area, and we will be the first Let's offer a food menu in English, because everyone here speaks Spanish, and of course all the Israelis who come will have Hebrew speakers here, which is very fun for us."
For 40 or so years, the hotel was run by a pair of Spaniards who were looking for someone to sell to (photo: Surfers' photos, May Eshkol)
"Introducing a bit of modernity into the hotel, but at the same time keeping the special items" (Photo: surfer photos, Omar Sirota)
Sunset on the beach next to the hotel (photo: surfers photos, Ariel Grossman)
What are your plans at the hotel?
"To open an organic farm and become energy independent in two or three years, establish a number of tours that depart from the hotel and create here a first and unique center of attraction in a non-standard location, which many Israelis do not yet know exists, but we hope that everyone who comes here will fall in love and want to stay."
These days Ariel and Tomer are in the midst of an extensive renovation.
"We are opening up the space, introducing a bit of modernity into it, but at the same time keeping the special items that were in the hotel," they add.
In order to speed up the plans and open the place, Ariel and Tomer turned to Headstart and even though the place will only open this April, they have already started selling rooms through a crowdfunding program.
"In the summer we will already be at the peak of the season and we are selling discounted rooms through the headstart, which is directed to the continued financing of the renovation and so we can paint the outside of the building and purchase items for the rooms and bring the place to a crazy level already this summer."
The price for a night in a hotel in a double room will cost NIS 210 per couple, and the price for a couple + lunch or dinner will cost 330 NIS per couple.
And you can also purchase a whole week which is more profitable.
Tomer and Ariel surfing on the hotel beach (photo: surfer photos, Mai Eshkol)
Os Paroles before the renovation (photo: surfers' photos, Ariel Grossman)
While purchasing the property, the two learned about the hotel's operations (Photo: Surfer Photos, Ariel Grossman)
The restaurant in the hotel.
It will have the first menu in English in the region (Photo: Surfer Photos, Ariel Grossman)
The story about the Israeli duo entered the local press
You don't have much experience in hotels, are you not afraid to fail?
"We are two young guys and this is an exciting project with a lot of consideration and we invite everyone to join the Aus Paroles family. We approach and manage this project with a lot of thought, respect and caution, we do everything with our own two hands, with a lot of help from friends and family from all over the world."
The Israeli duo has already made a name for themselves in the region, and even appeared in several articles in Galicia and on the cover of several local editions.
So here, now there is an article about you in Israel as well.
Successfully!
For Ariel and Tomer's headstart project.
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