Meliá Hotels International has announced a strong push for its international expansion, as revealed at Fitur - the Madrid Tourism Fair - by its President and CEO, Gabriel Escarrer. He stated, 'The future of our company involves becoming larger and better managers, which means adding a minimum of one hotel every two weeks. This growth will be highly qualitative, focusing particularly on the luxury and premium segments, in partnership with the industry's best partners and consolidating our leadership in the resort sector in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean. 

Escarrer reviewed the expansion results of the company in 2023, during which Meliá signed 26 new projects and opened a dozen hotels, concluding the year with 350 operational hotels and 92,057 rooms, plus another 64 projects in the process of opening (with 13,524 rooms). Among the most recent additions, notable ones include Gran Meliá Nha Trang (Vietnam) or Palazzo Cordusio Gran Meliá (Milan, Italy), the Ngorongoro Lodge, Meliá Collection (Tanzania), Meliá Durres (Albania), and the INNSiDE Bangkok Sukhumvit, their first hotel in the Thai capital. 

In 2024, the company's expansion plans will remain equally ambitious, with an initial goal of opening more than twenty hotels and continuing to sign as many new projects. One of the most significant projects for this year is the Torre Melina Hotel, Gran Meliá, which opens its doors today in Barcelona, thus reclaiming one of the city's most iconic 5-star hotels, the former Hotel Juan Carlos I. Especially significant will be the growth of the luxury brand ME by Meliá, which in 2024 will land in destinations such as Lisbon, Malta, Málaga, Sayulita, and Guadalajara (the latter two in Mexico). The Zel brand, a result of collaboration with Rafa Nadal and which debuted last year in Mallorca, will see the opening of a new hotel in Tossa del Mar (Girona) this year, with additional projects in Sayulita (Mexico), Madrid, and Punta Cana (Dominican Republic).

Escarrer also highlighted the notable expansion of the group in Mexico, where it plans to double its current portfolio, and consolidates its commitment in the Dominican Republic, aiming to establish a 'fully Meliá destination,' featuring the most innovative concepts of its brands Paradisus by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, and Zel. Escarrer also announced a new agreement of intent for the development of what will be the third hotel in the tourism project currently underway in Puerto Plata. 

Another area of expansion presented by Escarrer is Saudi Arabia. In this regard, Meliá has recently announced a new letter of intent with Gulf Real Estate Company to manage a 220-room hotel in Half Moon Bay, south of Al-Khobar. 

Likewise, he highlighted the significant growth of The Meliá Collection brand, which will double from 8 to 16 hotels in the coming years, reinforcing the company's commitment to the luxury segment. In this regard, the signings of two boutique hotels in Mallorca and one in Cádiz were recently announced, with the latter becoming the first 5-star hotel in its historic centre. 

Albania: the opening of a new tourism market 

After opening its first hotel in Albania in 2022, Meliá is leading the development of the international hotel sector, as it has done in other pioneering destinations in the Mediterranean. The company opened another two hotels in 2023 and currently has 13 more in the process of opening, totalling over 3,000 rooms (operational and in the pipeline). The two latest projects were just signed this year: the ME Tirana and the Meliá Velipoja. 

According to Escarrer, 'The commitment of the public and private sectors to open Albania's doors to international tourism is an unmistakable sign of this country's tremendous potential. A testament to this is the presence of the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, here with us today, endorsing our strong commitment to the destination'. The Prime Minister, along with the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, participated in Meliá's presentation at Fitur to support the company's expansion plans. Meliá is already the leading international hotel chain in the country.