Next Tuesday, November 12, 2024, will be a day that we, the Talg family, will forever hold dear. As part of the third Regional Congress of the Asociación de la Empresa Familiar de Canarias (EFCA) in Gran Canaria, we will be honored with the IX Award for Family Businesses in the Canary Islands. This recognition fills us with immense pride and gratitude—not only as a family but also on behalf of the entire team at Hotel Tigaiga & Suites.

This award is more than just a prize; it is a tribute to the dedication and effort of those who came before us and to everyone who has been part of our family’s story. Our business, founded three generations ago, continues to thrive today in a world that is constantly changing. We remain committed to delivering top-quality service, grounded in sustainability and a deep respect for the natural environment that surrounds us.

The EFCA, dedicated to showcasing the vital role family businesses play in the economic and social fabric of the Canary Islands, has selected us for this edition in recognition of our contribution and the legacy our family has built in the region’s tourism sector. This congress will also highlight the importance of developing specific leadership skills in family businesses—essential to overcoming modern challenges while staying true to our core values.

One of the most special moments will be the award ceremony itself, where the Hon. Vice Minister of the Presidency and Spokesperson for the Canary Islands Government, Mr. Alfonso Cabello, will present us with the honor. This gesture adds even greater significance to this already extraordinary occasion.

“For us, the Talg family, it is an immense honor to receive the IX Award for Family Businesses in the Canary Islands. We are deeply moved and proud of this recognition, which reflects the hard work and dedication of three generations committed to excellence and a love for our homeland. This award is a tribute to everyone who has been part of our story and to those who continue to place their trust in us. We will keep moving forward with the same passion and commitment, honoring the legacy that binds us to the Canary Islands and its people. Thank you for this incredible honor!”

With heartfelt gratitude, we look back—and with joy and motivation, we look forward. May this moment mark yet another step in our journey of preserving our traditions while continuing to innovate for the future.

Warm regards, The Talg Family

Professional Career: A Path of Innovation

Enrique Talg’s career spanned more than five decades of tireless work and an international journey that enriched his vision of tourism. His first steps in the hospitality industry began as an apprentice at the Gran Hotel Taoro in Puerto de la Cruz between 1944 and 1947. Over the years, he held various roles in prestigious hotels across Europe, including the Gran Hotel in Stockholm (1951, chef) and the Grand Hotel et Des Alpes in Montreux (1954, head of reception). His international career also took him to the Suvretta House in St. Moritz (1954, head of supplies) and the Restaurant Hotel Reina Cristina in Algeciras (1956, director). In London, he worked at the Hatchetts restaurant, and in 1953, he oversaw the inauguration of the Lido Metropole in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Finally, after several positions as receptionist and deputy director at the Hotel Martiánez in Puerto de la Cruz, in 1958, he planned and built the Hotel Tigaiga together with his father (Enrique Talg Schulz), becoming its director and owner.

In 1964, Enrique Talg married Dr. Gisela Reineke, with whom he shared his life and his passion for the hotel and tourism. Together, they had three children: Ursula, Irene and Enrique, who have followed in their father’s footsteps and now manage the Hotel Tigaiga. Family has always been at the heart of his legacy, and their daily presence was key to the hotel’s growth and success.

Leader in Environmental Management and Sustainable Tourism

From the construction and opening of the Hotel Tigaiga in 1959, Enrique Talg Wyss left his personal mark on hospitality and environmental management, turning his hotel into one of the most awarded hotels in the world, according to TUI’s rankings. Among the many innovations he introduced at the hotel was the installation of the first telex in Puerto de la Cruz, which greatly modernised international communication at the time. Additionally, in 1982, Talg pioneered the implementation of the first solar energy system in the Canary Islands, a clear reflection of his commitment to sustainability.

Traditional Dances on Sundays at the Tigaiga

Over the years, the Hotel Tigaiga has cultivated an extremely loyal clientele, thanks to the welcoming atmosphere and personalised service that Don Enrique and his team consistently provided. Some of the most loyal guests made the Tigaiga their home away from home, with some having stayed over 500 nights or visited the hotel more than 55 times. This loyalty reflects the hotel’s commitment to quality, which has led generations of tourists to return year after year to Puerto de la Cruz for their holidays.

A unique part of the Hotel Tigaiga’s charm lies in its spectacular subtropical gardens, meticulously designed and cared for by his wife, Dr. Gisela Reineke. Today, these gardens host plants from around the world, creating a natural environment that surrounds the hotel and offers guests an oasis of tranquillity. Doña Gisela not only beautified the hotel, but her work also embodied the family’s philosophy of integrating nature into the hospitality experience, offering guests a carefully maintained and unique environment. For decades, she was a key figure in providing personalised care for the guests, ensuring that each one felt at home.

Enrique Talg Wyss and His Team

Enrique Talg deeply valued his team, considering them an essential part of the hotel’s success. Among his closest collaborators was Luis Pérez, who worked at the Hotel Tigaiga throughout his entire professional life and retired as head of reception. Alongside Luis, key figures such as Camejo at the Tamaimo bar, Don Cándido as maître d’, Don Pedro at the Tinguaro, Don Carmelo in the kitchen, and Don Santiago and Don Emilio in administration, among others, contributed to the hotel’s success with their dedication and hard work. They made the Tigaiga a special place for its guests, many of whom remain loyal to this day.

A Man Committed to His Community

In addition to managing the Hotel Tigaiga, Enrique Talg Wyss played key roles in the development of tourism on Tenerife and was an active promoter of important tourism institutions. He was a founding member and part of the board of directors of the CIT (Tourism Initiatives Centre) in Puerto de la Cruz, Skal Club of Tenerife, and Club 13, and was involved with the Lions Club. He was also a founding member of the Hogar Santa Rita, a member of the Institute of Hispanic Studies, and a member of the Red Cross in Puerto de la Cruz. He collaborated with the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Tourism Board, was a founding member and part of the board of directors of ASHOTEL, and co-founded ZONTUR. For many years, he represented ASHOTEL on the board of the Teide National Park and was part of the committee for the Tourism Excellence Plan of the Orotava Valley and the Hotel Quality Plan of Spain. In 1995, his Hotel Tigaiga was selected by the ICTE (Institute for Spanish Tourism Quality) to implement the first hotel quality standards.

Recognitions

Throughout his career, Don Enrique received numerous awards recognising his work. In 1961, he was awarded the Prize for a more beautiful, clean, cheerful and optimistic Tenerife by the Tenerife Island Council and the Island Tourism Board. In 1980, he was honoured with the Gold Star as Hotel Director of the Year by the Spanish Association of Hotel Directors (AEDH) and HUSA. In 1984, the Centre for Tourism Initiatives of Puerto de la Cruz awarded him the Gold Medal for his work on Tenerife’s hiking trails. In 1985, he was awarded the Silver Medal by the Government of the Canary Islands during the celebration of World Tourism Day. In 1994, he received the Excellence Award at the IV International Tourism Congress. After his passing in September 2006, Enrique Talg was posthumously honoured with the Tenerife Tourism Award 2007 (Tenerife Island Council), in recognition of his dedication and excellence as an exemplary hotelier and businessman, a pioneer in environmental quality, customer care, and collaboration between the public and private sectors.

A Lasting Legacy

The sudden death of Enrique Talg on 27 September 2006 (World Tourism Day), while he was preparing to receive another award for environmental management at the Hotel Tigaiga, left a void in Tenerife’s tourism community.

To close this article, we, as his children, would like to express our deepest gratitude to our father, Enrique Talg Wyss. He left us an invaluable legacy, not only at the Hotel Tigaiga but also in the hearts of those who knew him. His dedication to improving and preserving Tenerife, always respecting the environment and putting people first, inspires us to continue following in his footsteps. We remember you with love, and we are committed to continuing to care for and develop what you loved so dearly. Happy centenary!

This week, the World Travel Market took place in London, undoubtedly one of the most significant events in the international holiday tourism sector, featuring over 5,000 showcased destinations. In this context, the concept of sustainability was one of the most used terms to discuss the future of the industry. From both institutional and business perspectives, emphasizing the importance of environmental conservation to attract visitors who are increasingly sensitive to this issue is considered crucial. Nature and “locally sourced” gastronomy play a vital role in the island’s experiences today. But far from being a novelty, these advantages were already promoted several years ago.

For hiking enthusiasts, exploring our surroundings along the paths in the north of Tenerife was a guiding principle in the life of a significant figure from Puerto de la Cruz, closely connected to tourism and nature. Enrique Talg, the pioneer of hiking in the Valle de La Orotava, envisioned tourists returning home with memories of paved paths, the scent of damp forests, and the sea salt on their skin.

His interest in solidifying this experience led to the design of a series of hiking routes, including the yet-to-be-completed Sendero de la Costa. This trail stretches from the municipality of Santa Úrsula to San Juan de la Rambla and passes through three protected natural areas: Costa de Acentejo, Rambla de Castro, and Los Campeches-Tigaiga and Ruiz. Since then, some improvements have been made, such as the trail connecting the La Paz area with the Barranco de la Arena and El Bollullo Beach in La Orotava, but there is still much to explore.

Enrique Talg came to the island, guided by his father, Enrique Talg Schulz, who conveyed to him the possibilities of this activity as a complementary offering for the guests of his hotel. The Talg family’s efforts also served to raise awareness among the authorities for this sustainable initiative. The legacy of Enrique Talg lives on in the hiking trails, which not only lead through an impressive landscape but also serve as a tribute to a man who appreciated the beauty of nature and advocated for its sustainable development.

To promote hiking through the National Institute for Nature Conservation, the former Icona, Enrique Talg initiated the adaptation and signage of numerous paths in our mountains, supported at the time by Isidoro Sánchez. The historical signs with a yellow rhombus and the image of a girl were designed by Enrique Talg to guide visitors. “This idea came from the hikes we took during our vacations between Germany and Switzerland,” says Enrique Talg Reineke, emphasizing how his parents took him and his two sisters, Ursula and Irene, to hike in the mountains and spend quality time together as a family.

Enrique Talg continues to hope to complete the Sendero de la Costa, passionately advocated by his father. The trail is already in use, but its appearance is irregular, and in some places, it has almost disappeared. Instead of economic investment, what is needed is above all decisiveness and inter-municipal coordination. “Despite all the honors and awards my father received, he would have been truly happy if we could finally realize his idea,” says his son.

Hiking remains a significant attraction for our visitors, and there are increasingly more specialized companies offering hikes and walks in our mountains. In the time when Enrique Talg Wyss opened the Tigaiga Hotel, the situation was different. Enrique himself organized excursions with his clients and some hotel staff. His son remembers joining these nature excursions in the mountains of La Orotava in the 1970s. Nowadays, there is still interest in this activity, but the devastating fire last summer will make us wait a while before we can see the mountains again in their original state.

His commitment to sustainability made him ahead of his time. In 1982, the Tigaiga became the first hotel in the Canary Islands to install a solar thermal energy system. This decision has made it one of the most awarded hotels in terms of sustainability in the Canary Islands and one of the first in Spain to receive the EMAS register in 2002. This Community system for environmental management and auditing is a voluntary mechanism for companies and organizations that want to commit to assessing, managing, and improving their environmental performance. It imposes strict requirements involving both employees and external agents, also connected with the ISO 14001 standard.

Enrique Talg arrived in Tenerife as a young child. His father, involved in gastronomy and entrepreneurial spirit, decided to come to Tenerife in 1922 to manage the Quisisana Hotel in Santa Cruz. He combined this activity with services for the Peinador Hotel in Pontevedra and the administration of the Gran Hotel Taoro, which he managed until 1952, the year of the takeover by the Cabildo de Tenerife. During this time, Talg Schulz bought the land next to Taoro, where the Tigaiga Hotel stands today, to plant fruit trees and breed animals, as an additional leisure and entertainment offering, linked to the planned routes across the entire island. This entrepreneurial spirit was inherited by his son, Enrique Talg Wyss, who began working at the age of 16 at Reimers, a trading company on San Juan Street, before starting his career in gastronomy as an apprentice at the Taoro Hotel. Later, he gained experience in renowned establishments such as the Palace Hotel in Madrid before returning to his homeland. After leasing the Martiánez Hotel, he also worked as the deputy director of the Taoro Hotel under his father’s leadership.

Several years later, he built the Tigaiga Hotel, which opened in 1959. As a curious fact, the name of the establishment had to start with the letter T to use the cutlery with the initials H.T. from the Taoro Hotel, which his father received as payment when his contract with the Cabildo de Tenerife was terminated. In a short time, this hotel became a benchmark for excellence in dealing with tourists. This principle continues to this day, with a differentiated and family-oriented service also offered to those who regularly visit the Tinguaro restaurant.

With 80 rooms, the Tigaiga moves away from the all-inclusive offerings of large hotel complexes. As the current owner explains, “We try to follow in our father’s footsteps.” “My sister and I, responsible for its management, want visitors to feel comfortable and, above all, enjoy the experiences the island offers, whether gastronomic, cultural, or recreational. We want our guests to get to know the island and fall in love with it, with its hiking trails, its coast, its landscape, its cuisine. That’s what made my father a special and approachable hotelier who never felt like a foreigner and liked to visit guachinches to then recommend them to customers.”

If the figure of Enrique Talg is interesting for the values he instilled, no less important is that of his wife, Gisela Reineke, a pediatrician who could never practice in Tenerife as she could not validate her title. Her passion for botany led her to redesign the gardens of the hotel, which are still maintained today. She created a botanical guide in different languages to hand to her clients, showcasing the varieties of subtropical plants in the hotel gardens. She worked until her last days alongside her husband with the same love for the adopted land.

Enrique Talg was also aware of the needs of the municipality and the risks that, in his view, the sector faced with an excessive increase in his time. He expressed this view publicly in 1966 with an initiative he presented to the City Council for the construction of an auditorium for national and international congresses. He was one of the first to speak about a moratorium, emphasizing the need to limit the construction of new hotels. An article by historian Nicolás Lemus about the Talg family includes verbatim another letter he submitted to the president of the Centro de Iniciativas y Turismo, in which he makes the following request, which would be relevant today:

“That a commission be appointed, consisting, among others, of members of the Living Forces of this city, with tourist experience, economists, scientific experts in tourism, national and foreign, landscape architects and other professionals deemed appropriate to report on the possibility of immediately stopping new hotel and non-hotel constructions for two or three years to allow time for an equalization of our tourist infrastructure. That construction companies, with their personnel, invest in such infrastructure to make Puerto de la Cruz a true International Tourism Center, not only in name but also in quality. That the construction of social housing and vocational training be accelerated. That in this city, its uniqueness be restored, its tranquility, that parks with cheerful flowers be created, that tourist walks without cars be made, and that cultural and recreational events be organized regularly. That the non-compliance with the above and, therefore, considered ineffective and rejected for execution, will cause, in the modest opinion of the undersigned, short-term damages, now that an offer of beds is hinted at, exceeding the demand. That the proposed study be sent, as soon as possible, to the competent authorities of higher representation. That in case of creating the Commission I refer to and to cope with the first expenses, I contribute, as a first installment, the amount of 25,000 pesetas. That the above be recorded in the minutes. I hope to have more luck and support with this motion than with the one I made to the Hon. City Council of this city on August 20, 1966, in similar terms. Thank you very much. Signed: Enrique Talg.”

As I take a lemonade cup with the usual care, Enrique talks about the luck of having a generous father with an open mind to adapt to changes, who did not hesitate to pass the baton to his children, who accepted the challenge with the responsibility of living up to a father like him.

“Encomiable labor” (Commendable Work) Enrique Talg passed away on September 27, 2006, at the age of 82, as he prepared to receive an award on World Tourism Day. A bust in Parque de Taoro commemorates his figure with the inscription: “The Hon. Cabildo of Tenerife, to Enrique Talg Wyss 1924-2006. For his commendable work in favor of tourism and the environment, and for his love and commitment to Tenerife. Puerto de la Cruz, 18-2-2008. Author: Felipe Hodgson Ravina.”

I pick up my notebook and leave the hotel, imagining this good-natured man with a German appearance and a Canarian heart wandering through the park gardens and supervising the restoration work at the Taoro Hotel, now a skeleton of what it once was, finally rising to rescue ghosts from another era that will also be discussed, without losing direction.

This pìcture can be seen in our Restaurante Tinguaro. It was painted by Ms. Wittkugel, a talented painter, teacher and pianist. You can discover in the picture the former operators swimmingpool: Enrique Talg Schulz (in a gray suit, right by the pool) and Enrique Talg Wyss, his son (front right wearing a black suit with hands on his back)

Martianez 1940-1942                                             Martianez 1950-1960

The Martianez swimming pool was the first swimming pool in Puerto de la Cruz. It was built almost at the end of today’s beach promenade adjacent to the Palm Avenue. The swimming pool was in operation from 1940 to 1963 and meeting point of many social venues.

It was the idea of the late Enrique Talg, founder of the Hotel Tigaiga in Puerto de la Cruz, as part of a Cabildo landscape initiative.

The North coastal path, which integrates the stretch of Puerto de la Cruz, will be 20 kilometres long. This will start in Santa Ursula as well as Puerto de la Cruz, will travel through La Orotava, Los Realejos and San Juan de la Rambla, covering three protected natural areas: Costa Acentejo, Rambla de Castro and Los Campeches -Tigaiga and Ruíz.

from TENERIFE NEWS  (04-01-10)

]]> https://tigaiga.com/en/the-northern-coastal-path/feed/ 0 https://tigaiga.com/en/green-giants/ https://tigaiga.com/en/green-giants/#respond Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:40:49 +0000 http://blog.tigaiga.com/en/2009/02/27/green-giants/ Island Connections Editions 585 and 586 publishes exclusive interview by Sheila Collins

HOTEL TIGAIGA – the early years (part 1) 27/02/09  The hotel has won more Holly prices for their ecological and quality policies than any other hotel in Spain.

HOTEL TIGAIGA – the new generation (part 2) from 13/03/09  The family-run Hotel Tigaiga celebrates 50 years since its inauguration this year, but nobody quite knows when, so the celebrations will continue throughout 2009.

Read the complete article on the screen. Click on the following to open the pages in a new window as PDF.

green-giants-1.pdf   green-giants-2.pdf  green-giants-3.pdf  green-giants-4.pdf

El Secretario General:  Sr. Don Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner