The president of Lopesan, Eustasio López, of whom there have been no public photos since 2017 due to the persecution to which he has been subjected by legal elites in Las Palmas, has appointed this August Pedro Rosales, former director of Binter Canarias, representative of the hotel business of the Benítez de Lugo family in the north of Gran Canaria, in Arucas, an operation that Maspalomas24H carried out on August 28, 2023 (In Las Palmas they announced the news two months later via Lopesan before the general meeting of that year and where it was already clear that they were not buying the entire business due to the lack of unanimity and, in particular, of the Marchioness of Arucas).
The new product would begin operating before the end of 2024 on the Marzagán Sabinal road in Arucas under the name of Lopesan Hotels Casa de La Marquesa. Curiously, it has a hotel called Villa del Conde in Meloneras and to the north it would have another one with a noble title as its name. The current Marquise of Arucas, María del Rosario Benítez de Lugo Massieu, would not have liked the operation at all to the point that she has disconnected herself from the decision of the rest of her relatives, heirs.
For the Marquise of Arucas there would be an emotional burden that would be in the hands of a chain specialising in sun and beach that could break the idea that the family always had of its investments in Arucas. In addition to all this, there would be another debate in the family: the Marquise of Arucas in Arucas would hardly have any properties in the place where its name has been since the time of Alfonso XII. It was, above all, an emotional and moral question; but the businesses did not give the profitability that other shareholders had and they needed to sell. In the end, Lopesan only has the Mesón de Arucas, the agricultural production and the hotel complex with 67% of the company. It is not known if the commercial brand Marquesa de Arucas can be used partially or totally by the new owners. If it is by the Marquise, no.
Ten months ago, Ignacio Medina, then at Deloitte, confirmed that he had advised Lopesan on the acquisition of "a majority position" in Las Hoyas de Arucas, SA, which, in addition to extensive agricultural assets, includes various businesses and historic and iconic spaces in Gran Canaria, such as the Jardines de la Marquesa or the rural hotel La Hacienda del Buen Suceso. Medina's comment on "a majority position" was not a coincidence, as it hinted that Lopesan was not buying 10% of the company. For Medina, it was "a strategic transaction that allows them to strengthen their leadership position in the tourism sector."
And, indeed, on February 7, 2024 (Maspalomas24H broke the news in August of that year and the Las Palmas media in October) María del Rosario Benítez de Lugo Massieu, that is, the current Marchioness of Arucas, sent a letter to the secretary of the board, Santiago de Armas, (Lopesan) where, very well advised, she asked him to exercise the right of share separation. A rarefied atmosphere was created in the company to such an extent that De Armas had to make a report and analyze whether or not the agreements reached in December 2023 were appropriate.
In 2023, when Alejandra del Río Benítez de Lugo, daughter of the Marchioness, was president of the company, Borja Benítez de Lugo, known for being a former PP senator, urged to modify article 25 of the statutes indicating that the agreements of the meeting should be adopted, "whatever the call in question", by the favorable vote of 60% of the subscribed share capital with voting rights, present or represented at the meeting. Each share entitles one vote. Lopesan then ranked with 67% of the power.
Once the Hacienda de la Marquesa company was purchased, by agreement of the board of directors on December 18, 2023, the lawyer Ignacio de Astobiza, Juan del Castillo y Benítez de Lugo and Luis Benítez, son of the Marquis of La Florida and who chaired the National Confederation of Ex-Combatants with Franco, are leaving the board. Lopesan, as is usual practice in the tourist promoter, has created a board with companies that all report to Invertur Helsan. The presidency has been given to the company controlled by Invertur, Puerto Meloneras, SL
Specifically, the operation in the tourism sector has been to buy the company and, therefore, the hotel asset. With this, Lopesan wants to begin to finish closing the tourist circle of Gran Canaria. The next step is to close a possible operation on the land that the Manrique de Lara have in Piso Firme, Gáldar, near Barranco Juncal, which enjoys the same quality of temperatures as Mogán. But this last one is for the longer term and once the operations in Fuerteventura and the Caribbean are concluded.
