Almost 200 holidaymakers locked inside Spanish hotel after cops barricade door as tough new rules for tourists revealed

NEARLY 200 holidaymakers at a Costa del Sol seafront hotel have been blocked from leaving through the front door.

Spanish town hall bosses ordered cops to seal off the four-star Vivemar Hotel after discovering it was operating without proper licences.

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Tourists at the Vivemar Hotel in Costa del Sol have been banned from leaving[/caption]

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Police padlocked the front of the hotel today[/caption]

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The Vivemar is said to be operating without proper licenses[/caption]

Tourists at the hotel – previously called the Vistamar – located in Benalmadena Costa near Torremolinos, now have to leave through a ground-floor garage.

Police sealed the main entrance with steel cables and posted a large notice reading “Precintado” (Sealed off) on Tuesday.

When asked if any British or Irish guests were staying there, a receptionist said: “I’m a bit rushed off my feet at the moment to check where our clients are from but I’d say there would be because we’ve got a bit of everything.

“There’s almost 200 tourists staying here at the moment because we’re nearly full.

“The police came this morning and sealed the front door. At the moment the only way in and out of the hotel for staff and guests is the garage car park.”

She denied reports that guests were barred from using the swimming pool, insisting it was open as usual.

Benalmadena Town Hall could not be reached for comment last night.

But spokesperson Raul Campos told local paper Sur that they had instructed police to seal off the front entrance after discovering the hotel wasn’t listed in the official regional tourist accommodation register.

He said: “We have asked in the Junta de Andalucia’s Tourism Department and they say the company that operates the hotel is not in the official register.

“That means it can’t be officially opened as it does not have the proper documentation.”

Raul said council officials had warned the hotel in late March that cops would take action.

Hotel manager Alberto Tusquellas has blamed things on a “red tape” hiccup.

He told local press a Spanish firm called Vive Resort Management SL began operating the hotel around a year ago, but their sublease agreement has now been revoked.

According to the building’s owners, named locally as María Jose García Vargas, the sublease was the subject of ongoing civil and criminal court action.

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A large sign was put at the front of the building, reading ‘Precintado’ (‘Sealed off’)[/caption]

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The owners reportedly found out that the company they contracted to run the hotel had sublet it to another firm without their knowledge.

The hotel receptionist said: “The swimming pool is still open and the guests can use it as normal.

“The car park the guests are having to enter and exit the hotel via is a closed building but it’s on the ground floor.”

The seafront Vivemar Hotel is described online as a 138-room hotel with modern facilities.

Online travel websites say it has a “lush garden” and guests can “relax by the seasonal outdoor swimming pool”.

One writes: “The on-site restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine for dinner, complemented by a bar for refreshments.

“A buffet breakfast is available each morning, providing a perfect start to the day.”

But a recent guest said in a review: “The cleaning leaves much to be desired.  Old room furniture and broken curtain fall out when you try to open the balcony door.  I don’t recommend it to my worst enemy.”

It comes as Spanish locals surrounded a hotel and targeted tourists with water guns on Sunday as mass protests unfolded across the country.

Campaigners were heard shouting “tourism is terrorism” and “tourists go home” as the marches kicked off in multiple cities.

Locals say over-tourism is pushing locals out of affordable housing, driving up living costs and making city centres unusable.