Kike Sarasola and Maribel Rodríguez, two Spanish voices honoured in Malta

27-11-25

The international tourism scene has once again turned its attention to Spain thanks to a double recognition that highlights both business innovation and social leadership within the sector. At a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace of Malta, the country’s president presented awards to Kike Sarasola, founder of Room Mate Hotels, and to Maribel Rodríguez, president of Women Leading Tourism (WLT), in an event that showcased the transformative role of both professionals and their contribution to the evolution of contemporary tourism.

The joint presentation of these awards not only underlines the individual excellence of the recipients, but also symbolises the strength of Spanish talent in a field that is redefined every year to adapt to new realities, demands and sensitivities.

Kike Sarasola was honoured with the prestigious Hotel Career Award, a distinction that celebrates years of innovative work at the helm of Room Mate Hotels, a brand that has become a benchmark for an accessible, modern boutique model that is deeply people-centric. His vision—based on design, emotional comfort and a warm, human approach—has made a tangible difference in the market and has helped raise awareness in the industry of the importance of understanding guests from an experiential perspective. Far from merely following global trends, Sarasola has consistently sought to anticipate them, driving a philosophy of hospitality in which every traveller feels welcomed beyond the product and the service, opening up an alternative path to the standardisation that has traditionally dominated the hotel sector.

Upon receiving the accolade, Sarasola symbolically shared it with his team and with the “roomies”, the name he uses to refer to those who believe in a more human way of understanding hospitality. This gesture encapsulates the spirit that defines him: a mindset that combines creativity with sensitivity and has enabled Room Mate to consolidate itself as a solid and bold international project, capable of competing in diverse markets without renouncing the essence with which it was born. The fact that this award comes from a country with such a deeply rooted tourism tradition as Malta enhances its meaning and shows that Spanish innovation can cross borders and be acknowledged in high-level global arenas.

On the same stage, Maribel Rodríguez received recognition for her outstanding work in promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment and the creation of opportunities within the tourism industry through Women Leading Tourism, the organisation she chairs and which has become a key platform for making women’s contributions to the sector more visible. Her leadership, characterised by the ability to build networks, foster collaboration between public and private stakeholders and advocate for an inclusive vision of tourism activity, has been essential in ensuring that the debate on diversity and equity stops being a secondary issue and becomes central to business and institutional agendas.

Rodríguez has succeeded in positioning equality as a strategic pillar of tourism’s future, and her recognition in Malta underscores that the sector’s competitiveness today largely depends on its ability to embrace more diverse, participatory and humanly sustainable models. Her work is a reminder that innovation does not only take place in products, infrastructure or technology, but also in the values that underpin the industry and in the way it creates opportunities for all the people who are part of it.

The joint recognition of Kike Sarasola and Maribel Rodríguez offers a powerful narrative about the current moment in tourism: while some lead creative transformations from within companies, others drive structural and social changes that redefine the path of the industry in the long term. Both paths are complementary and both are essential to building a more competitive and resilient sector, aligned with the expectations of today’s travellers, who seek memorable experiences but also companies that are consistent with principles of responsibility, inclusion and human quality.

By simultaneously recognising these two Spanish leaders, Malta sends a clear message: the tourism of the future needs vision, boldness, innovation and ethical commitment. Sarasola and Rodríguez embody that combination, each from their own sphere of influence, and their joint distinction is a source of pride for the Spanish tourism sector and an inspiration for all those who aspire to transform the industry through excellence and values. With this double tribute, the international stage acknowledges that Spanish talent is not only very much alive, but is also helping set the pace towards a new way of understanding tourism.