The Spanish island famed for drug-fuelled hedonism has found a new lure for
British clubbers - the first 24-hour rock ’n’ roll hotel will open for
business in Ibiza.
Chart-topping bands will live, record and perform by the pool at the Ibiza
Rocks hotel this summer. Guests are invited to party with the “live-in”
band, who will be allocated the penthouse suite.
An “after-show”, attended by the resident rockers, will run each night into
the early hours, alongside a 24-hour “chill out” bar. The hotel promises an
“unrivalled music and events programme”, including rehearsal rooms where
budding Pete Dohertys can turn their Ibiza inspiration into song.
Instead of a pianist tinkling through I Just Called To Say I Love You,
a stage in the hotel lobby will be graced by hotly-tipped bands plucked from
the UK “indie” scene. Superstar DJs will unleash pounding beats from the
hotel’s five bars.
The Enemy, the punk-inspired Coventry trio voted Best New Band by NME readers,
will launch the hotel in the party town of San Antonio, when they check in
at the end of May.
The hotel, aimed at teenagers and students, is the latest initiative in the
island’s attempt to rebrand itself after the dance music craze subsided.
Attendance at Ibiza’s “superclubs” declined after ravers who discovered the
island in the late 80s settled down and had children of their own.
The island is still a draw for celebrities including Kate Moss and P Diddy.
But Noel Gallagher said he was putting his £5.5m villa up for sale because
the soft rock balladeer James Blunt had moved in next door.
Manumission, the 7,000 capacity club, began promoting rock nights with bands
such as Kaiser Chiefs and Doherty’s Babyshambles attracting a new audience
of young, rock-loving holidaygoers.
Andy McKay, the English promoter behind Manumission, created the Ibiza Rocks
hotel, previously the Club Paraiso, as a “destination concept”. Fans of the
Enemy can spend three days with their idols for £72 including ticket for a
club gig.
Hotels play an important role in rock’s hedonistic mythology. Keith Moon, the
Who drummer, drove a Rolls-Royce into the pool of a Michigan Holiday Inn. A
notorious incident involving Led Zeppelin, a mud shark and a groupie took
place in a Seattle hotel.
While Ibiza Rocks guests are not encouraged to emulate the hotel-room trashing
feats of music’s wilder characters, staff will be encouraged to be tolerant
of moderate excesses.
The hotel will be marketed with the slogan: “You’ll Still Be Rocking When The
Sun Goes Down.”
Ibiza attracts 500,000 Britons each year but the island has still to shake off
a reputation for petty crime and disorderly behaviour by some UK visitors.
Drugs remain a fact of the island’s clublife. A survey of Britons aged 18-26
found that a third take ecstasy most nights of their holiday.
But the opportunity of seeing bands like Arctic Monkeys in a sunny, beachside
environment is increasingly cited as the main reason for visiting.
Mr McKay said: “This is an exciting time for Ibiza. We can now offer
affordable accommodation to all the people who come to see live music in a
place that now fully caters to their needs and lets them mingle with their
heroes.”
Can you tell me if Ibiza is a safe place for 3 teenage boys to travel on their own?
Lisa, Victoria, Canada