El Fin de las VacaZIHones de Verano

I was told interfering with nature in this fashion is against the law.

After 17 yrs @ the Catalina our old friend Javier has retired, he was my welcome home greeting and took care of my bill since meeting him next door when he worked for the Sotavento.
Our last stay was nice but I could tell the new management was difficult on staff as well the rooms were falling apart Linda vista suits)
Now that he’s gone I may look south vs stay there as it won’t be the same.
We had some incredible memories and blessed we had a chance to spend it there.
I wish Javier the best

I hope you'll continue to give them a chance. I know they are trying harder than ever to do a good job, and from what I understand they've been renovating rooms.

Our last stay was nice but I could tell the new management was difficult on staff as well the rooms were falling apart

I can't speak to the ills of the Catalina, but I've never understood why management types think they have to be snarling hardasses all the time, especially in the hospitality industry. Those kinds of bad vibes always flow downhill through the staff to the guests and everybody suffers. On the other hand find good people, treat them with kindness and respect (with a healthy dollop of good humor), pay them what they're worth, and they'll run through brick walls for you. It may take more effort, maybe more upfront costs, but it's well worth it in the long run. Seems like a no-brainer.

Javier didn't retire. My understanding is that it was a personnel issue with the new manager. I don't know it was entirely voluntary. He had previously left for a few months but was asked to return. My understanding of the new management is that Eva's son now owns the hotel with a group of 10 investors primarily from Mexico City. When we were there last fall there was a man that we were told was part of the ownership group in charge. When we returned in February there was another man, again from the ownership group in charge. We have no idea why there was a change, The day to day manager was Bernice. Although she was pleasant to us, we are told by staff we know that she is not popular, hence the changes in personnel. I have no idea if any of this is true, it is just what we have been told.
The renovations so far as of last March have been pretty superficial. Two large swings on the beach, with Coke logos and large lighted letters that spell "LOVE." When we left they were in the process of adding a shaded area to the beach at the foot of the steps that we think was either a kitchen or a seating area.
They post frequent ads to Facebook now with a much "younger" vibe. Clearly they are trying to attract new, younger, customers. This makes sense as, at least in the winter, the occupancy is primarily geriatric gringos (us included)
Despite the changes we will continue to stay there as the basic experience hasn't changed. But since it is no longer really "locally owned" we feel less compelled to stay there and there is another alternative nearby that although it is quite a bit more expensive that could work, and we could earn Hyatt points.
We also noticed that their website has been redesigned and has a new webmaster. Our understanding is that the prior webmaster, who had been in that role for many years, was not even given the chance to bid on the new web site, which we think is very poor form.
Thats about all I know. Keep in mind that this is just my understanding of what has happened and may not be totally accurate.