It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Maria Dolors Fontanals, president of Rosamar Hotels’ chain, who passed away on 5 January at the age of 80. Maria Dolors died of a long illness, which she always fought with a smile and admirable energy.
Maria Dolors was a visionary in the hotel industry and dedicated her entire life to the hospitality sector. In 1945, when she was two years old, her parents, Pere Fontanals and Maria Bausili, founders of Rosamar Hotels, opened the family's first hotel on the Lloret de Mar promenade, Hotel Excelsior. Two years later, in 1947, the family opened Hotel Rosamar and La Forquilla restaurant in the grounds of the Chalet Armengol, opposite Sa Caleta beach. And so it was that Maria Dolors spent her childhood surrounded by tourists and soaking up what it meant to be in the hotel business.
In 1964, during the period of tourist expansion of the Catalan town, Maria Dolors and her husband, Àlex Portavella, opened the Rosamar nightclub and expanded the facilities of the chain's flagship hotel, Hotel Rosamar & Spa. They continued to expand the business by opening Hotel Rosamar Maxim in 1967 and Hotel Rosamar Garden in 1972. With the incorporation of their children, Alex, Dolors and Pere, Hotel Rosamar Maritim was opened in 1998. Today, the third generation is at the helm of the chain, which has continued to expand with the opening of the Hotel Rosamar Es Blau in 2018.
Over the years, Maria Dolors represented the company's values, cultivating excellence in personal relationships with customers, employees, and suppliers, fostering the spirit of continuous improvement in professional excellence and social commitment, part of the company's DNA with society.
Throughout her professional life, Maria Dolors received numerous tributes for her long career and involvement in tourism. In 1997, the Generalitat de Catalunya awarded her the Medal for Merit in Tourism on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Hotel Rosamar & Spa. More recently, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the first Hotel Rosamar, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation of Girona (2022) and the Climent Guitart Foundation (2023) paid tribute to Maria Dolors.
Maria Dolors Fontanals was an example of commitment and dedication. Together with her husband, she was very active in the social, cultural, and sporting life of Lloret de Mar. Maria Dolors was always very popular and loved by the community of Lloret de Mar, who bid her farewell last weekend in an emotional ceremony in the parish church of Sant Romà in Lloret de Mar.
We will always remember you, Maria Dolors, and we will follow your example, inspired by your unconditional love for Lloret de Mar, which was not only your home, but also the land to which you dedicated your energy and passion.
Your legacy will live on as a reminder of the importance of caring for and respecting this place that we love and share with those who visit us.