31 Mar 1926-1976: the origins of a business vision that would change hospitality textiles

From a family workshop to the creation of Resuinsa, a pioneering specialisation at a time when tourism was still far from becoming an economic driver

1926: The beginning of a textile family business

Spain began to undergo gradual change in the 1920s. Cities were expanding, yet the economy remained largely rural, industry was only just starting to take shape, and tourism was still almost non-existent. In many parts of the Valencia region, scarcity and demanding working conditions defined everyday life. It was in this context that Mateo Martí, having trained as a weaver in Barcelona, returned to his hometown of Montaverner (Valencia) to launch a small textile project with his first looms.

It was no small feat. Spain at the time was still far from becoming the tourism powerhouse it is today, and hospitality functioned more as a trade than as a fully developed industry. However, what began with the production of knitwear and towels in that family workshop gradually evolved into a textile industrial group.

The arrival of the second generation marked a major step forward. Félix Martí Olivares, trained in textile engineering, progressively incorporated all stages of the production process (spinning, dyeing, weaving and manufacturing). At a time when many textile companies specialised in just one part of the process, he committed to a fully integrated industrial model that enabled the business to grow across Spain. However, the move that would shape the future came in the 1970s.

1976: specialising when few others did

Within this well-established company, Martí Olivares made a decision that was unusual in the textile industry at the time. In 1976, he created a company dedicated exclusively to textiles for the hospitality sector, marking the creation of Resuinsa.

Today, the link between textiles and hotels may seem clear, but at the time the Spanish hospitality sector was still far from the level of professionalisation we see today. Tourism was growing, yet few could foresee that it would become one of the country’s main economic drivers.

Hotels were evolving rapidly, but many of their operational needs—such as textiles—were still being met with products designed for domestic use. Martí Olivares understood that the sector was set to transform and would require textile solutions specifically designed for its activity: more durable, suited to continuous industrial laundering and capable of maintaining their quality under intensive use.

In this sense, Resuinsa took its first steps as a specialised company within a textile group, created to respond to a sector undergoing professionalisation. This decision reflected the mindset of a generation of entrepreneurs who built Spain’s industrial fabric throughout the 20th century. From traditional sectors such as textiles, they were able to look beyond the present and identify opportunities where others had yet to see a market.

In 1976, Martí Olivares’ pioneering vision took shape in a company created to support the development and professionalisation of the Spanish hospitality sector. Decades later, with the sector now established as one of the country’s economic pillars, that decision still highlights something essential: major transformations often begin with the ability to anticipate the future—and the determination to make it a reality.